Category Archives: Recruits

Hey, recruiting in D-III is an inexact science at best, but if papers report where high schoolers are going we’ll list them.

The first look at next season

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SALEM — You shoulda got ’em this year.

Mount Union and UW-Whitewater each had to replace significant chunks of their lineups for 2008, with the graduation of dominant senior classes. There were questions coming into the season, and frankly, the Road to Salem was as wide open as we’ve seen in years.

But now that the Purple Raiders and Warhawks have traveled that road, mostly in dominant fashion, once again, it’s fair to look ahead and wonder how anyone can overcome them.

Certainly in football there are upsets, injuries, weather and other factors that play into who emerges victorious at the end of a 10-game season backed by a 32-team playoff. That’s half the fun, nothing is a given.

But Mount Union started eight seniors today: QB Greg Micheli, RB Nate Kmic, T Luke Summers, G James Bird, TE Chad Reynolds, DE Joseph Millings, LB Chas Yoder and CB Daryl Ely. They also started 12 juniors and two sophomores, a nucleus that — while without their stars in the backfield — will likely be favored to return to Salem.

UW-Whitewater, which started three seniors (Ts Mike Sherman and Rob Gilbreath, and MLB Jace Rindahl), is even better positioned to make a run next season. QB Jeff Donovan is a junior, RB Antwan Anderson is a sophomore and RB Levell Coppage is a freshman. Altogether, Whitewater started 12 juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen in the Stagg Bowl.

One thing that doesn’t sound like it will be happening is a Purple Raiders-Warhawks regular-season matchup. Mount Union has nine conference games locked and UW-Whitewater has seven, and a game in the first week of ’09 and ’10 is possible. The teams played in that slot in ’02 and ’03, but Mount Union coach Larry Kehres was jokingly noncommittal after the Stagg Bowl.

“I was stupid enough to wear a stocking cap this week and get caught on video,” he said, referring to an incident at the Stagg Bowl luncheon where Kehres’ picture was shown on a big screen. “But I’m not stupid enough to schedule Whitewater in the regular season.”

Perhaps its a show of respect from Kehres, who now has a rival program capable of beating his team in any given season. But if UW-Whitewater is considered on Mount Union’s level, or close to it, that’s not good news for the rest of us. Sure, we have our conference titles to chase and playoff games to participate in, but if there are two dominant powers, and no one could stop their inexperienced rosters from getting to Salem, what makes us think we’ll be able to stop them any time soon?

Are we destined for more of the same?

The floor is open for well-supported arguments for teams that might break the Purple cycle.

Recruit Recap: Long road begins

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In a couple months thousands of students will head to Division III schools for the first time with the hopes of playing college football. Many will have very interesting stories, but few will have a longer trip than Brock Graziadei.

Graziadei played quarterback for Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, graduating from the far northern outpost in 2004. It has taken three years, four states and more miles than Mapquest can calculate but Graziadei’s long journey south ends in Pineville, Louisiana where he’ll play for Louisiana College. The Fairbanks Daily News Miner has Graziadei’s story.

For Brandon Griffin the road to college is much shorter, but no less meaningful. Griffin put up great numbers as a receiver at Campbell County (Alexandria, Ky.) High School, but not enough to generate a Division II scholarship. So he’ll play his college ball less than an hour away at Mount St. Joseph according to the Cincinnati Post.

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Welcome, freshmen!

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It’s that time of year — where high school seniors take their final final exams, graduate and turn their attention full-time onto their college football career.

Hopefully onto their academic future as well.

But if you were a star in high school, do not rest on your laurels. You are guaranteed nothing at this level. In many places, your coach may be dissing Division III, saying that if it’s not scholarship, it’s not real football, that it’s just an extension of high school. That’s bull—-, ill-informed rhetoric from people who might well be looking to pad their own resume rather than toward your future.

So when you come to Division III, don’t do what this player did in an e-mail to D3football.com:

Look out for me next year im planning to do be things next year. My name is (player’s name here) I will be attend (D-III school name here) next year. So just keep a heads up and you should be hearing about me soon.

Let me just say this: Division III football is not just an extension of high school. Yes, there are a few hundred programs that are allegedly and have some talent, but that doesn’t mean Division III is devoid of talent and that you can just step in and expect to “do be things next year” — whatever that means.

I removed the player’s name and school’s name to protect the innocent, though I did not fix any grammar, obviously. That is an actual e-mail we received here at D3football.com within the past week.

To the young man who e-mailed — it’s a good thing it was e-mail and not the message board. Your conference’s posters would eat you alive. And with every sack you take over the next four years — though there was a sophomore who started at your position at your school last year, so expect some clipboard-holding — you’d get an earful from the stands.

To freshmen — welcome aboard, to both Division III football and to D3football.com. But be prepared to work. It does not get handed to you. No matter what you did in high school.