D3football Daily Dose

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…)

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.

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.

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.

Initially this Dose reported on a student named Matt Ward, who I thought was from the Philippines. I could explain why I thought that, but it doesn’t really matter.

Fact is, Matt is from Massachusetts and attended one of the elite boarding schools in the country, Philips Academy in Andover, Mass. It’s a very well known school with alums including Presidents George H. and George W. Bush, John F Kennedy, Jr., and former MLB Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. Ward is headed to Wesleyan University following in the footsteps of another PA grad, Bill Belichick.

I apologize for the mistake and appreciate the corrections. I’ll make an effort not to make similarly stupid errors in the future…

Maryville’s incoming class will have a much more local flavor as Coach Tony Ierulli mines local high school talent. Ierulli told the (Maryville, Tenn.) Daily Times, ““When I first got here we were having to convince the local guys to even look at us…Now we’re one of the first places they are looking and that’s a tremendous change for us.”

One of the Scots’ top recruits is Lenoir City (Tenn.) back Rommel Hightower. Hightower, who gained 4,500 yards in his high school career, “is explosive and has real good size” according to Ierulli.

Here is some other news from the recruiting landscape.

EAST

Aaron Zurn of Sidney (N.Y.) High School will attend Brockport State according to the Oneonta (N.Y.) Daily Star. Zurn chalked up 1,482 yards and 22 touchdowns on 164 carries in 2005 for the New York State Class C champions.

NORTH

Crystal Lake (Ill.) South High will be well represented in this year’s Division III recruiting class according to the Northwest (Ill.) Herald. The Gators will send players to Augustana (OL Matt Brodersen and DT Zach Spoor), Carthage (LB Brad Partynski) and Lakeland (Safety-TE Jim Forner).

Roger Bacon High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) is also spreading the wealth throughout the North region. QB Kurt Rocco and OL David Sunderman are headed to Mount Union, WR Dontae Swain to Wittenberg and DL Marsalis Burgin to Marietta. For several other Ohio recruits, check out the Cincinnati Post which is tracking local seniors’ college destinations.

SOUTH

The Bay City (Texas) Tribune reports Palacios High School product Randy Allums will attend East Texas Baptist after being recruited for a secondary position. Allums was All-District in 2005 as a strong safety and in 2004 as a running back.

Senior Proms are overrated. Or so says McDaniel recruit Michael Weick in this interesting Philadelphia Daily News story.

Charlotte Catholic quarterback Craig Warnement is headed to Hampden-Sydney. Warnement led the Cougars to two state championships.

NRVToday.com reports Pulaski County (Va.) HS teammates Trey Angle and Rob Abbott will be college teammates, too, at Emory & Henry. Abbott played center and defensive line while Angle played in the secondary. It’s a shame he doesn’t play wide receiver so E&H could employ a “Trey-Angle” offense.

Wait for it…wait for it…

WEST

The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun reports that Occidental landed both sides of the local high school’s passing combination. Quarterback Scott Saunders and wide receiver Jeff Bee will both join the Tigers this fall.

UW-Whitewater fans will find interesting recruit information on Warhawkfootball.com, which has a full list of incoming players for the national runners-up. We also have a full list of recruits for UW-Stout.

If you can’t find information on your favorite team here, please check out this previous Dose which has information on lots of schools. If you want to share information on a recruit, you can post it here with the link to the published story (no, being the person’s father or the player himself doesn’t count). Or you can email gordon.mann@d3football.com and I’ll post the news in the next Recruit Recap.

This is the time of year prospective student-athletes are paying their deposit, which is as much of a commitment as you get in Division III. Even so, they can still decide to leave their money and go elsewhere.

It’s also the time you read stories in the local media about kids picking schools and why they did so. The ones I like mention location, the campus, a particular course of study, anything that reminds us that the kids are going pro in something other than sports.

But this caught my eye today. It isn’t the first time, but it’s a good one. This is about Port Charlotte (Fla.) defensive end James Tolbert, about why he chose Central.

“It’s a school built on tradition and family,” Tolbert added. “If ever you need any advice, you have a list of alumni to help you out.”

That was one reason why Tolbert picked Central College over Beloit College of Wisconsin, Luther College of Iowa and Northern Ohio (sic) University.

Another? “The food is good,” mother Linda Tolbert joked.

We’ll see how you feel in four years, sir.

This is a list.

D3football.com is compiling a list of the Recruit Recap system. This is only a list.

The broadcasters and writers of D3football.com in voluntary cooperation with themselves have developed this list to keep you informed in the event that recruits are coming to your school. It will be referenced in future Doses so we needed a place to put it.

The recruits are listed by region, then alphabetically by school, with the high school listed after the recruit.

EAST

Albright: Austin Young, Unknown
Alfred: Release here
Amherst: John Gill, CCD (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Bates: Mike Schena, Garden City (N.Y.)
Brockport State: Nicholas Quercia, Newfield (N.Y.); Aaron Zurn, Sidney (N.Y.)
Buffalo State: Greg Imbrosci, Mt. Sinai (N.Y.)
Coast Guard: Jordan Wooddell, Sterling (Baywood, Texas)
Cortland State: See the end of this Recap
Delaware Valley: Recruiting class
FDU-Florham: Recruiting Class
Hamilton: Harry Jung, Port Washington (N.Y.); Chris Risi, Garden City (N.Y.)
Hobart: Dan Bittner, Massapequa (N.Y.); Kyle Connors, Garden City (N.Y.); Carvin Desroches, Longwood (N.Y.); Scott Ghiraldi, Wantagh (N.Y.); Sean Kluber, Longwood (Middle Island, N.Y.); Daniel Pembroke, Smithtown (N.Y.) West; Anthony Shaw, Smithtown (N.Y.) West
Ithaca: Lloyd Sussman, Great Neck North (N.Y.)
Juniata: Vincent Shetter, Chambersburg (Pa.)
Kean: John Rutowski, Brick Memorial (N.J.)
King’s Point: Michael Levantino, Sachem East (Farmingville, N.Y.)
Lycoming: Recruiting Class
MIT: Daniel Guillen, St. Joseph Academy (Brownsville, Texas)
Mount Ida: Mike Cloutier, Lansingburgh (Troy, N.Y.); Sardae Piper, Lansingburgh
New Jersey: Chris James, Brick Memorial (N.J.); David Popek, Wallington (N.J.)
Rochester: Frank Brown, Wellsville (N.Y.)
Rowan: Joe D’Amato, Brick Memorial (N.J.); Vinnie Graff, Fairlawn (N.J.); Bryan Pfirman, Millville (N.J.); Kyle Steever, St. Joseph (Hammonton, N.J.)
RPI: Recruiting Class
St. John Fisher: Bradley Carlton, Mohonasen (Schenectady, N.Y.)
St. Lawrence: Ray Orcutt, Binghamton (N.Y.)
SUNY-Maritime: Bryan Butler, Valley Stream South (N.Y.); Jonathan Canaan, St. Anthony’s (Huntington, N.Y.); Jack Edmund, Bartow (Fla.); Mike Oehl, Smithtown (N.Y.) West
Tufts: Robert Goldstein, Kings Park (N.Y.); Jeffrey Malina, Hewlett (N.Y.); Keith Novak, Valley (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Union: Andrew Cassin, Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.); Connor Cohn, Wantagh (N.Y.); Zach Epley, Southampton (N.Y.); John Johnson, St. John the Baptist (W. Islip, N.Y.); Brian Newell, Northport (N.Y.)
Utica: Some recruits here
Wesleyan: Kyle Harrington, Binghamton (N.Y.); Matt Ward, Philips Academy (Andover, Mass.)
Western Connecticut: Erik Merkerson, Longwood (N.Y.); Joe Petito, West Islip (N.Y.)
Westfield State: Thomas Filiberto, Comsewogue (Port Jefferson, N.Y.)
Widener: DeHart Washington, St. Joseph (Hammonton, N.J.)
William Paterson: Steve Cochrane, West Islip (N.Y.); John Orne, Queen of Peace (North Arlington, N.J.)
Williams: Eric Anderson, East Catholic (Manchester, Conn.); Bryan Wrapp, Staples (Westport, Conn.)

NOTE: Long Island’s Newsday is also tracking local athletes as they commit to schools. Some of the football players are headed toward Division III players, several of which are in the East region. Click here for more.

NORTH

Adrian: Joe Beehler, Penn (South Bend, Ind.)
Allegheny: C.J. Bell, Bell Vernon (Pa.) Area
Alma: Tyler Hamilton, Cadillac (Mich.)
Anderson: Patrick Faris, Plainfield (Indianapolis, Ind.); Chadd Malone, Citrus (Inverness, Fla.); Dane Moore, Citrus; Bob Severin, Citrus
Augustana: Matt Brodersen, Crystal Lake South (Ill.); Zach McLaughlin, Monmouth-Roseville (Monmouth, Ill.); Zach Spoor, Crystal Lake South
Aurora: Recruiting Class
Baldwin-Wallace: Dan Love, Kenston (Chagrin Falls, Ohio)
Benedictine: Recruiting Class
Bluffton: Brock Miller, Oak Hills (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Capital: Marty Assman, Hartley (Columbus, Ohio); Steve Borchers, Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio); Matt Merritt, Indian Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Carthage: Brad Partynski, Crystal Lake South (Ill.); Jon Petersen, Woodstock (Ill.)
Case Western: Recruiting class
Concordia (Wis.): Chris Carrizzo, St. John Lutheran (Ocala, Fla.); Jack Easterns, St. John Lutheran; Richard Mutarelli, St. John Lutheran
Earlham: Recruiting Class
Elmhurst: Recruiting Class
Hanover: Zach Popp, Campbell County (Ky.)
Hiram: Drew Stainfield, Jefferson (Ashtabula, Ohio)
Hope: Chazz Masten, Cadillac (Mich.)
Illinois Wesleyan: See full list here
Kenyon: Recruiting Class
Lakeland: Jim Forner, Crystal Lake South (Ill.)
Marietta: Marsalis Burgin, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Manchester: Jaron Kellie, Southmont (Crawfordsville, Ind.)
Mount Union: Jason Barker, Tecumseh (New Carlisle, Ohio); Nate Berkey, Sarasota (Fla.); Jay Carpenter, Fairmont (West Va.); Dune Cook, Colon (Mich.); Drew Kuhn, Louisville (Ohio); Kyle Murphy, Mariemont (Ohio); Shawn McGarity, Lakota East (Middletown, Ohio); Mike Nitz, Copley (Ohio); Kurt Rocco, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio); David Sunderman, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Mt. St. Joseph: Josh Brown-Smith, Wyoming (Ohio); Andy Brunsman, Elder (Cincinnati, OH); Andy Chesky, Turpin (Cincinnati, Ohio); Justin Geyer, Stephen T. Badin (Toledo, Ohio); Cris Jones, Madiera (Cincinnati, Ohio); Steve Kleinholz, Elder; Will Osborne, Lexington (Ky.) Catholic; Chris Perry, Glen Este (Cincinnati, Ohio); Johnny Popp, Campbell County (Ky.); Brandon Singler, Elder; Ryan Smithmeyer, Elder; Jeremiah Webb, Wilmington (Ohio)
Muskingum: Jayme Detling, Barnesville (Ohio); Deaires Poole, Withrow (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Ohio Northern: Jerrod Babik, Withrow (Cincinnati, Ohio); J.C. Casper, Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio); Ricky Ladd, White House (Tenn.); Patrick Smith, Loveland (Ohio)
Ohio Wesleyan: Mike Browning, East Islip (N.Y.)
Olivet: Preston Chatmon, Lakeland (Fla.); Elijah Keller, Cadillac (Mich.)
Otterbein: Chad Dorman, Eastern Green (Bloomfield, Ind.); Alex Heger, Lakota East (Middletown, Ohio)
Rose-Hulman: Nick Murphy, Casey-Westfield (Casey, Ill.); Mitch Yates, Casey-Westfield
Tri-State: Chris Tobias, Loveland (Ohio)
Wabash: Adam Bauer, Xenia (Ohio); Justin Blok, Northview (Grand Rapids, Mich.); Mitch Brown, Plainfield (Ind.); Adam Greene, Snider (Fort Wayne, Ind.); Matt Hudson, Salem (Ind.); Ryan Kerney, North Posey (Poseyville, Ind.); Chris Schweigel, Sheridan (Ind.); Evan Sobecki, Penn (South Bend, Ind.); Chad Sorenson, Castle (Newbugh, Ind.); Brody Tartar, Winchester (Ind.); Skip Tokar, Zionsville (Ind.)
Wilmington: James Baldwin, Wilmington (Ohio); Michael Byrd, Mount Healthy (Ohio); Luke Green, Wilmington; Luke Harris, Wilmington; Brian Lee, Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio); Tim Pugh, Winton Woods
Wittenberg: Recruiting Class
NOTE: The Cincinnati Post is tracking local athletes as they commit to schools, including many headed to OAC schools. Click here for more.

SOUTH

Averett: Dale Gross, Savyille (N.Y.)
Bridgewater (Va.): Recruiting Class
Carnegie Mellon: Richard Byrne, Half Hollow Hills East (N.Y.); Ranley Duret, Half Hollow Hills East (N.Y.); Chad Kanyer, Eastlake (Sammamish, Wa.); Sean Kennedy, Loveland (Ohio); Justin Rosenberry, Shippensburg (Pa.)
Christopher Newport: Max Devnew, Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.); Matt Long, Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Centre: Recruiting Class
DePauw: Spud Dick, Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.)
East Texas Baptist: Randy Allums, Palacios (Texas)
Emory & Henry: Rob Abbott, Pulaski County (Va.); Trey Angle, Pulaski County; Daniel Barnes, George Washington (Charleston, W.Va.); Jonathan Hawkins, Rural Retreat (Va.)
Gettysburg: Brian Pally, Ward Melville (East Setauket, N.Y.); A.J. Perrotti, Brick Township (N.J.)
Greensboro: Andrew Weathers, Broome (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Guilford: Joseph Davis, Southern Wayne (Dudley, N.C.); Brandon Johnson, Bassett (Va.); Michael Warren, Southern Wayne
Emory & Henry: Brady Buckley, Charlotte Catholic (N.C.); Josh Burgess, East Montgomery (Va.); Tommy Burgess, Cave Spring (Roanoke, Va.); Brian Bush, Hidden Valley (Roanoke, Va.); James Hairston, Martinsville (Va.); Kenny Horan, Cave Spring; Chauncey Lumpp, Cave Spring; Ryan Stone, Bassett (Va.)
Franklin & Marshall: Ryan Murray, St. Edwards (Vero Beach, Fla.)
Guilford: Markas Brunson, Rosewood (Goldsboro, N.C.); Nicolas Dove, Eastport-South Manor (Eastport, N.Y.); James Tyndall, Wake Forest-Rolesville (N.C.)
Hampden-Sydney: Recruiting Class
Hardin-Simmons: Wade Berger, Flatonia (Texas)
Huntingdon: Zach Brothers, Gulf Breeze (Fla.); Ben Ganus, Gulf Breeze
Johns Hopkins: Anthony Catanzano, Kellenberg (Uniondale, N.Y.)
LaGrange: Joe Frye, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.); Aaron Hill, Gulf Breeze (Fla.); B.J. Johnson, Colquitt County (Ga.); Jacolby King, Colquitt County; Ashondi Magwood, Colquitt County; Jonathan Milner, Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.); Joey Robinson, Brookwood
Louisiana College: See this (Alexandria-Pineville, La.) Town Talk article
Mary Hardin-Baylor: Landon Anderson, Tivy (Kerrville, Texas); Jason Russell, Kerens (Texas)
Maryville: Adam Bean, Karns (Knoxville, Tenn.); Michael Bosco (Tampa, Fla.); Matt Broom (Woodland, Ga.); Jonathan Caughron, Heritage (Maryville, Tenn.); Greg Hobson, William Blount HS (Maryville, Tenn.); Rommel Hightower, Lenoir City (Tenn.); Justin Reynolds, Cocoa Beach (Fla.); Lucas Walls, William Blount HS; Brian Wendell, William Blount HS
McDaniel: Sean Urbany, Arundel (Gambrills, Md.); Michael Weick, Penn Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Methodist: Eric Chapman, Broome (Spartanburg, S.C.); Michael Green, Northwest Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.); Matt Hearn, Northwest Cabarrus; D.R. Peek, Northwest Cabarrus
Millsaps: Brady Jackson, South Sumpter (Bushnell, Fla.)
Mississippi College: Renard Ellis, Polk County (Fla.); Billy Johnson, Polk County; Chris Rodriguez, Foley (Ala.)
Muhlenberg: Phil Cresta, Sun Valley (Old Chester, Pa.)
Newport News: Theodore Ford, Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.); Brandon Reap, Maury (Norfolk, Va.); Derrius Walton, Lake Taylor
North Carolina Wesleyan: Ian Gagnon, Eastern Wayne (Goldsboro, N.C.)
Randolph-Macon: Brandon Braner, Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.); Joe Muraglia, Queen of Peace (North Arlington, N.J.); Greg Portal, Charlotte Catholic (N.C.); Steve Pieczynski , Blessed Trinity
Rhodes: Russell Duck, University School (Jackson, Miss.)
Salisbury: Stephen Proniewych, Smithtown (N.Y.) West; CJ Santos, Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.); Matt Savage, Hickory (Chesapeake, Va.)
Sewanee: Hunter Hobson, Fort Mill (S.C.)
Texas Lutheran: Victor Jones, Plano (Texas); Alex Lott, Plano; Bryce Ryan, Plano
Thomas More: Justin Cooper, Scott (Toledo, Ohio); Hunter Craig, Campbell County (Ky.); Andrew Damico, Simon Kenton (Cincinnati, Ohio); Kyle Finn, Scott; Evin Sofer, Hughes (Cincinnati, Ohio); Isaiah Williams,
Thiel: Jon Pickens, Fort Meade (Lakeland, Fla.); Brandon Rhoden, Fort Meade
Trinity (Texas): Bobby Adamson, Nacogdoches (Texas)
Ursinus: Justin DeCristofaro, Father Judge (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Washington & Jefferson: Mike Ashbaugh, Trinity (Washington, Pa.); Josh Brewer, Connellsville (Pa.); Bill Crossey, Penn-Trafford (Harrison City, Pa.); Mitchell Erdely, Geibel Catholic (Connellsville, Pa.); Ryan Gallagher, Trinity; J.D. Gardner, Trinity; Mitch McClay, Trinity; Justin Schmotzer, Baldwin (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Washington & Lee: Matt Cassilly, Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.); Will Lewis, A.C. Flora (Columbia, S.C.)
Washington U.: Andrew Berryman, Francis Howell Central (St. Peters, Mo.)
Wesley: Recruiting Class

WEST

California Lutheran: Jake Hall, Durham (Calif.); Nic Shular, Prairie (Wa.)
Central: James Tolbert, Port Charlotte (Fla.)
Linfield: Aaron Boehme, Stanwood (Wa.); Tony Desimone, South Medford (Ore.); Todd Eyster, Oakmont (Roseville, Calif.); Jared Forell, Rex Putnam HS (Milwaukie, Ore.); Blaine Goodwin, Pendleton (Ore.); Jeremy Lovell, Camas (Wa.); Josh Lovell, Camas; Paul Nishizaki, Westview (Portland, Ore.); Trevor Patterson, Pendleton; Russell Sells, Folsom (Calif.)
Occidental: Jeff Bee, Palm Springs (Calif.); Scott Saunders, Palm Springs
Knox: Tyler Hopfauf, Wauconda (Ill.)
Lawrence: Recruiting Class
Menlo: Albert Harvell, Stagg (Stockton, Calif.)
Monmouth: Recruiting Release
Minnesota-Morris: See release here
Puget Sound: Cory Dunn, Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.); Jake Hinton, Bainbridge (Bainbridge Island, N.Y.); Carter Williams, Bainbridge
Redlands: John Thies, Lathrop (Fairbanks, Alaska)
St. John’s: See St. Cloud Times article
St. Olaf: Jared Fisher, Gateway (Kissimmee, Fla.); Joey Forcelli, Gateway
UW-La Crosse: See La Crosse Tribune article
UW-Plattville: Nathan DeGroot, Park (Racine, Wis.)
UW-Stout: Recruiting Class
UW-Whitwater: See 4/21 entry on WarhawkFootball.com for full list
Wartburg: Jake Kuennen, Denver (Iowa)
Willamette: Robert Jones, Truckee (Calif.); Will McMartin, Capital (Boise, Idaho)

This has been a list of the Recruit Recap system. Had this been an actual Dose, it would be followed by news, informaiton or at least witty remarks about Division III football in general.

This concludes this list. We now return you to your painfully dull off season.

No, not that Penn and Harvard.

Harvard (Ill.) HS products Nick Iftner and Jay Sachs are headed to Augustanta and Lakeland respectively next season. A quick web search on these two turned up an interesting tidbit. The Harvard Hornets have a Cameron Amelianovich listed as a receiver. With that relatively unusual last name, I can’t help but wonder if he’s related to Illinois Wesleyan D3hoops.com All-American Keelan, who attended Neuqua Valley HS in Naperville, Ill..

Two players from Penn High in the South Bend, Ind., area are heading to Division III schools, according to the South Bend Tribune. At 5-10, 185-pounds, Evan Sobecki was limited by a knee injury to 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He is heading to Wabash. Beehler (5-7, 150) led the Kingsmen with 38 catches for 747 yards and eight scores. He is off to Adrian.

In other “Penn” news, Bill Crossey of Penn-Trafford HS told the hometown Star that he is looking forward to playing at Washington & Jefferson. Crossey selected W&J over Juniata, Marietta and Division I-AA Robert Morris.

UW-La Crosse has a recruiting class heavy on defensive tackles, says the La Crosse Tribune.

Wellsville (N.Y.) HS linebacker Frank Brown is heading to Rochester. Local rival St. John Fisher might be adding another horse to their running back stable. The Albany Times-Union reports the Cards landed Mohonasen HS running back Bradley Carlton, who put up 3,500 yards and ranks in the top twenty all-time in New York Section II history.

A pair from Plainfield HS in the Indianapolis area are going to Division III schools as well. Lineman (both sides) Mitch Brown is heading to Wabash and receiver/defensive back Patrick Faris has committed at Anderson, according to the Indianapolis Star, which thinks Anderson is in the NAIA.

According to the (Orangeburg, S.C.) Times & Democrat, Thomas Moultrie will set sail from Edisto HS (Cordova, S.C.) for Virginia where he’ll dock at Newport News. Joining his cousin Travis on the Shipbuilders, Thomas brings an impressive high school resume including 176 tackles from his linebacker spot.

Another South Carolinian will travel farther north when Chuckie Scarminach comes from Hilton Head Prep to Carnegie Mellon. Scarminach quarterbacked his team to the S.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 2-A state championship last year.

Brookwood HS (Snellville, Ga.) offensive line teammates Jonathan Milner and Joey Robinson will stay together for college, attending LaGrange. The Panthers will play their first season of Division III football this fall.

If you want to contribute a name, you must provide the published confirmation. (Unless you are an SID or coach, of course, in which case your word is sufficient). You can add the news by posting a comment below or emailing gordon.mann@d3football.com.

It’s always fun to see newspapers talk about the scholarships kids are getting to play football at Division III schools. But of course, sometimes Division III kids do get scholarships. And sometimes players who are destined to get athletic scholarships end up at Division III anyway.

Will Lewis got a full scholarship — academic, of course — to attend Washington and Lee, according to The State of Columbia, S.C. He expects to play both football and baseball after starting for three years at quarterback at Columbia’s A.C. Flora HS.

Francis Howell Central HS (St. Peters, Mo.) safety/receiver Andrew Berryman has announced plans to attend Washington U. “Andrew is an outstanding student athlete,” said WU head coach Larry Kindbom. “We like his versatility as an athlete, as he can play a variety of positions. We also like his tough-mindedness. He comes from a well-coached program at Francis Howell Central; that background and his work ethic should help in his transition to college. We look forward to Andrew contributing over the next four years.”

Berryman (left) is on the recruiting services’ radar and is listed as 6-2, 200; 6-3, 185; 6-0, 190; and 6-1 in a basketball story. He missed his entire senior season with an injury.

Lexington Catholic HS linebacker/strong safety Will Osborne will play football at Mount St. Joseph, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. He had 87 tackles for Lexington Catholic, which won the Class AAA title last season.

Spotswood HS (Penn Laird, Va.) quarterback Chet Landes will be attending Bridgewater, according to Harrisonburg’s Daily News-Record. He tells the paper he believes he might be used as a receiver.

Nate Berkey goes from Sarasota, Fla., to Mount Union. A two-year starter on the Sarasota HS offensive line, Berkey told Sarasota’s Herald Tribune: “I want to have a big rock on my finger, maybe three or four. That’s what pulled me in. I got a good feeling from the coaches and every year they are competing for a national championship.”

Foley (Ala.) HS receiver Chris Rodriguez is heading to Mississippi College, according to the Mobile Press-Register.

Lawrence Central HS quarterback Spud Dick will attend DePauw, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Franklin and Marshall will be getting Ryan Murray, an all-state running back from St. Edward’s, according to the Treasure Coast Palm.

Sheridan (Ind.) HS senior Chris Schweigel will attend Wabash. Schweigel, a 6-4, 181-pound wide receiver/defensive back, helped his team to Indiana’s Class A state title in 2005, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Wake Forest-Rolesville linebacker James Tyndall is heading to Guilford, according to the Charlotte News-Observer.

The Baytown (Texas) Sun reports that Jordan Wooddell, a linebacker for the Sterling Rangers, will attend the Coast Guard Academy.

University School (Jackson, Miss.) offensive lineman Russell Duck is headed to Rhodes, says the Jackson Sun. “They told me if I’d just come visit I’d love it,” Duck told the paper. “And they were right. I’m really looking forward to playing football and going to school there.”

Flatonia (Texas) tight end/defensive end Wade Berger will attend Hardin-Simmons. The Victoria Advocate says the 6-1, 195-pounder had 49 tackles, 5½ sacks, three passes broken up, forced four fumbles and recovered two.

Daniel Barnes, a running back from George Washington HS in Charleston, W.Va., will play at Emory and Henry, according to the Charleston Daily Mail. Barnes tore the ACL in his left knee as a junior, the paper reports.

The Virginian-Pilot’s Brian Black has compiled a list of Tidewater-area high schoolers and their college destinations. The Division III players:

Derek Braxton (Kellam HS), 6-2, 215, DE, Hampden-Sydney
Max Devnew (Kellam HS), 6-3, 215, DE, Christopher Newport
Matt Long (Kellam HS), 5-8, 175, QB, Christopher Newport
Brandon Reap (Maury HS), 6-2, 190, DE, Newport News
C.J. Santos (Kellam HS), 5-10, 205, LB, Salisbury
Derrius Walton (Lake Taylor HS), 5-10, 195, QB/LB, Newport News

We also have a list of Cortland State newcomers:
DB Matt Bieringer, 5-11, 190, Nassau Community College. He started at cornerback at Nassau.
OL Zac Chambers, 6-1, 275, Aquinas Institute
WR Tarod Clarke, 6-0, 185, Mansfield. Started at cornerback at the Division II school but will switch to receiver.
OL Lou Crispo, 6-0, 250, Eastchester HS
LB Kyrie Deger, 5-11, 210, Lake Brantley HS (Fla.)
LB Ryan Harvey, 5-10, 200, Grand Island (N.Y.) HS
DB Dequan Howard, 5-10, 175, last played at Canisius (dropped football after 2002 season)
WR/K/P Jeff Lang, 6-4, 205, Redshirt freshman last year at Northeastern
DL Chris Longinott, 6-3, 250, Cornwall HS
DB Ronnie Rodriguez, 5-10, 190, Erie CC, started at free safety at Erie
OL Ian Storm, 6-4, 250, Wayne Central HS (Ontario Center, N.Y.)
OL/DL Brandon McInerney, 6-3 265, Villanova-CBA, Syracuse
OL Chris VanDeweert, 6-2, 260, Goshen HS
QB Sean Pratt, 5-11, 190, Brockport HS
RB Binney Smith, 6-0, 200, Dryden HS
DB Anthony Posa, 5-11, 185, Sachem East
DL John Bonifer, 6-1, 230, Connetiquot
K D.J. Mazzone, 6-1, 175, William Floyd

Nobody evaluates the talent at this level. There’s no ranking of recruiting classes.

Nothing binds a student-athlete to attend a particular school in Division III, or to play football once there. He can abandon his application fee and enrollment deposit and re-enroll anywhere.

This is why ranking recruiting classes in Division III is a fruitless exercise.

If you want to be on this list, send me a link to a newspaper article in which you or your son/nephew/grandson/neighbor is listed. Self-touting posts with no printed verification will be removed.

Our point isn’t to rank, merely to pull together what other people are writing about. So here we go:

New Louisiana College coach Dennis Dunn, who coached state high school football power Evangel, has been cleaning up on the recruiting trail, apparently, with 54 incoming freshmen, according to the Alexandria, La., newspaper, The Town Talk. Interesting that the piece references that these players have signed “equipment reservation forms.” That seems to be in contrast to NCAA Division III bylaw 13.10.1.

An institution shall not utilize any form of a letter of intent or similar form of commitment in the recruitment of a prospect. However, it shall be permissible for the institution to utilize in the recruitment of a prospect its pre-enrollment forms executed by prospective students in general at that institution. Violations of this bylaw shall be considered institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1; however, such violations shall not affect the prospective student-athlete’s eligibility.

Hey, for all I know, every incoming student at LC has to sign an equipment reservation form. I’m sure that’s the case.

Salesianum running back Nick Dominelli, Delaware’s offensive player of the year last fall, “has made a verbal commitment” to play at Wesley, according to the Wilmington News Journal. Linebacker Dave Willard is also listed as heading to Wesley.

Nacogdoches HS quarterback/defensive back Bobby Adamson is heading to Trinity (Texas), says The (Nacogdoches) Daily Sentinel.

This update also contains our first newspaper misunderstanding of the new season. The Gulf Breeze News in Florida claims that a young man named Ben Ganus is getting a football scholarship from Huntingdon. Hmm, interesting. Of course, we all know that’s not the case. Also looks like Huntingdon beat out Hampden-Sydney for Ganus’ services. (Note: Edited April 11 to change school Huntingdon beat out.)

Drew Stainfield allegedly signed a letter of intent to play at Hiram (so says the Star Beacon). He was a linebacker at “Jefferson” — which we presume is a high school of some sort around Ashtabula, Ohio.

St. Joseph HS in New Jersey (we assume, the newspaper assumes the whole world knows where this school is) is sending two players to Division III: defensive end/tight end DeHart Washington to Widener and kicker Kyle Stever to Rowan.

Eastern Wayne center/linebacker Ian Gagnon is staying close to home, according to the Goldsboro News-Argus, and will attend North Carolina Wesleyan. The newspaper also reported Rosewood High defensive lineman Markas Brunson will attend Guilford.

Interesting quotes from the second story:

“Markas Brunson is a tremendous young man that will be a great asset to Guilford College,” Kiesel said in a prepared statement. “I’m very happy to have the ability to attract such a top quality person, student and football player. He’s a versatile player that will help us at defensive end, linebacker or fullback.”

Brunson admits that eventually transferring to a larger college may not be out of the question, but he also said, “I’m focused on what I’m trying to do at Guilford.”

Elsewhere in the ODAC, the Roanoke Times reports that Franklin County tight end Wynn Sigmon and Cave Spring running back Will Osborne are headed to Bridgewater. Mike Clark is quoted on each player. The same piece notes Emory and Henry is getting Jonathan Hawkins, a wide receiver from Rural Retreat. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star says Courtland HS running back Warner Williams committed to play at Bridgewater as well.

Copley HS defensive lineman Mike Nitz, first team All-Ohio, will attend Mount Union, according to the Akron Beacon-Journal.

Nearly a dozen members of the St. John’s recruiting class are listed in an article in today’s St. Cloud Times.

Northwestern HS defensive lineman Donny Amys, apparently from the Superior, Wis., area, is attending UW-Stout.

Two players from Broome HS (South Carolina) have said they will attend D-III schools, according to GoUpstate.com. Quarterback Andrew Weathers is heading to Greensboro and offensive lineman Eric Chapman will go to Methodist.

For a look at the names that crossed our desk last year, check out the 2005 recruiting section of the Daily Dose.