When coach Stan Parrish addressed Ball State University football fans Wednesday night, he said there is only one statistic they needed to know from this year's recruiting class: 18-for-18.
All 18 players who committed to Ball State when Brady Hoke was the head coach kept their commitments to the Cardinals, Parrish said at the team's National Signing Day Celebration in the Alumni Center. Those players comprised the bulk of the 22 players who signed their national letters of intent to play for Ball State on Wednesday, the first day members of the 2009 recruiting class could sign.
"We wanted them all, and to keep them all is a real credit to our coaching staff," Parrish said. "It really is, and I'm proud of that.
"I think keeping them all was critical for us."
Although most of the players committed to Ball State when Hoke was the coach, Parrish said he had a strong influence on this year's recruiting class - his first as the Cardinals' head coach. Parrish was the offensive coordinator under Hoke, and he spent time recruiting prospects on the offensive side of the ball even before Hoke left to take the head coaching position at San Diego State University, he said.
Parrish said he felt comfortable keeping the players he recruited prior to Hoke's departure but knew little about many of the defensive recruits he inherited.
"A lot of them were offensive players that I was recruiting," Parrish said. "My area used to be northeastern Ohio, so those guys I felt good about keeping. The kids on defense, some of which I didn't know, Brady was recruiting them pretty heavily. But it was critical that we kept them, and thank goodness we did."
Scout.com rated the Cardinals' class as the 98th best out of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Rivals.com rated Ball State's class as the 102nd best in the nation out of 125 programs it rated.
Scout had Ball State as the fifth best class in the Mid-American Conference while Rivals rated the Cardinals as the ninth best in the conference.
Scout rated all of the Cardinals' commits as two-star prospects except for tight end Zane Fakes of Plainfield, whom it rated as a one-star prospect. Rivals rated most of the Cardinals' commits as two-star prospects as well. It rated tight end Jacob Green of Wyoming, Ohio; quarterback Aaron Mershman of Bowling Green, Ohio; and running back Eric Williams of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis as three-star prospects. Rivals did not rate Fakes.
Parrish said one of the best parts of this year's recruiting class was the amount of speed Ball State added. This is the fastest class the Cardinals have brought in, which filled a major need, he said.
"We had to upgrade our speed," Parrish said. "Those of us were there for the [GMAC Bowl against the University of Tulsa] saw that. So if we're going to move to the next level we have to get faster, and I think we did today."
The emphasis on speed was displayed on the amount of players Ball State signed at "skill" positions. The Cardinals signed a quarterback, four running backs, four wide receivers, two tight ends, four linebackers and two corner backs. On the contrary, the Cardinals signed three offensive linemen and two defensive linemen.
The linebackers were the strongest group of commits Ball State added, Parrish said. He also said he really liked the team's new running backs, receivers and offensive linemen.
The Cardinals' first-year head coach said he would have liked to emphasize the offensive line, defensive line and cornerbacks more in this year's class.
John Powers, who Parrish promoted to recruiting coordinator Jan. 21, said he really likes this year's class.
"I think it's tremendous," Powers said. "I think we filled a lot of our needs."
Northeastern Ohio was the area most represented in this year's recruiting class. Ball State signed 12 players from Ohio, six of whom came from the northeastern part of the state.
Ball State signed three players from Glenville High School in Cleveland, the school that has produced college football players such as Ted Ginn Jr., Troy Smith and Donte Whitner of Ohio State University. The Cardinals' commits were linebackers Theon Dixon Jr. and Travis Freeman, and corner back Jason Pinkston.
Ball State signed wide receiver Connor Ryan from St. Ignatius High School in Westlake, Ohio - a school that has won 10 state championships, including the 2008 Division I state title.
"When you go into the top schools in that state - and particularly in Cleveland - with all of the other MAC schools, and you get those guys, it makes us feel great," Parrish said. "It was a huge step for us. We've done well in northeastern Ohio and in Ohio, but we took it to another level I think this year."
The Cardinals also signed northeastern Ohio players running back Brandon Kish from Amherst, Ohio, and cornerback Armand Dehaney from Maple Heights, Ohio.
"That's sort of unheard of for Ball State, taking those kids from northeast Ohio," Powers said. "There's a lot of schools to drive past to get to Ball State."
After Ohio, Indiana was the most represented state in this year's class. The Cardinals got six players from their home state, which was more than Purdue University, zero, and the University of Notre Dame, two, but less than Indiana University, nine.
In addition to Fakes and Williams, the Cardinals got running back David Brown from Shelbyville, offensive lineman Kitt O'Brien from Walton, offensive lineman Matthew Page from East Chicago and defensive end Ethan Buckles from Indianapolis.
"If there's a good player in Indiana, we want him," Parrish said. "And this year, I'm trilled over the guys we got from Indiana."
Ball State signed two players from Florida, one from Kansas and one from Missouri.
Parrish said he thought the Cardinals' seven appearances on national television through ESPN was huge in getting recruits to come to Ball State.
"It was everything for this team," Parrish said. "When you're on TV seven times, and you call a kid and he says 'I just saw you play last night, and you had big crowds and student support' like we had and national publicity and being nationally ranked and all of that stuff just mushrooms everything. It was critical, and I think we did a good job of taking advantage of it."
RecruitsJelani Alford - running back, CincinnatiDavid Brown - running back, ShelbyvilleOtis Brown - wide receiver, Gainesville, Fla.Ethan Buckles - defensive end, IndianapolisJustin Cruz - linebacker, Green Cover Springs, Fla.Amand Dehaney - cornerback, Maple Heights, OhioTheon Dixon Jr. - linebacker, ClevelandZane Fakes - tight end, PlainfieldTravis Freeman - linebacker, ClevelandJacob Green - tight end, Wyoming, OhioDonovan Jarrett - defensive line, Hamilton, OhioBrandon Kish -ยก- running back, Amherst, OhioKeith Langtry - wide receiver, Prairie Village, Kan.Tony Martin - linebacker, Park Hills, Mo.Aaron Mershman - quarterback, Bowling Green, OhioKitt O'Brien - offensive lineman, WaltonEvan Neff - offensive lineman, Centerville, OhioMatthew Page - offensive lineman, East ChicagoJason Pinkston - cornerback, ClevelandConnor Ryan - wide receiver, Westlake, OhioSeth White - wide receiver, Beexley, OhioEric Williams - running back, Indianapolis
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
