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Bowling Green hopes some of its biggest needs were filled Wednesday when 25 high school athletes signed national letters of intent to play football for the Falcons. “It’s the end of a very long process. It represents a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” said BG head coach Dave Clawson, who was 7-6 overall in his first year as head coach in 2009.
Clawson said he and his staff were looking for players who have the ability to help Bowling Green win a Mid-American Conference championship; players who will academically qualify and have the tools to earn a degree; players who have strong character; and players who will be top-notch leaders. Of the 25 recruits, 21 were captains in high school.
Whether or not any of the 25, all of whom will be freshmen this fall, will play in 2010, there are plenty of openings to be filled.
Bowling Green graduated a record-setting quarterback and wide receiver, seven defensive starters, a tight end and three starters on the offensive line.
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Two all-state quarterbacks
are among 25 BGSU recruits
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To that end, there are six defensive backs, three linebackers, three tight ends and two quarterbacks in the recruiting class.
Clawson also wanted to stay within a reasonable driving distance of Bowling Green with his recruiting and 23 of the 25 recruits are within five hours of Bowling Green. The exceptions are tight end Kendall Montgomery from Miami, Fla., ranked as the No. 21 tight end in the nation by rivals.com. and tight end Tyler Beck from Wyomissing, Pa., an all-state selection. A third tight end recruit lives the closest to Bowling Green — Clay Rolf from Eastwood High School.
There are 12 recruits from Ohio, seven from Michigan, three from Pennsylvania and one each from West Virginia, Illinois and Florida.
The defensive back recruits include: Jude Adjei-Barimah from Columbus Northland High School, who Clawson said helped recruit other players from the Columbus area; Justin Ford from Kenowa Hills High School in Grand Rapids, Mich., ranked as the No. 38 player in the state by the Detroit Free Press ; Aaron Foster, from West Bloomfield (Mich.) High School, ranked at the No. 32 player in Michigan by rivals.com; Jerry “BooBoo’ Gates, from Middletown High School, a first-team All-Ohio selection; and Ryland Ward, from Columbus Brookhaven, also a first-team All-Ohio pick.
The linebackers are: D.J.. Lynch, from Avondale High School in Pontiac, Mich., rated the No. 29 player in the state by rivals.com; Gabe Martin, from Grand Blanc (Mich.,) High School, ranked the No. 35 player in the state of Michigan by rivals.com; and Charlie Walker, from Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Mich., ranked the No. 44 player in the state by The Detroit Free Press.
Looking to fill the void at quarterback are Caleb Watkins, from Middletown High School, who is currently enrolled at BGSU and Trent Hurley from Greensburg (Pa.) Central Catholic High School. Watkins was a first-team All-Ohio selection. Hurley was a first-team all-state pick in Pennsylvania.
Also in the recruiting class are: Marcus Beaurem, a wide receiver from Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Mich., ranked the No. 31 player in the state by The Detroit Free Press. and who was the first verbal recruit of the class; Isaiah Byler, an offensive lineman from Elyria, ranked the No. 76 offensive guard in the nation by ESPN.com.; Heath Jackson, from Ada High School, who was a finalist for Mr. Football in Ohio and caught a state-record 116 passes as a senior; running back Jamel Martin from Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School, a three-star recruit by scout.com; and Bryan Thomas, a defensive end from Washington (Pa.) High School, a first-team All-Pennsylvania selection;
Clawson said the recruiting class is large because of the 20-member senior class which just completed its eligibility. And the fact that after losing several scholarships due to poor academic performances before Clawson was hired, there is good news on the academic front, which allows those scholarships to be re-instated.
The appearance in the Humanitarian Bowl by the Falcons was a plus, Clawson said.
“The visit weekend after the bowl game, I just think there was a different sense of what Bowling Green football was,” Clawson said. “The way we represented ourselves in the bowl game really helped us.
“I don’t know if we got anybody we wouln't have because of the bowl, but it certainly didn’t hurt.”
Bowling Green did not recruit a punter or place-kicker. There are two kickers on scholarship — Jerry Phillips, who handled kickoffs during the season and did some place-kicking early in the year; and Matt Oczypok, a late signee who redshirted last fall.
“There are certainly guys who could be added to this list before it’s all said and done,” Clawson said. “It’s an open position for us. Certainly there is the opportunity for a walk-on kicker or punter to come here and win the job. Those are things we’re not allowed to comment on until they are enrolled.”
BOWLING GREEN 2010 FOOTBALL RECRUITS
Jude Adjei-Barimah, cornerback, 5-feet-10 180 pounds, Columbus, Ohio (Northland); Marcus Beaurem WR 5-11 175 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Stevenson) ; Tyler Beck TE 6-4 245 Wyomissing, Pa. (Wilson) ; Isaiah Byler OL 6-4 270 Elyria, Ohio (Elyria) ; Darion Delany DL 6-5 275 Dayton, Ohio (Trotwood Madison); Dominic Flewellyn, offensive lineman, 6-3 275 Maple Heights, Ohio (Maple Heights); Justin Ford, safety, 6-2 200 Grand Rapis, Mich. (Kenowa Hills); Aaron Foster, safety, 6-0 190 Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield); Johnathan Fry, offensive lineman, 6-5 270 Huntington, West Va. (Spring Valley); Jerry “Booboo” Gates, safety, 5-11 210 Middletown, Ohio (Middletown) ...
Darius Gilbert, defensive end, 6-3 250 Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton); Trent Hurley, quarterback, 6-4 220 Connellsville, Pa. (Greensburg Central Catholic); Heath Jackson, wide receiver, 6-1 180 Ada, Ohio (Ada); D.J. Lynch, lienbacker, 6-1 220 Pontiac, Mich. (Avondale); Gabe Martin, linebacker, 6-2 210 Grand Blanc, Mich. (Grand Blanc) ...
Jamel Martin, running back, 6-1 195 Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook); Nick McKnight, wide receiver, 6-3 205 Middletown, Ohio (Middletown) ; Devon McKoy, safety, 5-11 180 Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Reynoldsburg) ; Kendall Montgomery, tight end, 6-6 235 Miami, Fla. (Monsignor Pace) ; Clay Rolf, tight end, 6-6 250 Pemberville, Ohio (Eastwood); Cody Silk, offensive line, 6-4 275 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Warren De La Salle); Bryan Thomas, defensive end, 6-3 230 Washington, Pa. (Washington); Charlie Walker, linebacker, 6-3 215 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Stevenson) ; Ryland Ward, safety, 5-11 195 Columbus, Ohio (Brookhaven); and Caleb Watkins, quarterback, 6-3 207 Middletown, Ohio (Middletown) (already enrolled at BGSU).
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