D3football Daily Dose

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.

According to the Oneonta (N.Y). Daily Star, Hartwick is revamping All-Weather Field through a renovation project that includes Field Turf, improved spectator seating and press box improvements.

That’s good news for the Hawks who play football, lacrosse and field hockey at the facility. But the timing on this story is more than a little awkward for the college.

Just yesterday Hartwick announced it is cutting seven sports, citing finances and the “lack of on-campus facilities” among the factors. That looks a little odd next to the prepared statement by President Richard P. Miller, Jr. related to All-Weather Field (pictured above, pre-renovation) — “Recent improvements to our outdoor athletic facilities exemplify our commitment to athletics at Hartwick.”

Both stories also cite fund raising efforts. Apparently Hartwick’s Division I men’s soccer and women’s water polo teams were able to raise funds to keep their Division I status. And the teams who play at All-Weather Field contacted alumni of those programs to solicit financial support for the field renovation efforts. But a parent of athletes on the eliminated men’s golf and softball teams implies they did not have a similar chance. “I think the student-athletes should have had the opportunity to save their programs.”

It’s a tough situation. I feel bad for the kids on the seven slashed teams. But I understand the budget problems that Hartwick faces and think they should have the discretion to act accordingly. Plus, without knowing details of the process, there’s no guarantee that the funds raised for All Weather Field could’ve helped teams who don’t play there.

That being said, I would’ve picked a different time and a different quote to announce the football stadium renovation.

This is a good time for colleges to do some grading.

Not the kind that involves a red pen and a Scantron machine, but the kind with dirt and a big yellow tractor.

A handful of Division III schools are currently renovating their stadiums or building new ones. If you’re looking for news on those projects, you can strap on some boots and head out to the nearest construction site. Or we’ll just give you a quick and clean rundown on the construction we’re aware of here.

Allegheny is modernizing the Robertson Athletic Complex in a project that includes new Field Turf, lights and a pretty cool scoreboard which you can see here (scroll down a little and click on the photo to enlarge). The Gators are doing a nice job tracking progress with photos and related news stories online.

Catholic University is installing Field Turf at DuFour Stadium. The next phase will include improvements to the grandstand and press box. Do I hear “Coleman-Martel Memorial Stadium?” The Cards’ home opener comes against Ohio Wesleyan on September 9.

Delaware Valley is upgrading the playing surface at James Work Memorial Stadium. According to the release, the “$300,000 project includes upgrading the drainage systems, a new irrigation system, regrading the fields and track areas and the addition of heavy weight bluegrass sod.”

Interestingly the lead gift comes from Del Val alum Robert A. Lipinksi, a local entrepreneur who garnered attention by buying Terrell Owens’ NFC Championship ring in an auction. When asked about the field, Owens’ agent said he had no comment. Del Val opens 2006 at home against FDU-Florham on September 9.

Eureka! We found news on this Illinois school’s renovation project and figured we’d add it to the list. Actually it wasn’t that hard to find since the Red Devils’ thankfully posted the release on our site. They are redoing the press box and grandstand at McKinzie Field, which fans and broadcasters always appreciate. And who knew that the “Gipper” was a Eureka alum?

At Grove City, Robert E. Thorn Stadium is getting a major upgrade. The work includes new lights, new style artificial turf provided by CSTurf and a new eight-lane track. GCC opens at home against Carnegie Mellon on September 9.

Ohio Wesleyan is installing “Omni Grass Surface” at Selby Field as part of the “Remembering Mr. Rickey” campaign. You can follow along with the progress here. Ohio Wesleyan’s home opener is September 16 against Bethany.

The campaign namesake is Branch Rickey who helped integrate baseball by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers and later drafted Roberto Clemente. He graduated from OWU in 1913.

Macalester is installing Field Turf at Macalester Stadium in place of the natural grass surface battered by the football team and both soccer teams that shared the field. You can check out the release here or wait for the Scots’ home opener against Principia on September 9.

Montclair State also put in new Field Turf at Sprague Field and it should be ready for the September 23 home opener against Salisbury. The Red Hawks have played on Astroturf since 1979, redoing the carpet three times before this year. You can check out the progress here, including interesting photos of the crew sewing logos on the field.

Minnesota-Morris will have a new stadium this season thanks to a joint construction project with Morris High School. UMM has a ton of photos on its site, including the one above. According to the photo caption on the Cougars’ website, the end zone will be where the tiny horsies are. We’ll assume they’ll be invited to the festivities when UMM opens shop against Lawrence on September 2.

Waynesburg will trade in its natural grass for Field Turf at Wiley Stadium. Waynesburg will try out the new style rug when Wooster comes to town on September 9.

If you’re aware of other construction efforts, please post them below.

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.