SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame Head Coach
Adam Howard announced the program's 2012 recruiting class on Wednesday.
[
Complete release in pdf form]
[
NDC Signing Day Central]
The class of prospective incoming freshman and transfer students already enrolled at NDC marks the program's fourth since being launched in November 2008.
“We were able to really focus in on a number of targeted needs, and we wound up with a class we're thrilled with,” said Howard.
The class is comprised of players from seven states - in addition to a wellspring of talent culled from the Buckeye State, Notre Dame recruited student-athletes from Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania. (
Player Profiles)
“We received some very talented out-of-state commitments,” Howard indicated, “along with some solid Ohio guys and a few exciting transfers who are players returning to Northeast Ohio.
Cedric Hill and
Brandon Watkins from Michigan are three-star players with immense ability.
Jeremy Glass is a big-time line prospect from Kentucky. Among our Ohio recruits, we're very happy with players the caliber of
Akyee Henderson (Cleveland),
Joseph Nawalaniec (Parma) and
Seth Rall (Bucyrus). And those names are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Hill is a free safety who had 71 tackles, five interceptions and nine pass break-ups in his 2011 senior season at Southfield High School in Detroit. His Southfield teammate
Brandon Watkins -- a running back -- garnered 40 touchdowns in a three-year prep career and rushed for 1,300 yards in 2011. Glass is a strong 6-foot-2, 275-pound offensive lineman who was a four-year starter with a long list of accolades at Holy Cross High School in Louisville, Ky.
Henderson is a lockdown corner back from Glenville Academic Campus who performed extremely well at a summer camp at NDC in 2011. Nawalaniec was a three-time All-District defensive lineman at Benedictine High School (Cleveland). And Rall -- a tight end -- heads to College Road from Wynford High School where he caught 77 passes in a three-year prep career.
Notre Dame's 2012 commitments include 49 high-school players and three college transfers. Those student-athletes join a Falcon program that itself is heading into its "junior" season. The Notre Dame program was launched in fall 2010, becoming the only collegiate scholarship football program in metropolitan Cleveland.
The Falcons went 2-9 in their inaugural season and improved to 5-6 last season. In fall 2012, Notre Dame will begin its first season of play as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a league recognized by many to be the top football circuit in NCAA Division II.
For media inquiries, contact Director of Athletic Communications Skip Snow at ssnow@ndc.edu or 216-373-5319.
Player-by-player profiles can be found
here.
List of Falcon Recruits:
|
Player
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Pos.
|
Hometown (Previous School)
|
High School Coach
|
|
Patrick Barrett
|
6-0
|
185
|
S
|
Niles, Ohio (Niles McKinley HS)
|
Brad Yeager
|
|
Azarie Battle
|
6-6
|
260
|
DL
|
North Royalton, Ohio (North Royalton, Ohio)
|
Nick Ciulli
|
|
Kyle Bobo
|
6-2
|
270
|
OL
|
Groveport, Ohio (Groveport Madison HS)
|
Tim Brown
|
|
Mario Carson, Jr.
|
5-10
|
295
|
C
|
Detroit, Mich. (Detroit Consortium)
|
Dion Godffrey
|
|
Zach Chatlain
|
6-3
|
220
|
QB
|
Bucyrus, Ohio (Wynford HS)
|
Tom Phillips
|
|
P.J. Cleary
|
6-2
|
195
|
SS
|
Pickerington, Ohio (Pickerington North HS)
|
Tom Phillips
|
|
Matthew Cox
|
6-2
|
225
|
OL
|
Lorain, Ohio (Lorain HS)
|
Mark Solis
|
|
Nicholas Davidson
|
5-8
|
190
|
LB
|
Solon, Ohio (Solon HS)
|
Jim McQuiade
|
|
Richard Ellis III
|
6'2
|
215
|
TE
|
Toledo, Ohio (Toledo St. Francis DeSales HS)
|
Mike Blochowski
|
|
Clayton Evans
|
6-1
|
250
|
DE
|
Venetia, Pa. (Peter's Township HS)
|
Rich Piccinini
|
|
C.J. Germany
|
5-10
|
170
|
WR
|
Cleveland, Ohio (Villa Angela St. Joseph HS)
|
John Story
|
|
David Gilchrist
|
6-3
|
245
|
OL
|
Elyria, Ohio (Midview HS)
|
Bill Albright
|
|
Jeremy Glass
|
6-1
|
270
|
OL
|
Louisville, Ky. (Holy Cross HS)
|
Mike Fletcher
|
|
Marco Gresham
|
5-10
|
165
|
DB
|
Dayton, Ohio (Chamidade-Julienne HS)
|
Marcus Colvin
|
|
Michael Hageman
|
6-5
|
210
|
TE
|
Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Chagrin Falls HS)
|
Mark Iammarino
|
|
Akyee Henderson
|
6-0
|
185
|
DB
|
Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville HS)
|
Ted Ginn
|
|
Cedric Hill
|
6-1
|
190
|
WR
|
Detroit, Mich. (Southfield HS)
|
Bill Conley
|
|
Darius James
|
6-2
|
230
|
DE
|
Springfield, Ohio (Springfield HS)
|
Rick Robertson
|
|
Johnnie Korban
|
6-3
|
220
|
LB
|
Parma, Ohio (Parma Senior HS)
|
Rob Gyr
|
|
Brennan Laird
|
6-3
|
210
|
QB
|
Olmsted Falls, Ohio (Olmsted Falls HS)
|
Jim Ryan
|
|
Brendan Large
|
6-2
|
225
|
LB
|
Grafton, Ohio (Midview HS)
|
Bill Albright
|
|
Christian Lee
|
5-10
|
175
|
DB
|
Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Reynoldsburg HS)
|
Buddy White
|
|
Nicholas Marchetti
|
6-0
|
185
|
LB
|
Middletown, Ohio (Bishop Fenwick HS)
|
Fred Cranford
|
|
Frank Marshall
|
5-10
|
210
|
LB
|
Waldorf, Md. (North Point HS)
|
Ken Lane
|
|
Tyler McKenzie
|
6-1
|
255
|
OL
|
Sunbury, Ohio (Big Walnut HS)
|
Joe Weaver
|
|
Malik Merriweather
|
6-3
|
210
|
LB
|
Elyria, Ohio (Elyria HS)
|
Kevin Fell
|
|
Patrick Moran
|
6-5
|
240
|
DE
|
North Olmsted, Ohio (North Olmsted HS)
|
Mike Ptacek
|
|
Caleb Morris
|
5-11
|
170
|
WR
|
Columbus, Ohio (Hamilton HS)
|
Nate Hillrich
|
|
Nicholas Myers
|
6-5
|
305
|
OL
|
Decatur, Ind. (Bellmont HS)
|
Larry Getts
|
|
Joseph Nawalaniec
|
6-0
|
250
|
DL
|
Parma, Ohio (Benedictine HS)
|
Ben Malbasa
|
|
Haakim Oliver
|
5-11
|
200
|
LB
|
Monroeville, Pa. (Gateway HS)
|
Terry Smith
|
|
William Parker
|
6-2
|
215
|
S
|
Wyndotte, Mich. (Wyndotte Roosevelt HS)
|
Ron Adams
|
|
Skyler Parks
|
6-0
|
267
|
OL
|
Canton, Ohio (Canton McKinley HS)
|
Ron Johnson
|
|
Kyle Perkins
|
6-1
|
180
|
WR
|
Westlake, Ohio (Westlake HS)
|
Mark Campa
|
|
Kortez Prather
|
5-10
|
175
|
DB
|
Waldorf, Md. (North Point HS)
|
Ken Lane
|
|
Ryan Predovic
|
6-0
|
230
|
LB
|
Macedonia, Ohio (Nordonia HS)
|
Al Huge
|
|
Bill Pullman
|
6-0
|
170
|
FS
|
Parma, Ohio (Parma HS)
|
Rob Cyr
|
|
Seth Rall
|
6-4
|
220
|
TE
|
Bucyrus, Ohio (Wynford HS)
|
Travis Moyer
|
|
Brian Richards
|
6-2
|
250
|
OL
|
Springfield, Ohio (Springfield HS)
|
Rick Robertson
|
|
K.J. Rieder
|
6-5
|
270
|
OL
|
Dayton, Ohio (Northmont HS)
|
Lance Schneider
|
|
Ron Turner
|
5-11
|
175
|
S
|
Cincinnati, Ohio (Northwest HS)
|
Chad Murphy
|
|
Troy Vasquez-Atkins
|
6-3
|
305
|
OL
|
Niles, Ohio (Ursuline HS)
|
Daniel Reardon
|
|
Ty Vasquez-Atkins
|
6-5
|
320
|
OL
|
Niles, Ohio (Ursuline HS)
|
Daniel Reardon
|
|
Andrew Villolovos
|
6-4
|
270
|
OL
|
Sylvania, Ohio (Toledo St. Francis DeSales HS)
|
Mike Blochowski
|
|
Zenan Wample
|
6-8
|
360
|
OL
|
Upper Sandusky, Ohio (Upper Sandusky HS)
|
Jake Moyer
|
|
Brandon Watkins
|
5-10
|
190
|
RB
|
Detroit, Mich. (Southfield HS)
|
Bill Conley
|
|
Onslow Williams
|
5-9
|
170
|
DB
|
Springfield, Ohio (Springfield HS)
|
Rick Robertson
|
|
Trevor Winston
|
6-3
|
260
|
DL
|
North Olmsted, Ohio (North Olmsted HS)
|
Mike Ptacek
|
|
Garrett Wiska
|
6-0
|
265
|
DT
|
Northville, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central HS)
|
Tom Mach
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TRANSFERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Derrick Bavol
|
6-5
|
250
|
DE
|
Tampa, Fla. (The Citadel)
|
|
|
Demetrius Best
|
6-3
|
290
|
OT
|
Tampa, Fla. (Hampton College)
|
|
|
William Gray
|
6-1
|
225
|
DE
|
Cleveland, Ohio (Erie CC)
|
|
