Word is that the first Valpo recruit to commit for 2014 football appears to be a quarterback, Conner Smith:
http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/conner-smith/JFfvQ_ToEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=13-14 (http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/conner-smith/JFfvQ_ToEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=13-14)
The coach, in comments, said that priorities in recruiting will be in defensive secondary and to ensure that there would be a strong replacement for Hoffman. He indicated that he felt pretty good about the defensive front seven.
This from Scout.com 12/21/2013:
PERRY MERIDIAN
At Perry Meridian Coach Scott Marsh informs us that record setting quarterback Conner Smith is still in the process of narrowing things down. Right now, it stands between Valparaiso and Butler, more than likely.
Any recruit who picks us over Butler is ok by me!
Quote from: IndyValpo on January 08, 2014, 09:40:38 AM
This from Indiana HS Football website 12/21/2013:
PERRY MERIDIAN
At Perry Meridian Coach Scott Marsh informs us that record setting quarterback Conner Smith is still in the process of narrowing things down. Right now, it stands between Valparaiso and Butler, more than likely
That article is almost 3 weeks old. My understanding is that he committed on Monday.
Here's a nice article about Conner with some video interviews. A bright kid to be sure who wants to study accounting.
http://www.hoosierauthority.com/news_article/show/298348?referrer_id=815809 (http://www.hoosierauthority.com/news_article/show/298348?referrer_id=815809)
Seems like a good pocket passer, which I like if we have a solid OL. I have no idea about the level of competition he has faced, is it good opposition that he has faced this year?
Looking at the schedule he faced last Fall, the competition was very good...large schools in the Indianapolis area.
Yes, big school competition.
Here are some highlights, seems like he can make all the throws with some very nice touch as well:
http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/in/indianapolis/perry-meridian-high-school/conner-smith6 (http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/in/indianapolis/perry-meridian-high-school/conner-smith6)
Quote from: valpopal on January 07, 2014, 09:06:57 PM
Word is that the first Valpo recruit to commit for 2014 football appears to be a quarterback, Conner Smith:
http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/conner-smith/JFfvQ_ToEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=13-14 (http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/conner-smith/JFfvQ_ToEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=13-14)
Looks like Perry Meridian and Decatur Central had a real defensive struggle, 83-78! No OT! Did the defense even step onto the field?
http://www.maxpreps.com/games/football-fall-13/decatur-central-vs-perry-meridian/8-30-2013-bG-oRQvomEmvmA55KiGcHQ.htm (http://www.maxpreps.com/games/football-fall-13/decatur-central-vs-perry-meridian/8-30-2013-bG-oRQvomEmvmA55KiGcHQ.htm)
Quote from: covufan on January 08, 2014, 03:10:27 PMQuote from: valpopal on January 07, 2014, 09:06:57 PMWord is that the first Valpo recruit to commit for 2014 football appears to be a quarterback, Conner Smith: http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/conner-smith/JFfvQ_ToEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=13-14 (http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/conner-smith/JFfvQ_ToEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=13-14)
Looks like Perry Meridian and Decatur Central had a real defensive struggle, 83-78! No OT! Did the defense even step onto the field? http://www.maxpreps.com/games/football-fall-13/decatur-central-vs-perry-meridian/8-30-2013-bG-oRQvomEmvmA55KiGcHQ.htm (http://www.maxpreps.com/games/football-fall-13/decatur-central-vs-perry-meridian/8-30-2013-bG-oRQvomEmvmA55KiGcHQ.htm)
Here's the USA Today story on that game.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/08/indiana-high-school-football-teams-put-up-crazy-stats-combine-for-1703-yards/ (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/08/indiana-high-school-football-teams-put-up-crazy-stats-combine-for-1703-yards/)
Perry Meridian quarterback Conner Smith passed for 490 yards and six touchdowns.
Here's another interesting tidbit on Conner Smith:
http://www.wishtv.com/sports/high-school/athlete-of-the-week-connor-smith (http://www.wishtv.com/sports/high-school/athlete-of-the-week-connor-smith)
He likes to call sports on the radio also.
I am hearing that this is suppose to be a huge recruiting weekend for us.. I hope we hand some good recruits.. Look out for them over the weekend and give them some encouragement words to help them see Valpo as the place to come for education and football..
Defensive lineman Patrick McArdle from Georgia has just committed to Valpo. He is also a basketball player who could be a walk-on for Bryce.
http://youtu.be/GJOLcVg48vY (http://youtu.be/GJOLcVg48vY)
Quote from: valpopal on January 17, 2014, 11:07:46 AM
Defensive lineman Patrick McArdle from Georgia has just committed to Valpo. He is also a basketball player who could be a walk-on for Bryce.
http://youtu.be/GJOLcVg48vY (http://youtu.be/GJOLcVg48vY)
He seems very strong the way he pancaked a few guys, but at 235# seems more likely to play linebacker then tackle or defensive end. Then again, if he can add 50#...
I liked how he kept his shoulders square to the LOS on plays down the line. Good footwork. Well coached. Could be a strong OLB/DE. Georgia football is a solid recruiting ground so if this is real, there has got to be some pedigree coming to NW IN. As for size, here's a good comparison from my New England roots: Tedi Bruschi. He was listed at 6'1"" and 250#. He set the Pac-10 sack record when playing DE for Arizona State (I believe). Look at him on ESPN. He's actually is about 6"0" and now is a trim 215-220 and never was heavier than 240 while plaint ILB in the NFL. He had incredible intelligence and a motor that had only one gear. This recruit looks like there's a motor there.
This brings me to a thought I have had the last two years after tracking the previous staff's recruiting efforts. They recruited in some real FB hotbeds and the highlight reels I watched showed me really capable kids with explosive skill sets. Yet, when dropped into the Valpo FB environment, a lot of that seemed to evaporate. I talked to a couple of FB parents at a Marist game and they wondered out loud about how much (or how little ) their kids were being pushed to become better football players. I hope that Coach Cecchini's staff (including the Carlson hold-overs) bring a more intense approach to pushing the kids in all aspects of FB life (off-season, pre-season, daily practice, and, most importantly, on game day). I truly believe that a lot of recruited potential was not optimized over the past four years. I want to see that change.
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 17, 2014, 01:03:58 PM
I liked how he kept his shoulders square to the LOS on plays down the line. Good footwork. Well coached. Could be a strong OLB/DE. Georgia football is a solid recruiting ground so if this is real, there has got to be some pedigree coming to NW IN. As for size, here's a good comparison from my New England roots: Tedi Bruschi. He was listed at 6'1"" and 250#. He set the Pac-10 sack record when playing DE for Arizona State (I believe). Look at him on ESPN. He's actually is about 6"0" and now is a trim 215-220 and never was heavier than 240 while plaint ILB in the NFL. He had incredible intelligence and a motor that had only one gear. This recruit looks like there's a motor there.
This brings me to a thought I have had the last two years after tracking the previous staff's recruiting efforts. They recruited in some real FB hotbeds and the highlight reels I watched showed me really capable kids with explosive skill sets. Yet, when dropped into the Valpo FB environment, a lot of that seemed to evaporate. I talked to a couple of FB parents at a Marist game and they wondered out loud about how much (or how little ) their kids were being pushed to become better football players. I hope that Coach Cecchini's staff (including the Carlson hold-overs) bring a more intense approach to pushing the kids in all aspects of FB life (off-season, pre-season, daily practice, and, most importantly, on game day). I truly believe that a lot of recruited potential was not optimized over the past four years. I want to see that change.
Don't know if this has ever been posted, but I found a football recruiting site on the athletics site. It needs to be updated but otherwise is pretty solid. The first tab shows players by state. There are 19 states represented with 30 coming from traditional football power states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and California. Georgia wasn't represented last year.
http://valpofootball.net/ (http://valpofootball.net/)
Even good HS seniors in "football hotbeds" are still 18 year old boys who put their pants on one leg at a time. Talent development is huge in a football program as these boys must be developed into 22 year old men. The guys committing to play at Valpo are paying for the opportunity and will most likely consider themselves more of a product of the football program than they business or engineering school. A good coaching staff will deliver a better product. Best of luck to them on recruiting (and developing) these 18 year old boys.
Did we land anymore recruits over the weekend? I saw a few on campus this weekend..
Another QB...
http://247sports.com/Player/Dalton-Stokes-38045 (http://247sports.com/Player/Dalton-Stokes-38045)
You can add running back Jarrett Morgan to the 2014 commits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0ycCfoR8eg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0ycCfoR8eg)
Quote from: IndyValpo on January 27, 2014, 10:09:49 AM
Another QB...
http://247sports.com/Player/Dalton-Stokes-38045 (http://247sports.com/Player/Dalton-Stokes-38045)
Highlites:
Football Recruiting - Dalton Stokes - Highlights (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUA__wkpSRE#ws)
This kid looks like he has the arm strength and quick feet as well. Could be the answer!!
Here's an article I found about his visit to Valpo:
Vero Beach's Stokes has 'great visit' to Valparaiso
By Dennis Jacob on January 21, 2014 11:44 PM Share: Tweet me! submit to reddit StumbleUpon Toolbar
Another recruiting entry by Jon Santucci ...
Vero Beach quarterback Dalton Stokes admits he was skeptical about Valparaiso, which went 1-10 in 2013 and has not had a winning record since 2003.
But after an official visit last weekend, where he got to meet the new coaching staff, and in-home visit Monday, he's feeling a lot better.
"It was a great visit," said Stokes, who is rated No. 9 in the Scripps Super 11. "The head coach, Dave Cecchini, has a great résumé. He was at Lehigh and Harvard and that's what I'm really excited about, talking X's and O's with him. I think I could fit in right away and have a chance to compete for some playing time."
Stokes met with Valparaiso defensive line coach Kasey Teegardin, a South Fork alum, at Mulligan's Beach House Bar and Grill in Vero Beach on Monday.
"It was cool to see him again and go over the visit," Stokes said.
Stokes said he also is considering Marist and Stetson as well as a preferred walk-on opportunity at FAU. He was scheduled to visit Georgetown this week, but said he will not take the visit now; Fort Pierce Central QB Sam Vaughn committed to Georgetown last week.
I really like his quick feet, and assumed quick decision-making ability (from the video). We have held on to the ball way too long over the last few years, leading to many broken plays and sacks.
Good to know that he took our offer over Marist's offer as well!
I am hearing some good reports about recruiting of new players for next season on both offense and defense. Some specific players who have been mentioned as having committed sound especially promising. Of course, if there were bad news most likely I'd be hearing nothing.
I am hoping the change to a new head coach and philosophy also will bring new energy and enthusiasm, maybe even optimism, not only to the new recruits but also to reward those who have remained. Indeed, retention seems stronger than I had expected. In any case, we will know soon about the new class since the football signing day is one week from today.
Some of the Valpo Football coaches comments from Twitter over the last few days sound promising. The new football coach and his staff are definitely excited by the verbal commitments they have been getting. Hard working group. I wish them much success in turning around the program!
Kasey Teegardin@CoachTee34 Jan 28
Let's Goooooooo!!! Just picked up one of the best Defensive Ends in Tennessee!!!! Welcome to the family!! Time to get on this train! #TurnUp
Kasey Teegardin@CoachTee34 Jan 28
This recruiting class is going to be tough to beat!!! Don't miss the train, it's gettin ready to leave the station!! #TurnUp #GoValpo
Kasey Teegardin@CoachTee34 Jan 26
Let's Gooooooo!!! Another top recruit just joined the Crusader family!!!!!! One of the best players in South Florida!! #TurnUp #GoValpo#
Kasey Teegardin@CoachTee34 Jan 26
Make that 3!!! Big time LBeast commit!!! Welcome to the family!! Who's next?!?! Better get on board now!!! #TurnUp #GoValpo
Kasey Teegardin@CoachTee34 Jan 26
Yeahhhhhhh!!! Let's go!!! Got 2 on board baby!!! Big O-Line pick-up from St. Louis!!!! Who's next?!?!! The #TurnUp is real!! #GoValpo
Jason Miran@ValpoCoachMiran Jan 26
Very excited about the future after this visit weekend. We added some great young men to this program! \\//'s UP!
Dave Cecchini \\//@DaveCecchini Jan 25
Focused on the future of Valpo Football and those that will play a role in our success! Get your \\//'s Up #TurnUp #GoValpo
Jason Miran@ValpoCoachMiran Jan 26
Very excited about the future after this visit weekend. We added some great young men to this program! \\//'s UP!
Haha, I appreciate the enthusiasm from Kasey Teegardin to use Twitter to possibly lead other recruits to want to pick us by embellishing a little ;).
Coach Tee was tehe most exuberant coach last year on the recruiting trail and he certainly hasn't lost any of that enthusiasm. BTW I could be way off base, but I think he was the one who came up with "Shields Up" 8-)
Quote from: VULB#62 on January 29, 2014, 04:49:00 PM"Shields Up"
since he pitches for Kansas City, it'll be a while before he's up again
I am not sure I would be proud of that slogan. I hope it stops with the new regime as the Osteen quoter used it one too many times.
That being said, I like this enthusiasm.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 29, 2014, 07:48:48 PMI am not sure I would be proud of that slogan. I hope it stops with the new regime as the Osteen quoter used it one too many times. That being said, I like this enthusiasm.
Did he steal that line from Kirk, Picard or Janeway? Or was it William Wallace? Johnson & Johnson? GRC.com? A shaman from Worlds of Warcraft?
3 days until signing day! Going to be a great class--way to go coaches! Hard work & determination makes champions! Go Valpo!
Will there be any type of coverage for tomorrow recruit signing? Lots of colleges turn this into a big day for their new players..
I wouldn't count on anything more than a casual mention on some of the players joining the program, but even then, since we are non-scholarship, I believe they can't comment until they enroll.
That's correct. Usually the signee list in football doesn't get announced until all enrollment deposits are in and that is usually end of April or beginning of May.
Still, we will get some newspaper coverage of kids signing.
Big day for Valpo football And their recruits Hopefully they post a list somewhere of the signees Before April so we can see who's coming in Recruits can definitely commit to a school if their excepted to the school I don't think they have to enroll to commit
No, they don't have to enroll to commit, but they have to enroll for our school to comment on them joining the program.
We go through this explanation every year -- it's because we are PFL and non-scholarship. Treated differently than other scholarshipped D-I sports.
To see some of the recruits that Valpo has landed check out the Valpo football page on Facebook. I love that this new coaching staff is bringing this kind of excitement to the program!
Head coachDave Cecchini and his staff will announce their commits beginning at 3 p.m. CT on Twitter. Follow @valpoufootball and @DaveCecchini as they'll release names and comments of the newest class to don the Brown and Gold in 15-minute intervals.
I watch VUFB at a distance most of the time in order to "guard my heart" which already is susceptible to bleeding a bit too much brown and gold for the sanity of my wife. Tracking these twitter announcements is pretty cool, though. The tweets include nice standardized graphics on all the guys and links to their recruiting videos. Some of the recruits are even commenting and seem very excited to be joining the program! When was the last time you saw a VUFB recruit have the Valpo logo as his twitter or facebook picture?! I've also watched the FB team's number of followers increase pretty substantially during the process. Creating some excitement around this program, hopefully it'll translate to some W's as well...it could be such a good story about everything that's still good and wholesome about playing for the sheer love of the game.
It's interesting that we are commenting now, but it does help generate some excitement. There is always the risk that we are commenting on people that don't enroll, but making it public may make them want to join more?
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 05, 2014, 11:41:19 AM
We go through this explanation every year -- it's because we are PFL and non-scholarship. Treated differently than other scholarshipped D-I sports.
I'm glad that they've changed their approach. Often wondered about the explanation I crossed out above.
Perhaps someone can collect the Twitter, etc. info and post the list here.
From Twitter this evening, here are the positions recruited in the class of 17 players shown: 3 DBs, 3 LBs, 2 QBs, 2 DEs, and 1 each of OL, WR, Ath, TE, DL, RB, FB. The next round of recruiting starts now because a lot of players holding out hope for a D1 scholarship that didn't happen will now consider a non-scholarship D1 school like Valpo rather than go to D2, D3, or NAIA.
Loved the way the coaches announced the commitments Outstanding job coaches. Great class. And more coming in I'm sure Very Exciting !!
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/cecchini-announces-his-first-valparaiso-football-recruiting-class/article_40fdd16c-cf15-54ec-b08c-3f4c3b0d38b7.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/cecchini-announces-his-first-valparaiso-football-recruiting-class/article_40fdd16c-cf15-54ec-b08c-3f4c3b0d38b7.html)
That's cool that they were able to use their Lehigh recruiting list to compare to Valpo's previous list. I wonder how our old ratings compared to Lehigh's ratings!!
One thing I've noticed that Bryce Drew has used is upperclassmen transfers. I wonder if Cecchini and his staff have looked at recruiting the pipeline from the California juco system at all (that's where Macchi came from). Getting an upperclassman gives the team a shot in the arm with an experienced player while also giving the player a chance to graduate from an esteemed institution and only paying 2 years worth of tuition.
A family friend who played linebacker on the high school team with my nephew (one of the defensive lineman in this old video who unfortunately is going to play at another university) visited campus this weekend and says he committed to Valpo today. The new recruit's name is Colton Keene:
Colton Keene, LB, Class of 2014, Highight Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyJT85CiWaM#)
Any word on the spring football game date
I haven't heard a firm date yet, but I recall someone saying that it will be a bit later than usual -- probably because of the track construction.
I believe the spring game is April 26.
That's only a week later than last Spring (4/20/13).
Guessing that Easter on April 20 (week before) and finals starting May 8 (1.5 weeks after) impacted the timing.
Just read that we received a Letter of Intent from this bright young man who will move from offensive line to tight end for us. Also, he is a local student.
http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/in/whiting/whiting-high-school/tommy--dabertin (http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/in/whiting/whiting-high-school/tommy--dabertin)
Interesting change between HS and college. Usually changes like that go in the opposite direction. But if the new offense requires one TE to be the blocking TE, he certainly stays with his blocks on the LOS as well as in open space. Good that he's local as well. We need to cultivate the NW Indiana/Chicagoland talent and make Valpo the place to go for FCS caliber players.
The FB Twitter page seems to be quiet of late after that major push. last Tweet I see is March 2 Guess no new news is better than a whole bunch of Joel Olsteen quotes. Hope at some point the FB staff releases a compiled list of 2014 recruits and their summaries. I always enjoyed going through those.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 10:58:08 AMGuess no new news is better than a whole bunch of Joel Olsteen quotes.
Here's a Osteen quote about recruiting.
You have to come to your closed doors before you get to your open doors... What if you knew you had to go through 32 closed doors before you got to your open door? Well, then you'd come to closed door number eight and you'd think, 'Great, I got another one out of the way'... Keep moving forward. (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joelosteen579040.html)Joel Osteen (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joelosteen579040.html)
Quote from: historyman on March 14, 2014, 12:19:55 PMHere's a Osteen quote about recruiting.
Move over, Plato & Aristotle!
That Osteen quote would explain why we didn't win games for the first two seasons. Finally, makes sense of why we lost so much. :lol:
Quote from: vu72 on March 14, 2014, 09:57:53 AM
Just read that we received a Letter of Intent from this bright young man who will move from offensive line to tight end for us. Also, he is a local student.
http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/in/whiting/whiting-high-school/tommy--dabertin (http://www.ncsasports.org/football-recruiting/in/whiting/whiting-high-school/tommy--dabertin)
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 10:58:08 AM
Interesting change between HS and college. Usually changes like that go in the opposite direction. But if the new offense requires one TE to be the blocking TE, he certainly stays with his blocks on the LOS as well as in open space. Good that he's local as well. We need to cultivate the NW Indiana/Chicagoland talent and make Valpo the place to go for FCS caliber players.
The FB Twitter page seems to be quiet of late after that major push. last Tweet I see is March 2 Guess no new news is better than a whole bunch of Joel Olsteen quotes. Hope at some point the FB staff releases a compiled list of 2014 recruits and their summaries. I always enjoyed going through those.
First off this appears to be a great student athlete.
As far as the position switch, Whiting is a 1A school and 6-2 235 is probably pretty good size for an O Lineman. He would be way undersized at this level. The switch to TE makes sense.
Glad to hear that he's willing to make the move, even if he may not have the best catching hands next year, we'd have a confident blocking tight end until he's comfortable with pass routes and catching the ball. I know so many football players want to play the position they starred at in high school, and will not let a college coach change who they are. I hope this is a great move made for the best of the student athlete and the football team, not just for the sake of the football player.
Here's a Osteen quote about recruiting.[/size]You have to come to your closed doors before you get to your open doors... What if you knew you had to go through 32 closed doors before you got to your open door? Well, then you'd come to closed door number eight and you'd think, 'Great, I got another one out of the way'... Keep moving forward. (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joelosteen579040.html)[/size]Joel Osteen (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/joelosteen579040.html)
I will listen to Monty Hall and take Door Number 3...[/size][/font]
Gotta wonder if Osteen and Michele Bachmann have a relationship with bogus quotes like that. Sounds like the same mentality. I hope these bogus quotes and the Shields Up slogan go away.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 15, 2014, 04:02:15 PMGotta wonder if Osteen and Michele Bachmann have a relationship with bogus quotes like that. Sounds like the same mentality. I hope these bogus quotes and the Shields Up slogan go away.
The new slogan for the next few years is "Brown is Not Going Down!" Sorry for the toilet humor.
Quote from: valporun on March 15, 2014, 03:01:56 PM
Glad to hear that he's willing to make the move, even if he may not have the best catching hands next year, we'd have a confident blocking tight end until he's comfortable with pass routes and catching the ball. I know so many football players want to play the position they starred at in high school, and will not let a college coach change who they are. I hope this is a great move made for the best of the student athlete and the football team, not just for the sake of the football player.
Here's a short but nice aticle on OT turned TE Tom Dabertin from Whiting. Explains the shift:
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/football/college/whiting-s-dabertin-commits-to-valparaiso/article_5d18a9e1-1b4e-5234-9eb2-80adaacd78e5.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/football/college/whiting-s-dabertin-commits-to-valparaiso/article_5d18a9e1-1b4e-5234-9eb2-80adaacd78e5.html)
Didn't know until this article that he is from the same school that gave us all time receiver Rob Giancola.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 15, 2014, 04:02:15 PM
Gotta wonder if Osteen and Michele Bachmann have a relationship with bogus quotes like that. Sounds like the same mentality. I hope these bogus quotes and the Shields Up slogan go away.
Have you ever heard a football coach talk before?
yes, but use quotes and stuff that have credibility, substance and less cheese. Also, back your quotes or slogans with successful examples that you accomplished - Pete Carroll, like him or not, does a great job with this and does not over do it. He also backs his efforts with success.
The class has been officially announced:
http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/football/2013-14/PDFs/2014%20Recruiting%20Class.pdf (http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/football/2013-14/PDFs/2014%20Recruiting%20Class.pdf)
We lost two who had previously committed:
Christain Coleman the speedy DB from Georgia and Brenden Weis the 290 pound OL out of Missouri. Not sure what happened there.
Quote from: IndyValpo on April 28, 2014, 07:36:32 AM
The class has been officially announced:
http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/football/2013-14/PDFs/2014%20Recruiting%20Class.pdf (http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/football/2013-14/PDFs/2014%20Recruiting%20Class.pdf)
We lost two who had previously committed:
Christain Coleman the speedy DB from Georgia and Brenden Weis the 290 pound OL out of Missouri. Not sure what happened there.
Sad to see the GA kid back out. He could have also helped our Track team considerably. But he was an under the radar kid waiting to be discovered by higher level schools. Suppose their Twitter accounts would give us a clue. Think either might show up at IU this fall?
This is from the Valpo Football Twitter site:
Valpo Football @valpoufootball · May 7
Welcome our newest Crusader, Steven Kelly! If the ball is in the air, he will catch it.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1693829/steven-kelly (http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1693829/steven-kelly) ...
I watched the 2013 highlight reel and this kid is the real deal. 6'4'' 195# and runs a 4.6 40. He goes go up and grabs anything near him. Also is good at getting yards after the catch, goes inside and catches tough balls -- all of this while usually being double teamed (leading receiver in the DC area - 188 schools, 23.19 yards per reception -- played FB, Basketball and LaCrosse). Also plays Free Safety and is not afraid of contact.