Bonamego announces first recruiting class
National Signing Day: The day when high school football players take their verbal commitments and turn them into an official letter of intent.
At this time last year, the Chippewas were without a head coach. Despite the question marks, CMU went 7-5 and tied for first in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
Along with the high school recruits, CMU has added junior college quarterback Tommy Lazzaro and Berkley Edwards. Lazzaro is a 6-4, 210-pound quarterback and Edwards is a 5-9, 195-pound running back.
CMU currently has the eight best recruiting class in the MAC, according to 247sports.com.
Here's the list of 14 players the Chippewas added Wednesday.
Tony Poljan
Quarterback
6-7, 240 pounds
Hometown: Lansing
Twitter: @TPoljan_1
Coach Bonamego: “May be the most highly recruited player to sign at CMU in quite some time. He had multiple offers from Power Five schools. He’s a tremendous athlete and also had Division I basketball offers.
Hunter Buczkowski
Fullback
6-0, 237 pounds
Hometown: Mount Pleasant
Twitter: @HunterButch18
Coach Bonamego: “Tough, hard-nosed player with a legacy. His grandfather coached here and there is a lot of CMU pride in his family. We feel like his physical size makes him a great fit for our fullback position.
Leon Page
Defensive Line
6-2, 233 pounds
Hometown: Detroit
Twitter: @LeonPage52
Coach Bonamego: “He’s a strong, long-armed guy with the frame to put on size. Good quick-twitch off the football and a good tackler.”
Tee’ondre Harvey
Defensive Back
6-0, 161 pounds
Hometown: Detroit
Coach Bonamego: “Two-way starter at defensive back and wide receiver and has good length and a frame to add bulk. We’re projecting him as a corner, he’s also got the frame and size to be a safety as well.”
Alonzo McCoy
Defensive Back
5-10, 180 pounds
Hometown: Detroit
Twitter: @MccoyAlonzo
Coach Bonamego: “A cornerback who has great hips and is a tremendous all-around athlete. Will have an opportunity to contribute and add depth at the corner position, possibly as a freshman.”
Jakkar Jackson
Defensive Back
5-10, 191 pounds
Hometown: Farmington Hills
Coach Bonamego: “He’s a safety who can play on the back end and also down in the box. He’s an aggressive, nose-for-the-ball tackler. Very heady player with good instincts. He’s tough and physical and projects very well at one of our safety positions in the future.”
Josh Eldridge
Defensive Line
6-2, 252 pounds
Hometown: Clinton Township
Coach Bonamego: “A defensive lineman with a big frame who is going to be able to put on weight. He has a lot of growth potential and he moves very, very well for a big man.”
Kumehnnu Gwilly
Running Back
6-1, 219 pounds
Hometown: Shelby Township
Twitter: @KumehnnuGwilly
Coach Bonemago: “Big running back who runs very, very well. We started recruiting him pretty early and he was one of our first commitments, then went on to have a tremendous senior season.”
Austin Hergott
Quarterback
6-3, 220 pounds
Hometown: Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Twitter: @herg_got_it
Coach Bonamego: “Pro-style quarterback who ranked among the top 20 players in Kentucky. He’s a good-sized kid and a very, very accurate thrower with a strong arm.”
Kaden Keon
Kicker/Punter
5-9, 180 pounds
Hometown: St. Louis
Twitter: @KadenKeon
Coach Bonamego: “He kicked off, punted and kicked field goals in high school. He’s a strong-legged guy with sound fundamentals. I expect him to battle for our kickoff and punting duties right away.”
Bailey Edwards
Wide Receiver
6-1, 183 pounds
Hometown: Chelsea
Twitter: @BE16__
Coach Bonamego: “Bailey’s a long, fast wide receiver who is still growing. He has great bloodlines. His brother (Braylon) played in the NFL, and his dad (Stanley) played in the NFL.”
Dante Cleveland
Defensive Line
6-3, 245 pounds
Hometown: Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Twitter: @TaeDon3
Coach Bonamego: “Dante is an athletic defensive lineman who shows a high upside. He can play multiple positions and is a high motor athlete who also excels as a basketball player.”
Gage Kreski
Defensive Back
6-2, 195 pounds
Hometown: St. Ignace
Twitter: @PrestoKresko34
Coach Bonamego: “Great all-around athlete who, statistically, has been one of the most dominate players to come out of that region. We had him in camp in Kingsford and he really impressed us.
Jonathan Ward
Running Back
6-0, 180 pounds
Hometown: Kankakee, Illinois
Coach Bonamego: “Jonathan is a dynamic athlete with the ability to play multiple positions. He’s a running back and that’s what we’re projecting him as. He also has the skill to play slot receiver and defensive back.”
