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.

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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.

(more…)

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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.

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Ever since I started following Division III at the national level, Mount Union’s success has fascinated me.

Beyond respecting what they’ve done in winning 8 national titles in 13 seasons, I want to understand how they’ve done it. So I’ve asked fans and players and people familiar with the program what the secret to the Purple Raiders’ success is.

While recruiting alone doesn’t explain how the dynasty was built, it’s clear that Mount Union’s success gives them an advantage over other Division III programs.

Consider Louisville (Ohio) HS quarterback Drew Kuhn. According to the Canton (Ohio) Repository, Kuhn was considering walking on at Division I-A West Virginia or going to Mount Union. The All Star game roster lists Kuhn as Alliance-bound. With many of the Big 33 Football Classic participants headed to big programs including Ohio State, Syracuse and Minnesota, Kuhn is just one of two players going to a Division III school (Dan Hall of Hilliard Davidson HS will attend Wittenberg).

Or consider quarterback Cody Kirby of Rogers (Ark.) HS. He worked out in front of Notre Dame and drew great reviews from Vanderbilt. According to his hometown paper, Kirby planned to work out for Division I-A Arkansas State and Mount Union.

Or consider punter Jay Carpenter of Fairmont (West Va.) HS. He’s headed to Mount Union partly because he saw the Purple Raiders play in last year’s televised Stagg Bowl. Carpenter told the Charleston (West Va.) Daily Mail, “”I actually e-mailed the coach (Larry Kehres) four or five months ago…I sent them a highlight tape and they started calling me. I went up there to visit, I loved the campus and the coaches and it led to me signing.”

Maybe other schools can claim the same status as Mount Union — that they are often on the short list for Division III kids who considered playing Division I-A football. But whether it’s the coaches, the facilities or the TV appearances, the Purple Raiders’ success begets more talented recruits who beget more success.

Mount Union isn’t the only purple power reloading this offseason.

Linfield landed a pair of two-sport stars at Columbia River (Wash.) HS, identical twins Josh and Jeremy Lovell. The later Lovell won a state championship in the long jump and Josh finished third in that event and the high jump. According to The Columbian, both hope to play defensive back or wide receiver for the Wildcats.

UW-Whitewater hardly needs a new running back with 2005 All American Justin Beaver returning as just a junior. But the Warhawks will add Milton HS stand out Derek Underwood anyway. Underwood scored 30 touchdowns last year earning him the nickname, “Mr. Touchdown.” Don’t forget that WarhawkFootball.com has posted UWW’s recruiting class.

Kerens (Texas) HS two-way star Jason Russell will wear purple, gold and white next year at Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Corsicana (Texas) Daily Sun gives Crusader fans a closer look at the Greenbelt All Star.

In recruiting news of the non-purple variety…

EAST

Brick Township (N.J.) HS products Bill Winters and Nick Cusanelli are staying in the Garden State to attend FDU-Florham according to the Brick Township Bulletin. Their high school classmate A.J. Perrotti considered suiting up for the Devils, too, but will attend Gettysburg instead. Perrotti isn’t attending FDU-Florham, these guys are — here is their recruiting class.

Incidentally, I did a quick search to see what Brick’s mascot is. I didn’t look too hard, because I’d rather pretend it’s either the Walls or Houses. Wait for it…wait for it…

NORTH

Ricky Ladd will go from the White House to Ohio Northern. White House HS, that is, where Ladd ran for 1,772 yards and 23 touchdowns. Ladd follows in the footsteps of fellow White House alum R.J. Meadows who rambled for 18 TDs last year. Polar Bear fans could see even more of Meadows since, according to the Gallatin (Tenn.) News Examiner, Derek Garrod will not play next year. Garrod had the most carries for ONU last season.

Cadillac (Mich.) High School has a carpool making stops at three MIAA schools. OL Elijah Keller will ride toOlivet, WR Chazz Masten to Hope and kicker Tyler Hamilton to Alma.

SOUTH

Like the New Orleans Saints, South Sumpter (Bushnell, Fla.) HS graduate Brady Jackson is headed to Millsaps this summer. Majors Assistant Coach Shannon Dawson told The Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun, “Brady is a kid who has good size and will hit you. He is one of the top kids in our recruiting class. We expect him to come in and make a splash.”

Sun Valley (Penn.) HS product Phil Cresta will head up I-476 north to attend Muhlenberg where he plans to play football and baseball. Cresta was recently named the (Delaware County) Daily Times/Exelon Male Athlete of the year.

WEST

Monmouth Coach Steve Bell has to replace Gagliardi Trophy finalist Mitch Tanney at quarterback and he thinks he may have a candidate in Ottawa (Ill.) HS’ Jared Mundt. Mundt comes from a run-oriented offense, but that doesn’t deter Bells’ enthusiasm. The Scots coach told the (Ottawa, Ill.) Times, “”I think he definitely has a legitimate shot to start as long as he can mentally pick everything up. To me, it’s not a physical thing with freshmen, but a mental thing.” Monmouth fans can get the skinny on other incoming players from this release.

The Sierra Sun reports that Truckee (Calif.) HS quarterback Robert Jones is headed to Willamette. In addition to Jones’ story, check out this tidbit on the Bearcats’ recruiting process — “(Coach Mark) Speckman and the college’s admissions department then offered Jones an opportunity to retake his SAT. Jones was told he could bypass the waiting list if he scored 1400 or better. Retaking the test in mid-April, Jones scored 1400 on the dot.”

Given that impressive score, we offer this analogy — Jones is to SAT as Jones’ high school team is to state playoffs. They’ve won consecutive titles with Jones at the helm.

If you’d like more information on recruits including links to recruiting classes for Bridgewater (Va.), Centre, Earlham, Elmhurst, Hampden-Sydney, Kenyon and Lycoming, please check that out here.

And if you have information on incoming recruits, please email the link to the published story at Gordon.Mann@d3football.com. And thanks to Mr. Frye who sent us this story about his son Joe who is headed to LaGrange. Joe was a triple threat, playing offense, defense and special teams at Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.). We appreciate the heads-up.

Good luck to Joe and all the other incoming freshmen and thanks for checking out the Recruiting Recap.

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It’s been a while since we looked at recruiting news. Here are some stories that include brains, baseball and Bowl games.

EAST

Daniel Guillen knows he’ll have a lot of new experiences to enjoy in his first semester at MIT. A graduate of St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville Texas, Guillen told the hometown Herald that making the move to Cambridge, Mass. should be exciting. “At first, it seems a little scary to be going so far away, but it’s also pretty nice to be going to a place with a completely different culture and way of life. I’ll be able to experience what it’s like to live in a place where it snows.”

Guillen played offense, defense and special teams at St. Joe’s. MIT Coach Dwight Smith plans to throw Guillen in the mix right away. He told the Herald, “We are hopeful that Daniel can fill our need as both kicker and punter and also compete for playing time at outside linebacker.”

Speaking of kids who are “wicked smaht,” RPI has announced its recruiting class. Incoming freshmen include DB Tim Acker who was the Wesco League Player of the Year and Arlington (Wa.) High’s valedictorian.

NORTH

Earlham Athletic Director Frank Carr will see a familiar face on campus next semester. His son Jake is staying home to attend the Richmond, Indiana college where he will play football and baseball. This Palladium Item article takes a look at Jake and his older brother Kevin who also played baseball for the Quakers.

Elsewhere on the diamond Aurora landed Cody DeGrush of Morris (Ill.) HS who plans to play baseball and football for the Spartans. DeGrush told the Morris Daily Herald, “I will be able to play both at Aurora and that is definitely nice. Both coaches have told me they want me to play both sports and agree to help me be able to do it.” Aurora has made the Division III College World Series two of the past three seasons.\

Aurora fans can get more information on the Spartans’ recruits from this full list which is hot out of the email inbox.

Anderson appears to have a pipeline with a Citrus flavor. According to the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, three players from Citrus High (Inverness, Fla) are flying north to Central Indiana this fall. Linemen Bob Severin and Chadd Malone are “likely” to join wide receiver Dane Moore in the Ravens’ recruiting class. Moore has good pedigree with a father, Dana, who played for the AFL’s Orlando Predators.

The (Monmouth, Ill.) Daily Review Atlas announced that local product Zach McLaughlin will attend Augustana after graduating from Monmouth-Roseville HS. McLaughlin accounted for 13 touchdowns as a quarterback and 56 tackles as a safety last season.

SOUTH

LaGrange continues to prep for its inaugural football season with three players from Colquitt County (Ga.) coming aboard. Ashondi Magwood and Jacolby King played wide receiver in high school while B.J. Johnson played tight end and defensive end. Speaking of the Panthers, check out their helmets – pretty spiffy.

Hunter Hobson of Fort Mill (S.C.) will join Sewanee’s program where he hopes to play in the secondary according to the Fort Mill Times. The All-Region selection is following in the footsteps of his parents and older brother who attended the University of the South.

Case Western Reserve has released its list of recruits. Incoming Spartans represent 9 different states including Colorado, Florida and Texas.

WEST

Linfield fans in the Portland, Oregon region will have a chance to check out future Wildcats at the Les Schwab Bowl on June 23. The All-Star game features a handful of recruits headed to Linfield including Westview HS (Portland, Ore.) lineman Paul Nishizaki who was third-team all-state at defensive tackle and honorable mention all-state at offensive tackle.

NOTE: Special thanks to Wildcat 11 on the heads-up here.

Since we’re equal opportunity, be sure to check out the list of recruits announced by Minnesota-Morris. These players will help the Cougars open their new stadium on September 2 against Lawrence.

Finally, while there are no Division III football teams in Florida, the Sunshine State is well represented in this year’s recruiting class. The Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger reports Polk County players will dot the map next year with Lakeland High’s Renard Ellis and Billy Johnson at Mississippi College, teammate Preston Chatmon at Olivet, Fort Meade products Jon Pickens and Brandon Rhoden at Thiel and Bartow’s Jack Edmund at SUNY-Maritime.

You can check out the full list of recruits which we are updating as we receive information that can be verified in a published story on by an athletic department. If you have recruiting news, please email Gordon.mann@d3football.com or post the published story below.

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