Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Recruiting Class Announced
3/14/2008 8:00:00 AM | Football
March 14, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell head football coach Tim Landis has announced that 30 student-athletes will join the Bison program for the 2008 season. This diverse recruiting class features athletes from 15 different states and provinces, including eight in-state recruits, and it includes players from every position with a focus on the offensive and defensive lines.
"I am very excited about this year's recruiting class," said Landis. "Our coaching staff is to be commended for a great job of national recruiting. They stayed patient throughout the process, and overall I feel that we have addressed our needs.
"The biggest concern going into the recruiting period was on the offensive and defensive lines," offered Landis, who also said that he expects to announce a few more key additions to this class in the coming weeks. "Although we were a very young football team last year, most of the seniors who did play key roles were linemen, and [sophomore First Team All-Patriot League defensive end] Josh Eden will be going off to serve his mission. So we are very excited about the quality and depth we were able to recruit at those positions."
The biographies on the members of the Class of 2012 include a long laundry list of all-conference, all-state and all-academic accolades. Of the 30 incoming student-athletes, Landis and his staff project 14 to play on offense and 14 on defense, in addition to two kickers. Four recruits are quarterbacks: Burke Batten from Coffee High School in Douglas, Ga.; Matt Harbin of Grapevine High School in Colleyville, Texas; C.J. Hopson form Patuxent High School in Lusby, Md.; and David Noshay from Douglas High in Parkland, Fla.
"In addition to the outstanding young linemen, we have added quality depth at other positions," noted Landis. "At quarterback we needed to bring in good candidates, and all four are capable of competing very early for playing time."
Among the Pennsylvania recruits are two from the Harrisburg area (Ryan Boyer of Millersburg and Carson Rohrbaugh of LeMoyne), two from Hazleton Area High School (Al Cabrejos and Drew Orth), and one from Lancaster in Robert De La Rosa, a former teammate of current Bison linebacker Sam Nana-Sinkam at Manheim Township High School.
Bucknell's returning players begin spring practice on Saturday, March 29, with the annual spring intrasquad scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 10 a.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
BUCKNELL FOOTBALL 2008 RECRUITING CLASSMichael Allwin, LB, 6-1, 189, Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick SchoolName Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School Michael Allwin LB 6-1 189 Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick School Josh Andersen LB 6-2 210 Pleasant View, Utah/Weber/Snow College Burke Batten QB 6-0 225 Douglas, Ga./Coffee Andrew Bell P/K 5-8 168 Basking Ridge, N.J./Delbarton School Brandon Besant SB/WR 6-0 196 Windsor, Ontario/Western Reserve Academy (Ohio) Tim Bolte LB 6-1 225 Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield Ryan Boyer DL 6-3 235 Millersburg, Pa./Millersburg Area Al Cabrejos DL 6-1 255 Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area Mike Cardinute DB 5-9 179 Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter Christian School Anthony Carter OL 6-0 265 Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom Jamil Crews RB 5-9 180 Tampa, Fla./Jefferson Ian Dal-Bello OL 6-1 285 Allen, Texas/Allen Joe D'Amelio DB 5-10 198 Warren, N.J./Avon Old Farms (Conn.) Robert De La Rosa DL 6-1 275 Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township Frank DeNick DB 6-2 180 Middlesex, N.J./Immaculata Matt Harbin QB 6-2 193 Colleyville, Texas/Grapevine Saron Hood DB 5-11 180 San Diego, Calif./The Bishop's School C.J. Hopson QB 6-0 182 Lusby, Md./Patuxent David Noshay QB 6-0 185 Parkland, Fla./Douglas Drew Orth K 6-0 173 Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area Josh Phillip OL 6-4 245 Southfield, Mich./Groves Sean Rafferty DB 6-0 187 Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial Bryce Robertson DB 5-9 190 Reserve, La./East St. John Carson Rohrbaugh DL 6-3 265 LeMoyne, Pa./Lawrenceville School Andre Shields OL 6-4 275 Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem Gabe Skwara WR 6-2 175 Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft Richard Taylor OL 6-3 260 Atlanta, Ga./St. Pius X Michael Tonge DL 6-0 250 Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech Fitz Williams OL 6-4 295 Cincinnati, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller Nathan Zurisko SB 6-1 180 Springdale, Pa./Springdale
Michael Nicholas Allwin ... born Oct. 23, 1989 in New York City ... son of Maria Allwin ... has two siblings, Christopher and Katrina ... father, Jim, played football at Yale ... brother, Chris, plays lacrosse at Yale ... lettered four times in football and three in lacrosse at Brunswick School ... football team captain ... earned team's Courage Award ... played for coach Sean Brennan.
Josh Andersen, LB, 6-2, 210, Pleasant View, Utah/Weber/Snow College
Joshua Ralph Anderson ... born July 22, 1984 in Ogden, Utah ... parents are Ralph and Heidi Andersen ... has four siblings, Jake, Rhett, Jacee and Ellie ... brother, Jake, also played football at Snow College ... married Maddi Beagley on Sept. 21, 2007 ... All-Region 18 selection as a linebacker at Snow ... helped lead Snow to an 11-1 record in 2007 ... team was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association before falling to Butler (Kan.) Community College in the Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl ... team captain and all-region player at Weber High School ... served a two-year LDS mission in Madrid, Spain.
Burke Batten, QB, 6-0, 225, Douglas, Ga./Coffee
John Burke Batten ... born March 18, 1990 in Douglas, Ga. ... son of Johnnie and Elizabeth Batten ... has a younger sister, Hannah ... highly decorated quarterback at Coffee High School ... honorable mention all-state pick ... Region 1-5A Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-region ... earned Trojan Award as overall team MVP ... four-year Scholar-Athlete Award recipient ... academic all-state selection ... Academic Athlete of the Month in the October 2007 edition of Get in the Game magazine ... set school records for touchdown passes in a season (19) and career; passing yards in a season (1,501), total yards in a season (1,912), completions in a season (100), points scored in a season (138), touchdown passes in a game (4) and passing yards in a game (276) ... played for coach Jerry Odom ... also a member of the baseball team.
Andrew Bell, P/K, 5-8, 168, Basking Ridge, N.J./Delbarton School
Andrew David Bell ... born July 28, 1989 in Morristown, N.J. ... son of Dave and Debbie Bell ... has four siblings, Matt, Joanna, Sam and Mary ... earned four letters in hockey and three in football at Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J. ... football team captain under coach Brian Bowers ... all-conference and all-area selection ... third team all-state (non-public) pick.
Brandon Besant, SB/WR, 6-0, 196, Windsor, Ontario/Western Reserve Academy (Ohio)
Brandon Kingsley Besant ... born Jan. 30, 1988 in Ontario ... son of Irene Besant ... has three siblings, Bobby, Mandi and Jasmine ... attended W.F. Herman Secondary School and Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio ... competed in football and track ... all-city defensive back ... all-province performer in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay ... played for coach Chuck Schmitt.
Tim Bolte, LB, 6-1, 225, Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield
Timothy Keeley Bolte ... born Nov. 10, 1989 in Towson, Md. ... parents are Howard and Sheila Bolte ... has three siblings, Andrew, Rachel and Katie ... lettered three times each in football and lacrosse at Loyola Blakefield ... team captain on the gridiron under coach Brian Abbott ... two-time all-league selection ... Second Team All-Metro ... honorable mention all-conference pick in lacrosse.
Ryan Boyer, DL, 6-3, 235, Millersburg, Pa./Millersburg Area
Ryan R. Boyer ... born Oct. 11, 1989 in Harrisburg, Pa. ... son of David and Janine Boyer ... has a younger sister, Megan ... father is a 1986 graduate of Bucknell and played one year of football ... grandfather, Ronald Boyer, is a 1960 Bucknell grad ... mother played four years of basketball at Millersville ... starred in football, basketball and track at Millersburg Area High School ... two-time Pennsylvania Football News All-State Offensive Lineman ... 2007 first team all-conference offensive lineman and defensive end ... 2006 first team all-conference OL ... 2007 team lineman of the year ... made school-record 46 varsity starts ... named to Harrisburg Patriot-News Mid-State Top 100 list ... helped team to 23-3 record in last two years ... Roy Wall-coached team was ranked as high as No. 3 in state in 2007 ... student council president.
Al Cabrejos, DL, 6-1, 255, Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area
Alvaro Anthony Cabrejos ... born Jan. 3, 1990 in Lima, Peru ... son of Carlos Cabrejos and Maria Malaga ... has two siblings, Frank Malaga and Veronica Garcia ... earned outstanding lineman award at Hazleton Area High School ... first team all-area and second team all-conference selection ... played for coach Rocco Petrone.
Mike Cardinute, DB, 5-9, 179, Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter Christian School
Mike Ryan Cardinute ... born Jan. 16, 1990 in West Palm Beach, Fla. ... son of Lori Cardinute ... competed in football and track at Jupiter Christian School ... captained the football team ... helped lead team to 2007 state championship ... named second team all-state and all-county and first team all-area ... played in 2007 Outback Bowl All-Star Game ... played for coach Bill Powers.
Anthony Carter, OL, 6-0, 265, Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom
Anthony Frank Carter ... born Sept. 23, 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pa. ... parents are Rodney and Yvonne Carter ... has one sister, Jasmine ... father played football at Purdue and with the Pittsburgh Steelers ... mother was a member of the Purdue track and field team ... played football, basketball and baseball at Freedom High School ... first team all-conference and all-area offensive and defensive lineman ... played for head coach Jason Roeder.
Jamil Crews, RB, 5-9, 180, Tampa, Fla./Jefferson
Jamil Akin Crews ... born Sept. 6, 1989 in Tampa, Fla. ... son of James Crews and Patricia Johnson ... competed in football and track at Jefferson High School ... was team captain and team MVP in both sports ... First Team All-Hillsborough County in football ... played for coach Mike Fenton ... as a senior rushed for 548 yards (5.9 avg.) and seven touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 467 yards and two scores.
Joe D'Amelio, DB, 5-10, 198, Warren, N.J./Avon Old Farms (Conn.)
Joseph Dominic D'Amelio ... born Apr. 26, 1989 in Secaucus, N.J. ... son of Frank and Cam D'Amelio ... has two sisters, Dana and Alexa ... Dana is a sophomore at Bucknell ... father played football at Florida ... uncle, Mike Tanner, played football at Cornell ... played football, basketball and baseball at Watchung Hills High School and Avon Old Farms ... two-time all-county basketball player at Watchung Hills ... all-area as a sophomore and junior ... All-Tri-State League at Avon Old Farms.
Ian Dal-Bello, OL, 6-1, 285, Allen, Texas/Allen
Ian Angelo Dal-Bello ... born Apr. 5, 1990 in Belleville, Ontario ... parents are Brian and Margaret Dal-Bello ... has a sister, Julie ... second-team all-district in 2007 ... earned academic all-state honorable mention ... honorable mention all-district as an offensive lineman as a junior ... played for coach Tom Westerberg ... also played hockey and served as co-captain as a junior.
Robert De La Rosa, DL, 6-1, 275, Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township
Roberto Antonio De La Rosa ... born May 16, 1990 in Queens, N.Y. ... son of Roberto De La Rosa and Marta Ochoa ... has four siblings, Celia, Martha, Helga and Vicky ... participated in football and track at Manheim Township High School ... Lancaster-Lebanon League Defensive Lineman of the Year ... first team all-league and second-team all-state selection ... played for coach Mike Melnyk.
Frank DeNick, DB, 6-2, 180, Middlesex, N.J./Immaculata
Francis V. DeNick ... born Nov. 21, 1989 in Somerville, N.J. ... son of Frank and Jill DeNick ... has two younger brothers, Salvatore and Angelo ... competed in baseball and football at Immaculata High School ... captained the football team as a senior ... named First Team All-Skyland Conference, first team all-county, second team all-area and second team all-state (non-public) ... two-year starter at quarterback with a career record of 23-1 ... led 2006 team to a conference title and a Parochial Group III state championship ... helped 2007 team to another league title and the Parochial Group III championship game ... named team's offensive MVP as a senior, when he completed 61% of his passes for 1,201 yards and 12 touchdowns ... also rushed for 287 yards and six TDs ... named to New Jersey Football Coaches Association 2007 Super 100 All-State Team ... played for head coach Pierce Frauenheim ... also an all-conference and all-area pick in baseball.
Matt Harbin, QB, 6-2, 193, Colleyville, Texas/Grapevine
Matthew David Harbin ... born Sept. 4, 1989 in Duncanville, Texas ... son of David and Libby Harbin ... has two brothers, Scott and Brett ... lettered in football, basketball and track at Grapevine High School ... football team captain under coach Gary Mullins ... first team all-district selection ... as a junior completed 59% of his passes and passed for 1,612 yards and 10 touchdowns ... as a senior completed 63% of his passes for 1,146 yards and eight touchdowns ... also led the team in rushing with 378 yards and three TDs ... averaged 254.0 total yards per game.
Saron Hood, DB, 5-11, 180, San Diego, Calif./The Bishop's School
Saron Alexander Hood ... born June 11, 1990 in San Diego ... parents are Alan Hood and Karen Nared-Hood ... has two sisters, Maya and Malina ... father played quarterback at Iowa State ... first cousin of Darney Scott, former wide receiver at San Diego State and with the Cincinnati Bengals ... competed in football, track and basketball at The Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif. ... three-year varsity letterman on the gridiron under coach Mike David ... as a senior was elected co-captain ... named First Team All-Coastal League ... led team to a 12-0 record and a CIF state championship ... played wide receiver and defensive back ... in the 2007 state semifinals scored three touchdowns: one on a pass reception, one on a kickoff return and one on an interception return ... scored 14 touchdowns as a senior, 12 of them receiving ... named rookie of the year as a sophomore ... two-year varsity player in basketball ... earned four letters in track and helped break the school record in the 4x400-meter relay ... team captain and CIF finalist as a senior ... also competed in the 100, 200, 400 and 4x100 relay.
C.J. Hopson, QB, 6-0, 182, Lusby, Md./Patuxent
Carl J. Hopson Jr. ... born Jan. 1, 1990 in Port Charlotte, Fla. ... son of Jay and Nancy Hopson ... has one sister, Cari, and a brother, Austin ... competed in football and track at Patuxent High School ... football team captain and MVP as a senior, when he led the team to a 10-0 record and a conference championship ... county player of the year ... first team all-conference quarterback ... Second Team All-Met pick ... Washington Post All-Extra Player of the Year ... named Small School All-State First Team QB ... broke all of Patuxent's passing records ... as a junior was named first team all-county, second team all-conference and all-state and all-met honorable mention ... played for coach Steve Crounse ... also an all-conference high jumper.
David Noshay, QB, 6-0, 185, Parkland, Fla./Douglas
David Milton Noshay ... born Aug. 6, 1989 in Miami, Fla. ... son of Michael and Jill Noshay ... has one brother, Daniel ... three-year varsity letterman at Douglas High School ... named to Class 6A All-State First Team by the Florida Sports Writer Association as a senior, when he threw for 1,809 yards and 16 touchdowns, and also ran for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns in leading the Eagles to the playoffs for the first time since 2003 ... named Nike South Florida Player of the Year ... MVP of the Nike South Florida Dade vs. Broward all-star game ... first team all-county ... had a 289-yard rushing game against Coral Springs High in 2007.
Drew Orth, K, 6-0, 173, Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area
Drew William Orth ... born Sept. 1, 1989 in Berwick, Pa. ... son of Bill and Ruth Orth ... has two older siblings, Derek and Ashley ... lettered in football, soccer and swimming at Hazelton Area High School ... three-time all-area and two-time all-conference kicker ... All-Anthracite selection ... Times Leader All-Star ... played for coach Rocco Petrone ... soccer team co-captain ... second team all-conference goalie ... also captained the swimming team and was a four-time all-district performer.
Josh Phillip, OL, 6-4, 245, Southfield, Mich./Groves
Joshua Daverick Phillip ... born June 23, 1990 in Southfield, Mich. ... parents are Eric and Debra Phillip ... has a brother, Jamar ... lettered in football, basketball and track at Groves High School ... played football for coach Brendan Flaherty ... four-year honor roll student ... earned All-American Scholar Award ... earned Detroit Free Press Letter to the Editor and Editorial Award ... named most improved player in basketball as a junior ... Michigan AAU Championship All-Tournament selection.
Sean Rafferty, DB, 6-0, 187, Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial
Sean Patrick Rafferty ... born Apr. 8, 1989 in Boston ... son of John and Claire Rafferty ... has one sister, Julia ... father played football at Syracuse ... uncle played football at Boston University ... captained the football, basketball and track teams at Reading Memorial High School, then did a postgraduate year at Blair Academy in New Jersey ... all-conference safety at Reading Memorial ... football team captain at Blair, where he was a first team all-conference and All-New Jersey Prep A safety ... led Blair in tackles with 87 and also played five different positions on offense ... awarded the team's Brooks Prize for excellence.
Bryce Robertson, DB, 5-9, 190, Reserve, La./East St. John
Born Nov. 17, 1989 in Reserve, La. ... son of Beverly Robertson ... has two siblings, Blaine Robertson and Akaisha Walker ... earned four varsity letters in basketball and two each in football and soccer at East St. John Senior High School ... team captain and defensive MVP in football under coach Larry Dauterive ... all-state, all-bayou, all-river, all-parish, all-metro and all-district selection ... also an all-district pick in basketball.
Carson Rohrbaugh, DL, 6-3, 265, LeMoyne, Pa./Lawrenceville School
Born Aug. 19, 1989 in Harrisburg, Pa. ... son of Luke Rohrbaugh and Caryn Mottilla ... father is a 1971 Bucknell graduate and a former member of the Bison football team ... has a brother, Cooper ... graduated from Cedar Cliff High School, then did a postgraduate year the Lawrenceville School ... lettered four times in track and field and three times in football at Cedar Cliff ... team captain on the gridiron under coach Ron Davis ... at Lawrenceville was a first team all-area offensive and defensive lineman ... also a second team all-New Jersey prep selection ... district qualifier in the shot put and discus as a junior and senior at Cedar Cliff.
Andre Shields, OL, 6-4, 275, Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem
Andre Robert Shields ... born Feb. 12, 1990 in Greensburg, Pa. ... son of Andre Shields and Tammy Ross ... has one sister, Tiffany ... football team captain under head coach Casey Cavanaugh ... two-time all-conference selection ... also earned four varsity letters in track and field ... WPIAL championship qualifier in the shot put.
Gabe Skwara, WR, 6-2, 175, Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft
Gabriel Isaac Skwara ... born Aug. 31, 1989 in Napa, Calif. ... son of Frank and Marjorie Skwara ... has one sibling, Alex ... earned 11 varsity letters at Ravenscroft High School, four each in baseball and basketball and three in football ... all-state pick in football as a senior ... also a two-time all-conference selection in both football and baseball ... played football for coach Ned Gonet.
Richard Taylor, OL, 6-3, 260, Atlanta, Ga./St. Pius X
Earle Richard Taylor IV ... born Sept. 18, 1989 in Atlanta ... parents are Earle and Chris Taylor ... has younger twin brothers, Luke and Gaffney ... named Honorable Mention All-DeKalb County ... earned offensive player of the game honors ... played for coach Paul Standard.
Michael Tonge, DL, 6-0, 250, Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech
Hugh-Michael William Tonge ... born March 19, 1990 in New York City ... son of Daniel Tonge and Darlene Harden ... three-year letterman at Brooklyn Technical High School ... played for coach Jim DiBenedetto ... team captain and MVP ... named to all-borough and all-city teams.
Fitz Williams, OL, 6-4, 295, Cincinnati, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller
Thomas Fitzgerald Williams ... born Feb. 11, 1990 in Cincinnati ... son of Tom and Mary Ann Williams ... has a younger sister, Bridget ... three-year lettermen at Archbishop Moeller under coaches Bob Crable and Todd Naumann.
Nathan Zurisko, SB, 6-1, 180, Springdale, Pa./Springdale
Nathan Robert Zurisko ... born Apr. 4, 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pa. ... parents are James and Diane Zurisko ... has one brother, Tyler ... cousin, Anthony Zurisko, was a placekicker at Army ... earned four letters each in football and basketball at Springdale Junior-Senior High School ... four-year starter for coach Chuck Wagner, a Bucknell alum ... team captain as a senior ... Northern Area Football Coaches Association All-Star ... Associated Press Second Team All-State selection ... Pennsylvania Football News First Team All-State pick ... Valley News Dispatch First Team All-Star ... Post-Gazette North Fab 22 selection ... Eastern Conference Scholar-Athlete ... earned first team all-conference honors as a running back (junior and senior years), kick returner (senior) and kicker (junior) ... honorable mention all-league back as a sophomore ... also a four-year starter in basketball ... two-year hoops captain.
