Brady Hoke put his second major stamp on the Ball State football program Wednesday, as the first-year head coach announced his 2003 class of 19 recruits, including eight from Indiana.
"We're very excited about our first recruiting class," Hoke said. "We believe these young men, combined with the players we have, will help the progress of the football program. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. We're all better coaches when we have good players."
The 2003 class includes nine of the 11 players that had committed to Ball State when Bill Lynch was head coach.
"I want to thank Bill and his staff for their efforts," Hoke said. "Those nine are the foundation of this class."
One of those nine prior commitments is Casey Gillen, a 6-foot-2 inch, 187-pound quarterback from Mooresville, Ind. (Indian Creek High School). As a senior, he passed for 3,927 yards and a state-record 60 touchdowns. In his career Gillen totaled 8,806 yards and 104 touchdowns.
"He was the top quarterback at the Purdue Elite Camp (last summer)," Hoke said. "He's got a strong arm. He's not as big as some other quarterbacks, but you don't really need that. You need someone who's smart and accurate."
Last fall wide receivers Dante Ridgeway and Larry Bostic, along with defensive tackle Justin Schweighardt, were true freshmen who received significant playing time. Hoke said it's hard to know if any of these recruits can have the same impact.
"You really don't know if they can play right away, until they compete," Hoke said. "There's some who will have a chance."
One that Hoke hinted would have a chance is Terry Moss, a receiver/kick returner from Huber Heights, Ohio (Wayne High School). The 5-10, 175-pounder caught 62 passes for 640 yards, and had 1,172 all-purpose yards with 11 touchdowns.
"I couldn't believe he (hadn't committed anywhere), because this kid can play," Hoke said of his big-play capabilities.
The area Hoke felt needed addressing the most was defensive back, as evidenced by the five recruits. Included in that group is 5-10, 165-pound safety Chris Allen, a teammate of Moss' and the brother of Ohio State DB Will Allen. Offensive line and defensive end were other key areas, according to Hoke.
Defensive end Temidayo Macarthy (6-4, 240) from Merrillville was another that Hoke was excited to sign. "He committed to Lynch, and was teetering during the transition period and thinking about Northern Illinois. (Assistant) Phil Burnett did a great job getting him. He's got a lot of ability; I wouldn't want to play against him."
With the help of assistant Ed Stults, who coached at Jacksonville the last two seasons, the Cardinals were able to sign two players Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas High School), receiver Floyd Reddick and running back Antonio Tharpe. Reddick had 34 catches for 635 yards and seven touchdowns, while Tharpe rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 23 touchdowns. Hoke said the quality of kids from Aquinas is "second to none."
In all, eight states are represented in the 2003 class, including Alabama (kicker Brian Jackson), Illinois (tight end Michael Steinhaus), Michigan (cornerback Jermaine Johnson), Missouri (safety Eddie Burke) and Wisconsin (offensive lineman Kevin Neville).
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