Football Signs No. 1 Recruiting Class in the MAC

12/21/2022 6:57:00 PM | Football

Signing Day Central Class of 2023 Roster

Head Coach Jim McElwain calls Class of 2023 the “best recruiting class in the history of the school”; 10 members of the Class of 2023 will enroll at CMU for the spring semester; Chippewas class is ranked No. 1 in the MAC by 247sports.com.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—Central Michigan Head Football Coach Jim McElwain announced his 25-member 2023 signing class on Wednesday evening. According to 247sports.com's league rankings, Central Michigan's 25-member class was ranked No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference.

"This is the best recruiting class in the history of our school," McElwain said. "This class is a direct result of all the hard work by our coaching staff, along with all of the people that really care here at Central Michigan. We tried to focus on the state of Michigan and the surrounding areas and that effort is reflected in who we signed. We are looking forward to welcoming these players to campus and acclimating them to our school and football program. Ten of these signees are planning to enroll at CMU next semester and before spring practice. Having those athletes on campus will help in educating our players on what it means to be a Chippewa Football player. Our goal as a program is to get our team back to understanding the responsibility of being a Chippewa football player."

"In addition, we already have a great jump on our 2024 and 2025 classes."

Wednesday, December 21 marked National Signing Day for NCAA Division I football programs. Complete details on the class, complete roster with bios, highlight videos and more information can be viewed on Central Michigan's National Signing Day Central at this link.

Central Michigan's 2023 signing class consists of 15 All-State honorees, eight student-athletes who guided their high school teams to either a state title or state finals appearance, 21 who led their teams to a state playoff appearance, four team captains, 22 multi-sport athletes, 25 players who earned all-conference and all-district honors, and nine four-year high school football lettermen.

On offense, CMU added one quarterback, two running backs, four wide receivers, three tight ends, and five offensive linemen. On defense, CMU added four defensive linemen, two linebackers, and two defensive backs. The Chippewas also added one specialist (punter).

The majority of the 25-member class are Michigan natives as 12 hail from the Great Lakes State. Overall, Central Michigan's Class of 2023 is comprised of student-athletes from 11 different states, including three players from Florida and one player each from Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas.

Central Michigan is slated to begin spring football practice in March.

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2023 CENTRAL MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SIGNEES ROSTER

Player	Pos.	HT	WT	Cl.	Hometown/Last School/High School
Jamari Allen	DB	5-11	160	FR	Detroit, Mich./Warren De La Salle H.S.
Jeremiah Alston-Jackson	LB	6-0	195	FR	Detroit, Mich./Redford Union H.S.
Ryan Blum	OL	6-3	295	FR	Chandler, Ariz./Basha H.S.
Jacob Booth	OL	6-5	290	FR	Swartz Creek, Mich./Swartz Creek H.S.
Evan Boyd	WR	6-3	195	FR	East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing H.S.
Stephan Bracey, Jr.	WR	5-10	185	JR	Grand Rapids, Mich./Wisconsin/East Kentwood H.S.
Deonte Bryant	DL	6-5	240	JR	Minneapolis, Minn./Iowa Central/Hopkins H.S.
John Burke	OL	6-4	305	FR	Sault Ste. Marie, Mich./Sault Area H.S.
Jakivion Calip	RB	5-11	190	FR	Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange H.S.
Rory Callahan	TE	6-4	225	FR	New Boston, Mich./Huron H.S.
Joe Enick	OL	6-4	295	FR	Jeannette, Pa./Penn-Trafford H.S.
Mark-Allen Gay, Jr.	DB	6-0	180	FR	Miami, Fla./Miami Central H.S.
Keshawn Hayden	DL	6-3	230	FR	St. Louis, Mo./East St. Louis H.S.
Shatavious Hogan	WR	6-3	205	FR	Milledgeville, Ga./Miami Jackson H.S. (Fla.)
Brent Hoppe	DL	6-4	235	FR	Beloit, Wis./Turner H.S.
Tyler Jefferson	QB	6-2	240	FR	High Springs, Fla./Columbia H.S.
Mekhi Jenkins	RB	5-10	185	FR	Detroit, Mich./Royal Oak H.S.
Matthew Nehf	OL	6-4	275	FR	DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt H.S.
Brady Neu	DL	6-3	280	FR	Greenwood, Ind./Roncalli H.S.
Cade Riddle	LB	6-3	230	FR	Brighton, Mich./Brighton H.S.
Jesiah Stevens-Silva	TE	6-3	230	FR	Colorado Springs, Colo./Fountain Fort Carson H.S.
Nathan VanTimmeren	TE	6-5	220	FR	Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Catholic Central H.S.
Jake Walrath	P	6-4	200	SR	Salado, Texas/Tarleton State/Utah State/Salado H.S.
Troy Wertman	ATH	6-1	200	FR	Pewamo, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia H.S.
Javorian Wimberly	WR	6-2	180	FR	Belle Glade, Fla./Palm Beach Central H.S.