2013 EWU Recruiting Class of 17

[Screamin_Eagle174]

http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2012-13/Releases/13fbRECRUITS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MATTHEW SOMMER - DT - 6'5 - 290

“Matt is by far the biggest of our four recruits on the defensive line. He brings size and physical ability to our defensive tackle position. We haven’t signed too many players out of high school who have the weight he carries, yet move as well as he does. It’s very, very impressive to watch that. We’re excited to see what he brings to the table. He’s unique in that we don’t sign too many 6-5 defensive linemen pushing 300 pounds who move the way he does. That is going to make him an impact player right away and we’re excited about what he is going to do for us. We really felt that Matt fit in well with our program on his recruiting trip. He bonded well with the other players on our team, and the Cheney area will be a great fit for him as well.”

JOE DOUGLAS - DE/DT - 6'3 - 240

“We’re not sure why, but he was somewhat under the radar. We were able to work with him at our camp – our defensive line coach Ryan Sawyer and offensive line coach Aaron Best both loved him. Joe is going to be a great d-lineman for us. His athleticism, his lightness on his feet and his overall effort show up both on the football field and basketball court. I haven’t seen too many defensive linemen out of high school move as fluidly and do the things that he does. It’s exciting. We loved watching him at camp and on video, and we’ve recently been even more excited after watching him move and compete on the basketball court. The sky is the limit for Joe once he gets here. He’s another young player who is only 17 right now, and we think he will flourish as time goes on.”

SAMSON EBUKAM - DE - 6'3 - 230

“All of our defensive linemen bring some different things to the table. Samson is going to give us some pressure off the edge, a high motor and the ability to run around. We love it when we see a defensive lineman also carrying the football on offense – that’s rare. That shows some of his athleticism and straight-line speed. He has great goals for himself as far as putting on weight and getting bigger and stronger for the college level. He is going to give us something dynamic and explosive that’s hard to find and hard for offenses to deal with. Along with all his physical attributes, he has great discipline, work ethic and both physical and mental toughness to play at a high level.”

ANDRE LINO - DE - 6'3 - 240

“He has the total package at the defensive end position. He has the ability to rush the passer and the ability to take on tight ends. He’s a great fit for us in terms of what we see in a defensive lineman with a little bit of everything. Sometimes you have a pass-rush specialist or plug-up defensive tackle. Andre has the size and athleticism to do a little bit of both. He’s an infectious person when you are around him and see how he interacts withour other players. He has a way about him that is special. He’s going to be a great player for us and we look forward to adding to our tradition of defensive linemen who have had an impact. He’ll be a part of our next crew.”

JAKE GALL - LB - 6'1 - 215

“He is going to be a part of that next young crew of linebackers. He also has the athleticism to play safety, but can go down and play the outside linebacker position. He was a tremendous playmaker at Cle Elum. When we watched him, you knew exactly where he was on offense, defense or on special teams. He never came off the field – he was one of those players who is out there for everything. He also brings a tremendous character and grit to what he does as well. Along with his athleticism, he’s going to be a perfect fit for our program and our young group of linebackers.”

ALBERT HAVILI - LB - 6'2 - 240

“He fits into the slightly bigger mold of a linebacker. One of our strengths at linebacker over the years has been our athleticism, without a question. Albert brings that same athleticism, but he also adds size to it. We see that size with some of the teams we play in our league and in the playoffs. They just have a little more lead in their pencil. That’s what you want in any position – you want to be diverse. You want to have different types of players, and Albert is unique in that sense – he may come here and be bigger than any of the linebackers we currently have on campus. Along with that, he’s an extremely talented football player. He’s going to be a great fit for us and fits in well with our other players. We’re expecting great things right away from Albert – he’s that good and he’s big enough and strong enough to handle it right away. It’s all up to him, but he can come in and have an impact right off the bat.”

JOHN KREIFELS - LB - 5'9 - 205

“He may seem undersized, but he’s in the same mold as some of the best linebackers we’ve ever had. It’s easy to point to J.C. Sherritt, but you can point to a lot of our players at a lot of different positions who were, quote-unquote, undersized coming out of high school, but have great ability. The video of John is tremendous and we were also able to see him at football camp in the summer. We developed a relationship with him early, and we’re impressed by him as a football player. Comparing him to J.C. Sherritt is not fair right now to John, but you aren’t far off to say there are some similarities to what you saw in high school out of both young men. They were both a little bit under the radar because of their height and weight, but we expect huge things out of John. He’s a great competitor and works hard – he’s a tremendous talent. Size doesn’t affect him at all, and he will go up against anybody and make plays.”

D'LONDO TUCKER - CB - 6'0 - 170

“He’s a true, true cornerback, but he also has the ability to help us on special teams in our return game. He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands as well. But he has the skills, length, speed and mental ability that make him a true corner. When you talk to him, get a feel for how he thinks and see his personality, you just see it. You see that confidence and the ability to have short memory – that’s what you want at corner. The best of the best corners have that, and so does D’londo. It’s always nice to find great in-state cornerbacks – we have three now who are all in-state players who have been productive for us. We were able to do that again and recruited one of the best cornerbacks in the state. That’s a big deal for us.”

KEONTE WHITE - CB - 6'4 - 185

“By stature, he’s probably the biggest cornerback we’ve signed at Eastern, which is intriguing to me. He not only has the ability to get his hands on receivers and make life miserable for them, but he also has the speed and athleticism to run with the faster receivers in our conference. The attribute that also impressed myself, defensive coordinator John Graham and cornerbacks coach Cherokee Valeria was his ability and his love for tackling. With the base schemes we run on defense, it’s very important that our cornerbacks are physical – and Keonte is definitely a physical player. He’s the type of cornerback you are seeing more and more at the higher levels of football. With a couple of years in a college weight program, he has a chance to physically explode and play some of his best football over the next four to five years.”

JAKE HOFFMAN - DB/WR - 6'0 - 170

“It’s always exciting to sign somebody local and a player with his talent. A lot of times you have to project where you are going to see a recruit play at the college level. We think he can play in either the secondary or at wide receiver for us. He runs very well and he’s explosive when you see him jump and run. He has that burst and he likes contact. He has all the tools to play at a few different positions. We’re excited about where he’s going to fit. He may have been a little under-recruited, and sometimes that happens. But we kept our eye on him and talked about him the entire fall, and we’re glad it worked out. He’s going to help us and he is also going to fit in great with the rest of our team.”

WILLIAM LOPEZ - OL - 6'5 - 240

“He was a little under the radar because 6-5, 240 is a little light for an offensive lineman. But some of our very best offensive linemen have come out of high school with that size. The same was true with Clay DeBord coming out of high school, and last year he got himself up to 285 and became our starting left tackle. We’ve had those conversations with Willie because he has some of those same skills. He has long arms, the 6-5 frame and moves well on his feet. I refer to basketball a lot because you can tell how they move on the court, how they compete and how they play. Watching Willie on the basketball court really sealed the deal for us. He will fit into what we are doing and his best football is yet to come. When he can concentrate on one sport and naturally put on weight, he could explode. You add his feet and his athleticism to his 6-5 frame and he’s a player that can be a future tackle for us. You want to find those interior players and the players who can play outside at tackle. We’re excited to see what Willie can bring.”

JOE MILES - OL - 6'5 - 265

“We felt like Miles was one of the best offensive linemen in the state of Washington at any recruiting level. He was one of our earliest commitments. We evaluated a lot of video of Joe in the spring and became one of our first offers in early fall. He’s very athletic and has the versatility to play at offensive guard, but he’s also athletic enough and moves well enough to play tackle – he has the height and range for that position as well. He’s a quality, hard worker in the classroom and off the field – he’s very talented. Our relationship with him was built very early, and we feel good about what Joe is going to bring to our program and what we are trying to do.”

D.J. MARTIN - RB - 5'10 - 205

“He’s probably the highest profile player we recruited and deservedly so. He’s been productive all the way back to his sophomore season. He’s an every down running back. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, block, get short yardage or hit the big one. He has all the tools and we’re excited about that. He’s explosive and a great fit for us. With the depth we have coming back, we decided to sign only one running back. It’s always good to sign at least one tailback in every class and we feel very good about signing D.J.”

KENDRICK BOURNE - WR - 6'3 - 190

“He’s along the same lines of some of the bigger receivers we’ve had lately. He fits into the mold of players who have performed so well for us over the last four years in Brandon Kaufman, Greg Herd and Nicholas Edwards. Along with his size, he has great explosion and athleticism at the position. But there is still a big ceiling he can hit – his best football is still to come. As good as he has been both on the basketball court and the football field, he will be able to take it to another level in the next four or five years that other people may not see. We’re excited about the raw talent he brings to the table. He’s been excited from day one about Eastern Washington and that’s something I love seeing. And he won’t turn 18 until August, so it’s exciting to think about how young he is and how much growth potential he still has.”

VICTOR GAMBOA - WR - 6'0 - 180

“He has raw talent – and you see it outside of football in track. He has explosiveness and athletic ability, and at the same time there are some untapped skills that will enable him to definitely play his best football moving forward. One of the exciting parts of recruiting is when you find those players and project where they might be one, two and three years away from now. We think he’ll just explode when he can play football full-time. He’s very competitive and physical, and maybe was a player who flew a little under the radar. But we were able to get a good look at him early, and we really see some great things in Victor.”

NIC SBLENDORIO - WR - 6'0 - 190

“Nic to me is the total package at wide receiver. He is a great route runner, has speed and athleticism to run by people and the intelligence to understand how to get open and what a defense is trying to do. Nic has the ability to play each wide receiver position. When our receivers have the ability to play inside or outside, we become multi-dimensional and defenses don’t know where certain players are going to line up. That is similar to what we’ve done in the past with Nicholas Edwards, Brandon Kaufman and Greg Herd. Nic will have both the physical ability and the mental capacity to move around to different spots. We’ve had a number of players from Skyline, and they have all had an impact and have been successful. We expect the same out of Nic. He comes in as a very polished wide receiver because of the program he plays in, how many balls he is able to catch and the routes he runs. Coach (Matt) Taylor does an incredible job there, and Nic may be further along than other players because of the program he comes from.”

ROLDAN ALCOBENDAS - K - 6'0 - 175

“We’re excited to sign a kicker with his talent. He’s performed very well at some of the competitions outside of his seasons to go along with doing an outstanding job as a kicker and punter at Camas. He’s a huge signing for us, and will add to our competition at that position as soon as he gets here. He has that kind of ability. We usually sign one special teams player a year, and he’s it.”

 

[luckyintheorder]

HUDL on
Samson Ebukam DL 6-3 230 Portland, Ore. (David Douglas HS ’13)

Where's the chicken dinner? This kid's a winner.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/552856/#highlights/36486438

 

[luckyintheorder]

John Kreifels LB Nice bench numbers. Explosive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT5A32tQDuQ

 

[luckyintheorder]

Joe Douglas DL Hanford HS. You would even say it glows... Nice quickness. Looks like quickness was a focus on this class. So far all the DL are way quicker than some that were targeted on the boards pre NSD.



http://www.hudl.com/athlete/278115/#highlights/34501377

 

[EWU98]

Nice breakdown by the MOTHERSHIP on Big Sky Recruits -
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/databaseresults?firstname=&lastname=&class=2013&starsfilter=GT&stars=0&ratingfilter=GT&rating=&positionrank=&sportid=4294967293&collegeid=&conference=20&visitmonth=&visityear=&statuscommit=Commitments&honor=&position=&region=&state=&hometown=&height=&weight=&fortyyrddash=&benchpressweight=&twentyyrdshuttle=&verticaljump=&sparqrating=&c360rating=&x=35&y=14" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Obzerver]

Knowing there are always different height/weights listed for recruits this one caught my attention...D.J. Martin is listed on our site as 5'10 205lbs and on that ESPN site he's listed at 5'8 189lbs.

 

[EWU98]

Gamboa article from the TNT

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/preps/2013/02/06/humbled-and-hungry-gamboa-set-to-join-receiving-corps-at-eastern-washington/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Knowing there are always different height/weights listed for recruits this one caught my attention...D.J. Martin is listed on our site as 5'10 205lbs and on that ESPN site he's listed at 5'8 189lbs.

The ESPN #'s are probably from is soph year when he was gaining a lot of attention. I've seen him listed anywhere between 5'8 and 189, to 5'11 and 209. I think he's maybe a shade under 5'10, 200+. He's built pretty solid.

 

[clawman1]

Film on DJ Martin was awesome!! He is a load and will be a game changer when he hits the field.

 

[GoldenEagle]

John Kreifels LB Nice bench numbers. Explosive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT5A32tQDuQ

Just started watching some of the videos. John Kreifels plays hard and is powerful. Looks like he's kinda ornery too.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Lots of really good guys in this class... it was a great job by the coaching staff. Looks like we got some instant depth at WR and LB, which was needed.

The only two things that are marginally concerning are that we didn't pull in a QB (I believe Vernon and Vitto are the only two schollie QBs) and that our line prospects are all going to be difficult to get size-ready as true frosh (sans Sommer, who looks the part already). I don't know if the reported weights can be trusted, but there are a lot of sub-250 lbrs that are projected on OL/DL.

 

[EWURanger]

Yep, two schollie Qb's on the roster, but perhaps the kid who was a walk-on this past season earned a schollie, he's supposed to be pretty good. Next year we will probably have to sign a couple of QB's with Vitto graduating.

I like this class a lot. I'm not overly concerned with pounds right now for those guys who project as Offensive Lineman, especially for tackle. Athleticism and length is way more important, and it looks like we've got that. I think Roos was only like 240 pounds when he came as a Freshman. Not a big deal unless you are looking for those kids to make an immediate impact, which I don't think is the case here since we have a lot of depth on the O-Line.

 

[eaglesfootball]

By all accounts this seems to be a great recruiting class. Great job coaches!

 

[luckyintheorder]

Yep, two schollie Qb's on the roster, but perhaps the kid who was a walk-on this past season earned a schollie, he's supposed to be pretty good. Next year we will probably have to sign a couple of QB's with Vitto graduating.

I like this class a lot. I'm not overly concerned with pounds right now for those guys who project as Offensive Lineman, especially for tackle. Athleticism and length is way more important, and it looks like we've got that. I think Roos was only like 240 pounds when he came as a Freshman. Not a big deal unless you are looking for those kids to make an immediate impact, which I don't think is the case here since we have a lot of depth on the O-Line.

No QB is a mystery. Would have expected 1 or 2 being picked up (maybe one JC for early enrollment, which did not happen). That said, would love to see a player like Baker Mayfield getting a 2013 offer from EWU. If not he ends up at SHSU or worse someone else in the Big Sky.

If Bruggman had skipped out on WSU yesterday, this was the player Leach probably brings in. The fact he missed signing day as a player may be a sign of his general demeanor on his perception of his own value.

http://www.statesman.com/news/sport...rterbacks-mayfield-hubenak-left-on-sid/nWHk4/

 

[EWURanger]

Yep, two schollie Qb's on the roster, but perhaps the kid who was a walk-on this past season earned a schollie, he's supposed to be pretty good. Next year we will probably have to sign a couple of QB's with Vitto graduating.

I like this class a lot. I'm not overly concerned with pounds right now for those guys who project as Offensive Lineman, especially for tackle. Athleticism and length is way more important, and it looks like we've got that. I think Roos was only like 240 pounds when he came as a Freshman. Not a big deal unless you are looking for those kids to make an immediate impact, which I don't think is the case here since we have a lot of depth on the O-Line.

No QB is a mystery. Would have expected 1 or 2 being picked up (maybe one JC for early enrollment, which did not happen). That said, would love to see a player like Baker Mayfield getting a 2013 offer from EWU. If not he ends up at SHSU or worse someone else in the Big Sky.

If Bruggman had skipped out on WSU yesterday, this was the player Leach probably brings in. The fact he missed signing day as a player may be a sign of his general demeanor on his perception of his own value.

http://www.statesman.com/news/sport...rterbacks-mayfield-hubenak-left-on-sid/nWHk4/

The more I think about this, the more likely I think it is that they'll bring in a transfer.

 

[Obzerver]

Idaho state signed three Washington State players. Does anyone know if we were looking at them? Micah Breland, LB, Fr. 6-2, 220, Foster High School, Tuwila, Wash....Chase Collins, OL, Fr. 6-5, 265, Mead HS, Mead Wash.....Chris Miedema, OL, Fr. 6-6, 315, Everett High School, Everett, Wash. and this big lb from Couer d Alene... Jeremiah Hazard, LB, Fr. 6-4, 247, Couer d' Alene High School, Couer d Alene, Idaho

 

[Vic E. Wallace]

To All,
Spoke to one of our Coaches at the meeting yesterday, He thinks Joe Douglas will be the "SLEEPER" of this class. I am very much impressed with the 17 Recruits Coach and Assistants got for our team. :thumb: :thumb: Victor Gamboa and other Wide Receivers, are going to replenish our team :thumb: :thumb: :nod: :nod: , since we lost three outstanding Athletes. Thanks Coach B. and Assistants, we will be back in the running. Hell of a job Recruiting. Can't wait for Spring. :nod: :nod: Vic Wallace

 

[luckyintheorder]

Yep, two schollie Qb's on the roster, but perhaps the kid who was a walk-on this past season earned a schollie, he's supposed to be pretty good. Next year we will probably have to sign a couple of QB's with Vitto graduating.

I like this class a lot. I'm not overly concerned with pounds right now for those guys who project as Offensive Lineman, especially for tackle. Athleticism and length is way more important, and it looks like we've got that. I think Roos was only like 240 pounds when he came as a Freshman. Not a big deal unless you are looking for those kids to make an immediate impact, which I don't think is the case here since we have a lot of depth on the O-Line.

No QB is a mystery. Would have expected 1 or 2 being picked up (maybe one JC for early enrollment, which did not happen). That said, would love to see a player like Baker Mayfield getting a 2013 offer from EWU. If not he ends up at SHSU or worse someone else in the Big Sky.

If Bruggman had skipped out on WSU yesterday, this was the player Leach probably brings in. The fact he missed signing day as a player may be a sign of his general demeanor on his perception of his own value.

http://www.statesman.com/news/sport...rterbacks-mayfield-hubenak-left-on-sid/nWHk4/

The more I think about this, the more likely I think it is that they'll bring in a transfer.

Mulling this over, not sure who would transfer when the QB position is locked up be VA. Maybe someone like a Bowe Merin who was a freshman and came from a FBS program. That Johnson kid who played for UHigh and walked on at WSU might be a good fit. Best bet still looks like a late 2013 offer to a high school QB.

 

[luckyintheorder]

John Kreifels LB Nice bench numbers. Explosive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT5A32tQDuQ

Just started watching some of the videos. John Kreifels plays hard and is powerful. Looks like he's kinda ornery too.

Real ornery. :clap: Could be the tweener (safety/lb) nickel against some of these option type teams EWU plays this year. Definitely see him on special teams.

 

[luckyintheorder]

To All,
Spoke to one of our Coaches at the meeting yesterday, He thinks Joe Douglas will be the "SLEEPER" of this class. I am very much impressed with the 17 Recruits Coach and Assistants got for our team. :thumb: :thumb: Victor Gamboa and other Wide Receivers, are going to replenish our team :thumb: :thumb: :nod: :nod: , since we lost three outstanding Athletes. Thanks Coach B. and Assistants, we will be back in the running. Hell of a job Recruiting. Can't wait for Spring. :nod: :nod: Vic Wallace

Joe Douglas film.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/278115/#highlights/34501377