Football Announces Recruiting Class
2/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 7, 2001
MOUNT PLEASANT - With an emphasis on recruiting players from the state of Michigan, Central Michigan University head football coach Mike DeBord announced a list of 25 prospects who signed national letters-of-intent on Wednesday.
Included in the group of Chippewa signees for the 2001 season are 15 players from Michigan.
"This recruiting class is the result of a year-around process by our coaching staff and they did a great job of evaluating and recruiting these student-athletes," DeBord said. "This class fits our philosophy. First, we did a great job of recruiting Michigan, signing players from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula and from Port Huron to Ludington.
"Second, we were able to recruit every position on our football team including a kicker. Third, we signed players with size, speed and toughness. It's a class that will have great success at Central Michigan on the field and in the classroom."
CMU, coming off DeBord's first season with the Chippewas, emphasized the secondary and wide receivers in its recruiting, signing six defensive backs and four receivers.
"We did emphasize those three areas but were still able to recruit to all positions," DeBord said. "We need to create depth at all positions and we were able to do that."
The six defensive backs inked were: Jesse Dailey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain), Derrick Holoman (Midland), Marlin Maxwell (Detroit/Cass Tech), Fabrice Raymond (Montreal, Can./Cegep Du Vieux), Josh Taylor (Bolingbrook, Ill.), and Jason Wright (Shaker Heights, Ohio).
The four receivers are Desmond Crenshaw (Detroit/Jesuit), Scott Gibson (Jefferson, Wis.), Justin Harper (Abilene, Tex./Cooper) and Aaron Kene Johnson (Sicklerville, N.J./Edgewood).
The three linebackers CMU are 6-3, 200-pound Jacob Brown (Bridgeport), 6-3, 230-pound Jovan Clarke (Miami, Fla./Highland CC) and 6-2, 225-pound James Fields (Detroit/Notre Dame). Tight ends who will join CMU are 6-4, 255-pound all-stater Caleb Anthony (Ludington), 6-5, 235-pound all-stater Dave Kurzen (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) and 6-4, 235-pound John Pittman (Detroit/St. Martin DePorres).
The Chippewas inked three big offensive lineman - 6-8, 290-pound Jeff Jenerou (Manistique), 6-3, 354-pound Joseph Myler (Detroit/Northwestern) and 6-4, 305-pound Dean Zarafonetis (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Northern). CMU also signed two defensive ends - 6-3, 230-pound Tory Humphrey (Saginaw) and 6-4, 235-pound all-stater Morgan Sheppard (Ortonville/Brandon).
CMU signed one quarterback in Kent Liddell-Smith, a 6-6, 203-pounder from Toledo (Ohio) Start High who owns the school record for career passing yards with 3,071, and one place-kicker in all-stater Mike Gruzwalski, a product of Utica Eisenhower High who set school records for points in a season (80) and career points (199).
Rounding out the class are a pair of backfield performers - fullback Troy Peyerk (Port Huron) and tailback Lance Gailliard (Detroit/Cass Tech).
| 2001 Central Michigan Football Recruits | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/Last School | Coach |
| Caleb Anthony | TE | 6-4 | 255 | Ludington/Same | Steve Brockelbank |
| Jacob Brown | OLB | 6-3 | 200 | Bridgeport/Same | Jim Hacker |
| Jovan Clarke | OLB | 6-3 | 230 | Highland, Kan./Highland CC | Marty Allen |
| Desmond Crenshaw | WR | 5-9 | 165 | Detroit/Jesuit | Scott Merchant |
| Jesse Dailey | CB | 5-8 | 165 | Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain | Kerry Combs |
| James Fields | ILB | 6-2 | 225 | Detroit/Notre Dame | Ed Belcrest |
| Lance Gailliard | TB | 5-11 | 175 | Detroit/Cass Tech | Thomas Wilcher |
| Scott Gibson | WR | 6-3 | 175 | Jefferson, Wis./Same | Steve Dinkel |
| Mike Gruzwalski | PK | 5-8 | 175 | Shelby Township/Eisenhower | Bob Lantzy |
| Justin Harper | WR | 6-0 | 175 | Abilene, Texas/Cooper | Randy Quisenberry |
| Derrick Holoman | CB | 5-8 | 175 | Midland/Same | Terry Wilczek |
| Tory Humphrey | DE | 6-3 | 230 | Saginaw/Same | Donald Durrett |
| Jeff Jenerou | OL | 6-8 | 280 | Manistique/Same | Todd Kangas |
| Aaron Kene Johnson | WR | 6-1 | 175 | Sicklerville, N.J./Edgewood | Derryk Sellers |
| Dave Kurzen | TE | 6-5 | 235 | Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw | David Kuhlins |
| Kent Liddell-Smith | QB | 6-6 | 203 | Toledo, Ohio/Start | Doug Person |
| Marlin Maxwell | CB | 5-8 | 168 | Detroit/Cass Tech | Thomas Wilcher |
| Joseph Myler | OL | 6-3 | 354 | Detroit/Northwestern | Lavoris Winfrey |
| Troy Peyerk | FB | 6-0 | 225 | Port Huron/Same | Ed Kindle |
| John Pittman | TE | 6-4 | 235 | Detroit/St. Martin DePorres | Greg Carter |
| Fabrice Raymond | CB | 5-9 | 160 | Lachine, Quebec/Cegep Du Vieux | Marc Santere |
| Morgan Sheppard | DE | 6-5 | 255 | Ortonville/Brandon | Jim Watkins |
| Josh Taylor | DB | 5-11 | 185 | Bolingbrook, Ill./Same | Phil Acton |
| Jason Wright | CB | 6-0 | 190 | Shaker Heights, Ohio/Same | David Sedmak |
| Dean Zarafonetis | OL | 6-4 | 305 | Grand Rapids/Forest Hills No. | Irv Siegler |