Ball State Cardinals Recruiting 2009

Most of the day was silent for the Ball State Cardinals. Not because Letters of Intent were not pouring in, but simply because the assigned media and the administration didn't have the resources or the need to announce breaking news commitment by commitment. Either way, the news is out now, and here is the list of young men who decided that Ball State was where they were officially going to play their college ball:

Jelani Alford RB 5-9 175 Cincinnati, Ohio (Withrow)
David Brown RB 5-10 195 Shelbyville, Ind. (Shelbyville)
Otis Brown WR 5-9 165 Gainesville, Fla. (Gainesville)
Ethan Buckles DE 6-7 220 Indianapolis, Ind. (Cardinal Ritter)
Justin Cruz LB 5-11 198 Green Cove Springs, Fla. (Fleming Island)
Armand Dehaney CB 5-8 177 Maple Heights, Ohio (Walsh Jesuit)
Theon Dixon Jr. LB 5-11 190 Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)
Zane Fakes TE 6-3 235 Plainfield, Ind. (Plainfield)
Travis Freeman LB 6-0 212 Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)
Jacob Green TE 6-3 238 Wyoming, Ohio (Wyoming)
Donovan Jarrett DL 6-2 300 Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton)
Brandon Kish RB 5-11 205 Amherst, Ohio (Steele)
Keith Langtry WR 6-1 180 Prairie Village, Kansas (Rockhurst)
Tony Martin LB 6-1 205 Park Hills, Mo. (Central) Kory Schweiss
Aaron Mershman QB 6-2 210 Bowling Green, Ohio (Bowling Green)
Evan Neff OL 6-4 255 Centerville, Ohio (Archbishop Alter)
Kitt O’Brien OL 6-6 300 Walton, Ind. (Lewis Cass)
Matthew Page OL 6-6 300 East Chicago, Ind. (Central)
Jason Pinkston CB 6-2 180 Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)
Connor Ryan WR 6-1 185 Westlake, Ohio (St. Ignatius)
Seth White WR 5-10 185 Bexley, Ohio (Bexley)
Eric Williams RB 5-10 200 Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central)

Some things to note about this particular class:

• The pipeline to Ohio continues, as the overwhelming majority comes from Ohio, 12 to be exact. They compliment 6 Indiana players, 2 Florida players, and 1 apiece from Kansas and Missouri.
• Pinkston was rumored to be a Toledo signee for sure as recently as several days ago. Great pick up for the Cardinals.
  
• The coaching staff lost none of the 18 players who had given their verbals to the former coaching staff and picked up a few additional ones. To lose no one in a recruiting class given a coaching change is a great feat.
• This class is most likely not complete. I would expect a couple more signings, whether they be players interested in the Cardinals all along, or players who, for whatever reason, lose their scholarship offer at a bigger school. If it gets no better, it's still a tremendous class for BSU and in the running for best in the conference.

So that gets us through signing day for the Cardinals. And not a moment too soon. Kudos to Stan Parrish and the staff for putting together a class capable of continuing the trend of success in Muncie. Given the will to work hard, being able to be coached up, and the staff continuing to demand excellence, this is a class which should be able to compete for MAC titles for years to come. Today, like always, it's a great day to be a Cardinal!