Rich Ellerson Announces 2010 Football Recruiting Class

June 28, 2010 | Football

WEST POINT, N.Y.  -- Army head coach Rich Ellerson welcomed the newest members of the Black Knights' football program into the fold on Monday as he announced his club's 2010 recruiting class.

Twenty-eight recently graduated high school student-athletes and 27 others that attended the U.S. Military Academy Prep School last year help comprise the football-playing members of West Point's Class of 2014 that arrived at the Military Academy for Reception Day activities on Monday.

"It's great to have these young men here at West Point," said Ellerson. "You bring this group up from the Prep School and then you blend a really gifted group of direct guys that are relative strangers to each other. They are all going to become closer than brothers in the next couple of years. It's an exciting moment. It is a talented group. I think we were able to complement what was coming from the Prep School with a very gifted direct group that filled in some of the gaps.

"We've put a lot into the recruiting process as coaches, but that really dims when you realize how momentous this moment is for the families of our recruits. It is one of those days, one of those moments, that you remember for the rest of your life, both as a parent and a young man. This is an iconic day for the young men and their families, and the path they've chosen."

The group of signees includes 29 offensive standouts, 25 defensive players and one specialist. Heading the positional breakdown is offensive line where Ellerson and his staff have imported 11 newcomers, followed by linebacker (9), wide receiver (9), defensive back (8), running back (5) and defensive end (5).

Twenty different states are represented in the class. California leads the way with 10 newcomers, followed by Florida with six and Texas with five. The states of New York and Illinois boast four new Black Knights each, while Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Indiana feature three apiece.

"We can't say whether we believe this class is stronger on either offense or defense, because we  don't even know that. In most cases, we recruit guys who we think have a chance to play on both sides of the ball. That really remains to be seen. We try not to `pigeon-hole' guys too early. Clearly, we have an expectation for them, but we do as coaches what we encourage them to do as players and that is relax and believe what we see as we get going.

"It will be exciting to see how they handle all of this as the summer progresses and how they are when we get them on the field. Inevitably there will be a handful of freshmen that have a chance to get in the middle of things immediately. Some of that depends on their particular position and how well they handle the trials and tribulations that Cadet Basic Training present. That of course you can't anticipate. You just have to believe what happens once you get them."

Included in Army's Class of 2014 are a trio of local products in Patrick Laird, Jared McFarlin Mitch McKearn. Laird and McFarlin were teammates on the local powerhouse Monroe-Woodbury High School squad, which ranked among New York state's elite gridiron teams throughout their respective prep careers. Both are wide receivers. McKearn, a defensive line candidate, is a product of  O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, N.Y. That trio joins sophomore Ben Jebb and junior Davyd Brooks as Orange County natives owning spots on Army's football roster. Jebb graduated from Cornwall High School last June, and is in his second year with Army's football program. He is listed as a backup offensive lineman on the Black Knights' most-recent depth chart. Brooks is a 2007 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy and is projected to start at wide receiver for Army this fall.

Army opens its 121st season of intercollegiate competition on Saturday, Sept. 4 when the Black Knights visit Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Army begins its home slate the following week, hosting Hawai'i (Sept. 11).

Full season, mini-plan and single-game tickets for all Army home contests are currently on sale at the Army Ticket Office, by phone at 1-877-TIX-ARMY or online by clicking here. Full season ticket packages in a special section dubbed "Coach E's Army," begin at just $89 for lower-deck seating locations in Michie Stadium. Fans purchasing tickets in that section also receive a special "Coach E's Army" T-shirt. A limited number of tickets remain available to Army's game against Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium. In order to purchase Army-Notre Dame tickets, fans must hold membership in the Army "A" Club and purchase 2010 Army football season tickets.

2010 ARMY FOOTBALL PLEBE ROSTER

Name	Class	Position	Height	Weight	Hometown/High School
Davonte Anderson	Fr.	DB	5-8	160	Corona, Calif./Lutheran (USMAPS)
Lyle Beloney	Fr.	DB	5-11	180	Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes (USMAPS)
Casey Brewer	Fr.	LB	6-2	210	McAlpin, Fla./Lafayette (USMAPS)
Zachary Carrasco-Burge	Fr.	OT	6-5	280	Whittier, Calif./Servite (USMAPS)
Cameron Carter	Fr.	RB	5-10	195	Dakota Dunes, S.D./Dakota Valley
Jordan Crockett	Fr.	DB	5-6	160	Wesley Chapel, Fla./Berkeley Prep (USMAPS)
Julian Crockett	Fr.	RB	5-8	168	Wesley Chapel, Fla./Berkeley Prep (USMAPS)
Jonathan Crucitti	Fr.	DB	5-11	185	Salisbury, N.C./West Rowan
Tyler Dickson	Fr.	DB	6-0	189	Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington (USMAPS)
Kyle Dravis	Fr.	DB	5-9	175	Orange, Calif./Orange (USMAPS)
Alfred Fields	Fr.	LB	6-0	195	West Palm Beach, Fla./Suncoast (USMAPS)
William Fisher	Fr.	K	6-1	170	Canfield, Ohio/Canfield
James Holland	Fr.	WR	6-1	200	Renton, Wash./Hazen
John Hughes	Fr.	WR	6-1	165	Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin (USMAPS)
Cody Jackson	Fr.	QB	6-0	200	San Lorenzo, Calif./Junipero Serra (USMAPS)
Shelby Jackson	Fr.	OL	6-2	270	Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge (USMAPS)
Scott Jones	Fr.	RB	5-10	184	St. Augustine, Fla./St. Joseph Academy
Shane Jones	Fr.	OL	6-1	270	Van Alstyne, Texas/Van Alstyne
Colin Joy	Fr.	OL	6-3	230	West Islip, N.Y./St. John Baptist
Ryan Kalnins	Fr.	DE	6-1	210	Watertown, Conn./Holy Cross
Quentin Kantaris	Fr.	DE	6-2	205	Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark
Clayton Keller	Fr.	LB	6-2	220	Lakeville, Conn./Salisbury School (USMAPS)
Michael Kime	Fr.	OL	6-2	230	Zionsville, Ind./Culver Academies
Robert Kough	Fr.	DE	6-3	220	Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Colony (USMAPS)
Patrick Laird	Fr.	WR	6-3	195	Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury
Matthew Luetjen	Fr.	QB	6-1	205	Hennessey, Okla./Hennessey
Raymond Maples	Fr.	RB	6-1	200	Philadelphia, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic (USMAPS)
Ryan McCollum	Fr.	OLB	6-1	224	Cortland, Ohio/Kennedy
Jared McFarlin	Fr.	WR	6-5	195	Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury
Marcus McInerney	Fr.	RB	5-11	190	Stamford, Conn./Stamford (USMAPS)
Mitch McKearn	Fr.	DL	6-3	215	West Point, N.Y./O'Neill
Keegan Merrigan	Fr.	DE	6-3	235	Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton
Colby Miller	Fr.	LB	6-1	205	Phenix City, Ala./Smiths Station (USMAPS)
Dylan Mohamed	Fr.	WR	5-10	175	Brawley, Calif./Brawley Union
Reggie Nesbit	Fr.	QB	6-2	190	Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor
Brandon Porter	Fr.	DB	5-7	160	Laplace, La./John Curtis Christian (USMAPS)
Richard Rainey	Fr.	OL	6-4	240	Cedar Park, Texas/Vista Ridge
Zachary Reichert	Fr.	OL	6-2	270	Quincy, Ill./Quincy Notre Dame
Victor Ripley	Fr.	DE	6-4	230	Glen Allen, Va./Henrico
James Rutherford	Fr.	LB	6-2	210	Marietta, Ga./Kell (USMAPS)
Luke Shumacher	Fr.	WR	6-3	170	Indianapolis, Ind./Culver Academies
Michael Sikorski	Fr.	DT	6-0	230	Temecula, Calif./Chaparral (USMAPS)
Matthew Strack	Fr.	OL	6-4	285	Champaign, Ill./Centennial
John Szott	Fr.	OT	6-3	265	Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley
Hayden Tippett	Fr.	LB	5-11	215	Tempe, Ariz./McClintock
Charles Tobin	Fr.	DL	6-3	225	Hope Mills, N.C./South View
Justin Trimble	Fr.	WR	6-0	185	Ashburn, Va./O'Connell (USMAPS)
Earnest Tucker	Fr.	DB	5-11	205	Morganville, N.J./Marlboro (USMAPS)
James Tully	Fr.	LB	6-1	205	Park City, Utah/Battle Ground Academy (USMAPS)
Corey Watts	Fr.	LB	5-11	220	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny (USMAPS)
Daniel Whitaker	Fr.	OT	6-3	250	San Ramon, Calif./California (USMAPS)
Scott Williams	Fr.	WR	5-8	160	Villa Park, Calif./Lutheran (USMAPS)
Zachary Williams	Fr.	QB	5-11	210	Van Alstyne, Texas/Melissa (USMAPS)
James Woodward	Fr.	WR	6-4	185	Anna, Ill./Anna-Jonesboro
Brian Zalneraitis	Fr.	OL	6-2	220	Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock