Official Signing Day News

[takeoffeh]

I'm always excited to see some big linemen coming in, as that's what I was. But I'm also excited to see the linebacker Croley. Seems to have some good size to him.

[Flipper]

If he's already 245...I wonder if Croley won't eventually be a DE here...

[gmartin]

Well it sounds like we picked up a very good long snapper. Now we just need a quality place kicker to make the PATs and FGs on a consistent basis.

[Globetrotter]

Im excited to see the videos, allthough I tend to be pretty bad at picking the standouts. I was sure Jerret Sanderson (I think it was him) was going to be a ridiculous RB for us. Of all the videos I have seen on this day he stood out the most for me.

[tiznow]

looking @ some of the players twitter comments, Dietz is pumped. He played againsy very good competition in Pittsburgh. The 245 lb linebacker seems very interesting.

[Pete Segaard]

Well it sounds like we picked up a very good long snapper. Now we just need a quality place kicker to make the PATs and FGs on a consistent basis.

"Anthony Farinella, K, 6-3, 180, Woodridge, Ill. (Downers Grove South)
High School: Currently attends Downers Grove South High School ... coached by John Belskis ... team captain and 4.0 students ... was the West Suburban Conference Special Teams Player of the Year ... named to the Tom Lemming All-Chicagoland team as a place kicker ... named a top-12 kicker by chrissailerkicking.com ... had 46 touchbacks as a senior ... was a state champion in wrestling and a state qualifier in the 800-meters." from the live blog.

It's good to see another State champion wrestler on the team.

[Falcon137]

If he's already 245...I wonder if Croley won't eventually be a DE here...

Possibilty. There's 5 DE's already on the roster.

Shaq Hall
Bryan Thomas
Zach Colvin
Bryan Baird
Ronnie Goble

The only one who will be a junior will be Goble, everyone else will be a redshirt freshman or sophomore next year.

At 6'3 245, Croley is the biggest linebacker in the program, right now.

[orangeandbrown]

DuBose committed to WMU.

[Flipper]

Charlie Walker has played DE for us as well. Somewhat suprised we didn't augment that group with a JUCO DE. Thomas is coming of a knee injury and I don't believe Hall and Baird played at all last year as true freshmen. Colvin is the only strongside DE of that group. Although, with the depth we have at DT, Ted Oulette or Jarius Campbell could slide outside like Kevin Moore did last year.

Mikhail Dubose had been a verbal at that spot, but he's apparently signed with WMU. WHich gives us all the more reason to hate them...

[Globetrotter]

Anybody who was rumored still not confirmed?

[Falcon137]

Charlie Walker has played DE for us as well. Somewhat suprised we didn't augment that group with a JUCO DE. Thomas is coming of a knee injury and I don't believe Hall and Baird played at all last year as true freshmen. Colvin is the only strongside DE of that group. Although, with the depth we have at DT, Ted Oulette or Jarius Campbell could slide outside like Kevin Moore did last year.

Mikhail Dubose had been a verbal at that spot, but he's apparently signed with WMU. WHich gives us all the more reason to hate them...

Did Campbell play any end last year?

Short yardage and goalline you could see Colvin (275) and Campbell (295) on the ends, Maynard (317) Jones (300) up the middle with Croley (245) and Lynch (238) behind them. I can't remember a BG defense having that much size.

[BGSU33]

DuBose committed to WMU.

Damn!!!

So I know we ended up losing out on Westbrooks (Nevada), DuBose (WMU) and Goble (Navy), but does anyone know if we lost anyone else, or (better yet), if we had anyone jump our way that was once leaning towards another school such as the trio did that we lost out on?

[zete]

Within the next four years, we need to start winning again or people will begin looking at us as they do Kent St.

[Drago]

Im sure our recruiting class is fine, but I get really irritated with this coaching staff's infatuation with talking about team captains. Generally speaking high school football teams have 4-8 team captains and usually your best players are going to be captains. Every signing day that is all Clawson talks about is the signings being team captains. It should really be a given that your signings are team captains.....yet people get all excited about it.....dumb.

Oh yeah and fire GC.....just for you gmartin

[bgdodgeball4]

A couple more came through the wire this morning/afternoon, and I think this should be it:

Josh Pettus, DB, 5'11'', 200 lbs
What BGSU says: Junior College: Was a two-year starter at the College of DuPage ... coached by Gary Thomas ... team captain ... as a sophomore was an All-American Nominee, while earning first-team all-conference and first-team all-region honors ... led his team with five interceptions and was second with 72 tackles that same season ... won his team’s Most Inspirational Award ... team MVP ... helped his team win the Graphic Edge Bowl as a freshman. High School: Was a 2009 graduate of Southwestern High School ... coached by Michael Dennis ... three year starter at wide receiver and cornerback ... was his team’s track MVP as a senior and was part of a 4x100 relay team as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG2E5gzOvbY

Will Watson, CB, 6'1'', 185 lbs
What BGSU says: Currently attends Tampa Jefferson High School ... coached by Jeremy Earle ... team captain ... was named the 2011 Returner of the Year in Hillsborough County ... was second-team All-Tampa Bay Area in 2010 ... helped lead his team to the 3A Florida State Championship as a junior.
http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/football/ ... -secondary
Was committed to Iowa State, and ended up here. Not sure the story behind it, but here's a write-up from an Iowa State website.
Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kopzw0qwpaM
Wagner's Writeup: http://toledoblade.typepad.com/falconfo ... atson.html

Someone already profiled the kicker we brought in, but here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqoUfmRJxpk