Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Announces 2001 Recruiting Class
2/23/2001 7:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 16, 2001
LEWISBURG, PA - Head football coach Tom Gadd announced this afternoon that the Bucknell football program, coming off its sixth straight winning season, will welcome 28 new players to the fold next fall. Gadd is very happy with the class and believes that it will help to fill some of the holes left by the coming graduation of 19 seniors this May.
As has been the case in recent years under the Gadd regime, the Bucknell class of 2005 stretches from across the country. He sees that as a necessity in the recruiting battle to land strong student-athletes at institutions in the Patriot League. "As is the case with any recruiting class, you have to go where the right kind of kid is, and by that I mean the types of kids that will be able to fit in and play in this league (Patriot League). Academics is a big piece of the puzzle. Second, are they athletic enough to play here. And finally, can they make it work financially," said the Bison mentor now entering his seventh year.
Coach Gadd and his staff set out to strengthen several specific areas, and he is very satisfied with the results. "With the number of seniors we lost in our secondary, we really wanted to restock our depth in that area. We concentrated hard on the position, but this group includes a solid mix of players. We lost three or four really good linebackers, and consequently we had to bring in a good class at that position. In addition, we felt the quarterback spot needed to be addressed and we went out and recruited hard in that area. With the players we are bringing in there it will be a very competitive fight to see which kid can step up and do the things necessary to lead our football team."
The class includes five players from Pennsylvania, three from New York and Ohio, two from Alabama, Delaware, Georgia and Louisiana, and one from California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
Bucknell's 2001 recruiting class roster plus a brief capsule on each member of this year's class follows:
2001 BUCKNELL RECRUITING CLASSName Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Secondary School Fareed Ali DB Fr. 5-10 170 Lithonia, Ga./McNair Mike Bell DL Fr. 6-2 295 College Park, Ga./Banneker Ryan Berry P Fr. 5-9 170 Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley Jacob Byrd DL Fr. 6-3 245 Laurel, Del./Laurel Cole Ciesnolevicz QB Fr. 6-0 180 Williamstown, Pa./Williams Valley Aaron DeGraffenreidtOL Fr. 6-2 320 Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield Michael Duncan TE Fr. 6-3 260 Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham-Hamilton North Kyle Fields QB Fr. 6-0 185 Hurricane, W. Va./Mercersburg Academy Devin Fitzsimmons QB Fr. 6-3 205 Folsom, La./Covington Justin Gibson OL Fr. 6-4 265 Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem Joe Glenn DB Fr. 5-10 170 New Haven. Conn./East Haven Raphael Hammond RB Fr. 5-10 190 Senatobia, Miss./Senatobia John Henry Jackson QB Fr. 5-9 170 Orange, Calif./Villa Park Frank Lazio RB Fr. 5-10 180 Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's Anthony Lovelace LB Fr. 5-9 205 Akron, Ohio/Buchtel Jay Martell LB Fr. 6-0 200 McLean, Va./Langley Cory Mayo DL Fr. 6-0 275 Coatesville, Pa./Coatsville Steven Millhouse DB Fr. 6-0 180 Theodore, Ala./Theodore Jeffrey Montagna DB Fr. 6-0 190 Yatesville, Pa./Pittston Area Ian Nutt QB Fr. 6-4 195 Warren, Ohio/Howland Bryan O'Keefe OL Fr. 6-3 260 Amityville, N.Y./St. Anthony's James Petcovic OL Fr. 6-0 305 Negley, Ohio/Beaver Local Kevin Ransome LB Fr. 5-9 225 Bear, Del./Christiana Jeremy Redd DB Jr. 6-0 200 Orem, Utah/Mountain View/Ricks J.C.-Idaho Mike Shover LB Fr. 6-2 200 Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill Nisan Trotter WR Fr. 5-11 165 Silverhill, Ala./Robertsdale David Ulmer LB Fr. 5-11 220 Farmington, N.Y./Victor Daris Wilson QB Fr. 5-9 175 Kenner, La./Archbishop Rummel
FAREED ALI (Lithonia, Ga./McNair) Defensive Back (5-10, 170) Honorable Mention All-League ... Team Defensive MVP ... Had 3 interceptions and 12 pass breakups in just six games played his senior season ... Recorded 67 tackles (37 solo), caused two fumbles and recovered a third ... Earned two letters in football and two in baseball ...Gadd on Ali - "Fareed has good size, and if he winds up at the corner for us he will be a very formidable defensive back against our opponents."
MIKE BELL (College Park, Ga./Banneker) Defensive Line (6-2, 295) Second Team All-State OL ... North-South All-Star Game selection ... First Team All-League OL ... Atlanta Super Prep selection ... Recorded 12 "pancakes" his senior year ... Earned three letters ... Gadd on Bell - "Mike was one of our top line prospects and we will work him in at defensive line."
RYAN BERRY (Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley) Punter (5-9, 170) Earned letters in football and soccer ... Averaged over 40 yards per punt at Lake Brantley High School ... Gadd on Berry - "Ryan is a punter out of Florida and we feel very good about him. One of the things we set out to do was recruit a quality punter, and Ryan showed up on tape as good as anyone we've seen at punting the football."
JACOB BYRD (Laurel, Del./Laurel) Defensive Line (6-3, 245) Three-time all-conference first team selection on defense ... One-time all-conference first team selection on offense ... Played in the Blue-Gold Game for the top players in the state of Delaware ... Recorded 80 tackles (60 solo), three quarterback sacks and had two fumble recoveries his senior season ... Earned four letters in football and two in wrestling ... His coach, Paul Kmetz, played football at Bucknell and lettered from 1971 to 1973 ... Gadd on Byrd - "Jacob is a player out of Delaware that we recruited for a long time as one of our top defensive line prospects. He is strong kid who likes to get physical, and he's a competitor."
COLE CIESNOLEVICZ (Williamstown, Pa./Williams Valley) Quarterback (6-0, 180) Two-year football captain ... All-Anthracite Team ... Twin Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year ... All-Twin Valley Conference Second Team QB ... First Team QB Schuylkill County All Stars ... Led Williams Valley to the District 11 Playoff Finals ... Williams Valley Scholar-Athlete ... Set school's career mark with 42 touchdown passes ... Named one of the "Midstate Top 100 Players" by the Harrisburg Patriot News ... Earned three letters in both football and basketball ... Gadd on Ciesnolevicz - "Cole is one of the top scholar-athletes in Pennsylvania. He did a nice job leading Williams Valley into the playoffs and we are looking forward to his contributions here."
AARON DeGRAFFENREIDT (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) Offensive Line (6-2, 320) All-City selection ... Earned three letters in football ... Gadd on DeGraffenreidt - "Aaron is a big, strong kid that is very athletic. For someone his size, he carries himself extremely well."
MICHAEL DUNCAN (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham-Hamilton North) Tight End (6-3, 260) Team Most Valuable Player as a senior ... Second Team All-County TE ... 2000 Iron Man Award ... Voted to play in the North/South New Jersey All-Star game ... Caught 10 passes for 205 yards and two TDs ... Had 53 tackles (15 solo) and four quarterback sacks ... Earned three letters in football ... Gadd on Duncan - "Michael was someone we were attracted to really early. He's an athletic, strong athlete that we feel really good about at tight end."
KYLE FIELDS (Hurricane, W.Va./Mercersburg Academy) Quarterback (6-0, 185) Three-time All-Tri State (Pa., Md., W. Va.) honoree ... Two-time all-league selection ... Threw for 5,814 yards and 60 TDs ... During his senior year, passed for 2,400 yards and 26 TDs ... His father played at Penn State ... Earned three letters in both football and baseball ... Gadd on Fields - "Kyle played at Mercersburg Academy and is a very accurate passer. He has great field leadership and we look forward to seeing what he can bring to the program."
DEVIN FITZSIMMONS (Folsom, La./Covington) Quarterback (6-3, 205) Team captain for both football and basketball ... Second Team All-District selection in football ... Three-time Player of the Week ... Won Sportsmanship Award twice in basketball ... Was a First Team All-District selection in track ... Completed 93-of-225 passes for 1,325 yards and 9 TD's ... Brother, Cavan, played football at Colgate from 1994-97 ... Gadd on Fitzsimmons - "Devin is a big, strong quarterback out of Louisiana who is a very good looking prospect."
JUSTIN GIBSON (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem) Offensive Line (6-4, 265) Chosen to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette FAB 22 Team ... All-conference selection ... FOX 53 Defensive Lineman All-Star ... Brother, Dave, is a sophomore on the team at Bucknell ... Gadd on Gibson - "Justin comes in here as one of the top offensive lineman in the class. He has good size and athleticism and we are very excited about him as a player."
JOE GLENN (New Haven, Conn./East Haven) Defensive Back (5-10, 170) Two-year captain in football, basketball and track & field ... A two-time All-State and All-Area selection ... Selected All-Division three times, and to the All-Levi Jackson Team three times ... Holds state records for consecutive starts (41) and total yards (5,969), and school marks for rushing yards (3,389) and rushing yards in a season (1,670) ... Was a two-time All-Area and All-Division selection in track & field ... Earned four letters in football, four in basketball and four in track & field ... Gadd on Glenn - "Joe was a quarterback at East Haven where he did a nice job of leading his football team. He is an outstanding athlete and will probably be given a look at a defensive back when he arrives here."
RAPHAEL HAMMOND (Senatobia, Miss./Senatobia) Running Back (5-10, 190) Al-District selection in both 1999 and 2000 ... District's Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1999 and 2000 ... Listed as a Clarion Ledger Top Weekly Performer four times ... Set the school single-season rushing yardage record with 1,418 yards in 1999 .... Rushed for 2,882 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in his career ... Also caught 19 passes for 216 yards ... Won three letters in football, three letters in basketball and three letters in track & field.
JOHN HENRY JACKSON (Orange, Calif/Villa Park) Quarterback (5-9, 170) Team captain ... 2000 Athlete of the Year at Villa Park High School ... 2000 Century League Offensive MVP ... Three-time All-Century League selection ... Set school records for passing yards in a season (2,094) and a single-game (331) during his senior year ... Earned three letters in football ... Gadd on Jackson - "John Henry comes very highly recommended out of California. On film he shows tremendous poise and is a very exciting athlete."
FRANK LAZIO (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's) Running Back (5-10, 180) An All-Long Island selection in both his junior and senior years ... Two-time All-CHSFL selection ... Was also an All Tri-State honoree ... Rushed for over 3,000 yards and scored 44 touchdowns ... Earned four letters in football and three in lacrosse ... Gadd on Lazio - "Frank is one of the top prospects out of Long Island. He is a very strong and physical runner and that's exactly what we are looking for to compliment our running game."
ANTHONY LOVELACE (Akron, Ohio/Buchtel) Linebacker (5-9, 205) Honorable Mention All-State as a senior ... All-Summit County choice in 2000 ... Akron All-City selection in both 1999 and 2000 ... Rushed for over 900 yards his senior season and had a 10.6 yard/carry average ... Recorded 71 unassisted tackles and 13 quarterback sacks ... Won three letters in football, two in track & field and one in baseball.
JAY MARTELL (McLean, Va./Langley) Linebacker (6-0, 200) First Team All-District LB ... Honorable Mention All-Region LB ... Liberty District Defensive Player of the Year ... Fairfax County 2000 Hall of Fame Player of the Year ... Registered 132 tackles in his senior season ... Earned three letters in football and two in baseball ... Father, Jim, played LB at Maryland from 1969-73 and won the George Cook Memorial Award for the highest grade-point average on the team ... Gadd on Martell - "Jay is a linebacker out of McLean, Virginia and is one of the top players out of his area. We are very excited about him joining our program."
CORY MAYO (Coatsville, Pa./Coatsville) Defensive Line (6-0, 275) All-Chester County First Team selection ... All-League DL ... Coatesville High School Lineman of the Year ... First Team Philadelphia Inquirer DL ... Had 63 tackles (18 solo), seven quarterback sacks and 15 hurries his senior season ... Earned two letters in football ... Gadd on Mayo - "Cory has a chance to be a very good player in the Patriot League. He is very explosive and very powerful and I think will have a real good future in our program."
STEVEN MILLHOUSE (Theodore, Ala./Theodore) Defensive Back (6-0, 180) Earned Most Improved Defensive Player honors in 10th grade ... Crichton Optimist Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior ... Earned three letters in football, two in basketball and two in track & field ... Recorded 26 sacks over his final three seasons at Theodore High School ... Gadd on Millhouse - "Steven is a real playmaker. When you watch the game film it doesn't take you very long to find him. He makes a lot of plays and will have a chance to either play at outside linebacker or in the secondary for us."
JEFFREY MONTAGNA (Yatesville, Pa./Pittston Area) Defensive Back (6-0, 190) All-Wyoming Valley Conference Selection ... All-Northeast Region First Team DB ... Three-time All-Scholastic Region selection ... Member of the National Honor Society ... Had eight interceptions his senior year and 25 receptions on offense ... Won three letters in football, three in track & field and one in basketball ... Gadd on Montagna - "We really liked Jeff right away. He's got good size and athleticism. He's run 11.0 flat in the 100-meters and he fits the mold of a big, physical kid that can play in our secondary."
IAN NUTT (Warren, Ohio/Howland) Quarterback (6-4, 195) Co-Captain ... Won the Eddie Craig Award as the Top Scholar-Athlete in the District ... He was honored as a Player of the Week selection ... Had a 60% completion rate over the course of his career ... Earned two letters in football and three in basketball ... His cousin, Houston Nutt, was a quarterback and coach at Arkansas ... Gadd on Nutt - "Ian reminds us a lot of former Bucknell QB Jim Fox in that he has good size and is a very accurate passer. He is out of the same area of Ohio that we got Fox from, and he has the size to look over the line and find his receivers and we feel very good about him."
BRYAN O'KEEFE (Amityville, N.Y./St. Anthony's) Offensive Line (6-3, 260) Won four letters in football ... Gadd on O'Keefe - "Bryan is a big, strong, physical kid who will be a solid addition to our offensive line."
JAMES PETCOVIC (Negley, Ohio/Beaver Local) Offensive Line (6-0, 305) Two-time All-County selection ... Two-time All-Area selection ... First Team Quad County in 2000 ... First Team All-Conference and All-District in 2000 ... Special Mention All-State in 2000 ... Helped his team set a record for rushing yards and points in 2000 ... Earned three letters in football and three in track & field ... Gadd on Petcovic - "James comes from the eastern Ohio area and we really liked his attitude on film. He plays with a real attitude and gets after people. He is a very strong, physical kid."
KEVIN RANSOME (Bear, Del./Christiana) Linebacker (5-9, 225) All-State selection in 2000 ... Two-time All-Conference LB ... Christiana High School Defensive MVP in 2000 ... Team Leadership Award ... Co-captain of the football team ... 2000 Homecoming King ... Earned four letters in football ... Made 374 tackles during his career, including 155 his senior season ... Also had eight sacks, three fumble recoveries and four fumbles caused as a senior ... Rushed for 478 yards and seven TDs at fullback in 2000 ... National Honor Society ... Won the Blue Hen Conference Academic Award four straight years ... Gadd on Ransome - "Kevin is the type of kid we are looking for at linebacker in that he is very mobile and can run real well. With the types of kids we are seeing in the passing game we feel Kevin will be a real asset.."
JEREMY REDD (Orem, Utah/Mountain View/Ricks J.C.-Idaho) Defensive Back (6-0, 200) Junior College transfer from Ricks Junior College in Idaho ... Two-time MVP of the BYU Football Camp ... Two-year starter and team captain at Mountain View high school ... set high school record with 12 career interceptions ... Team finished 11-1 in 1997 and #2 in the nation ... Won three letters in football, four in track & field and two in basketball ... Two-year starter at Ricks Junior College where he led the team in interceptions both seasons.
MIKE SHOVER (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill) Linebacker (6-2, 200) All-Conference First Team DE for three straight seasons ... Threw for over 1,000 yards in each of his final two seasons at QB ... Named Harrisburg Patriot News Big 15 in basketball ... Named The Sentinel's Player of the Year in basketball ... Holds school record for points in basketball ... Earned four letters in football, four letters in basketball and four letters in baseball ... Gadd on Shover - "Mike was a quarterback at Camp Hill but he will play linebacker for us. He's a big, physical kid that will fit right in at that position. He was a great high school basketball player and is very athletic."
NISAN TROTTER (Silverhill, Ala./Robertsdale) Wide Receiver (5-11, 165) All-County selection ... Team Captain ... All-State selection in basketball ... All-County selection in basketball ... Basketball Team Captain ... Chosen as the Robertsdale Scholar-Athlete of the Year ... Caught 28 passes for 476 yards his senior season ... Earned three letters in football and three letters in basketball ... Gadd on Trotter - "Nisan has great hands and runs very good routes. We are very excited about his addition to our passing game."
DAVID ULMER (Farmington, N.Y./Victor) Linebacker (5-11, 220) Two-time First Team All-State selection ... Two-time New York State Section 5 Class A Offensive Player of the Year ... All-Finger Lakes selection three years (twice first team) ... First Team All-Greater Rochester selection twice ... Team's leading tackler and rusher ... Had 369 tackles during his career and rushed for 2,897 yards and 31 TDs ... Also caught 17 passes for 350 yards and six TDs as a TE ... Holds school records for single-game rushing yards (245), season rushing yards (1,662), season rushing TDs (20) and career tackles ... Earned four letters ... Gadd on Ulmer - "David was one of the top prospects we looked at. He is a physical linebacker out of the Rochester area and is a physical linebacker that runs real well. He played fullback and was very exciting to watch in that role in high school. He is an exceptional athlete that will make our team better."
DARIS WILSON (Kenner, La./Archbishop Rummel) Quarterback (5-9, 175) Two-year Team Captain ... Set school mark with 4,564 yards of career total offense ... Scored 47 TDs, passed for 2,239 yards and rushed for 2,325 yards ... Four-time Player of the Week honoree ... Clarion Herald All-Catholic League selection and MVP ... All-East Bank selection and MVP ... Times-Picayune All-District selection and MVP ... Prep Zone Southeast Region selection and MVP ... Earned four letters ... Gadd on Wilson - "Daris is out of Louisiana and is a very exciting football player no matter what position he plays. I think our goal with Daris will be to find a way to get the football in his hands as quick as we can."
