Central Michigan football recruiting: Live updates from early signing period


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Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain paces the sideline against Northern Illinois Nov. 2 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Jim McElwain took over the Central Michigan football program in early December 2018.

He didn't have much of a chance to recruit high school athletes, so he took what former coach John Bonamego put together and made one addition in true freshman quarterback Daniel Richardson, along with securing some players from the NCAA transfer portal.

But the 2020 recruiting class is the first that truly belongs to McElwain.

There were plenty of official visits last weekend, and the NCAA's early signing period is officially underway.

Central Michigan is expected to sign roughly 20 recruits Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Recruits can sign until Friday, and then additional prospects can put pen to paper on National Signing Day, which is Feb. 5.

Central Michigan's 2020 class:

Palmetto (Fla.) 3-star CB Daemon Hill (SIGNED)
Jackson (Mich.) Lumen Christi 3-star OG Keegan Smith (SIGNED)
Manitowoc (Wisc.) Lincoln 3-star TE Davis Heinzen (SIGNED)
Parma (Mich.) Western 3-star QB Tyler Pape (SIGNED)
North Brunswick (N.J.) 3-star RB Myles Bailey (SIGNED)
Green Bay (Wisc.) Bay Port 3-star OG Braden Doyle (SIGNED)
Irvington (N.J.) 3-star WR Zahir Swann (SIGNED)
Pittsburgh (Pa.) North Hills 3-star OT Ronald Novosedliak (SIGNED)
Arvada (Colo.) Pomona 3-star LB Kyle Moretti (SIGNED)
Harrisburg (Pa.) ATH Donte Kent (SIGNED)
Sarasota (Fla.) WR Ke'Andre Collins (SIGNED)
Deerfield (Mass.) Academy DE Marcus Romboli (SIGNED)
Ocoee (Fla.) DL Jason Williams (SIGNED)
Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) WR Alec Ward (SIGNED)
Columbus (Ind.) North TE Mitchel Collier (SIGNED)
Charlestown (Ind.) RB Marion Lukes (SIGNED)
Elkhart (Ind.) Central DL Jonathan Decker (SIGNED)
Sarasota (Fla.) Riverview LB Jayden Cray (SIGNED)
Maple Ridge (B.C.) DE Cade Cote (SIGNED)
Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis 3-star LB Lawai'a Brown (SIGNED)

Following along with live recruiting updates throughout the early signing period.

Director of player personnel Albert Karschnia was awake and ready to go well before 7 a.m. for the first day of early signing.

But what you don't know is Karschnia is stationed in Albuquerque for the New Mexico Bowl, so he was actually out of bed sometime before his clock hit 5 a.m.

McElwain's first recruit in the 2020 class signed at 7:22 a.m. Wednesday, and it was defensive lineman Jonathan Decker from Elkhart High School in Indiana.

Decker played both ways in high school, but he considered himself more of an offensive tackle. The Central Michigan coaching staff thought differently.

"When I sat down with coach in his office, he talked to me about which side of the ball I preferred," Decker said when he committed in October. "We are leaning toward defensive line, but it is entirely up to where they want to play me."

Next up for the Chippewas was Tyler Pape, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback from Parma Western High School. He signed at 7:24 a.m.

Bloomfield Hills High School wide receiver Alec Ward has offers from Central Michigan, Air Force, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Ferris State, Findlay, Grand Valley State, Lafayette, Northwood, Saginaw Valley State and Valparaiso.

Of course, he picked the Chippewas – committing June 24 and signing Wednesday.

Bay Port High School offensive guard Braden Doyle signed his letter of intent from his school in the Green Bay suburbs at 8:15 a.m. 

At 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Doyle signed to the Chippewas over Air Force, New Mexico State, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois.

Charlestown High School running back Marion Lukes was a three-star prospect with offers from Central Michigan and Eastern Kentucky. He selected the Chippewas and is one of three expected to sign from Indiana.


Lukes' future teammate, three-star wide receiver Zahir Swann, responded with some heat.

Swann also signed with Central Michigan, going with McElwain's squad over his other offers from Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Western Michigan.

For a 5-foot-7, 170-pound receiver, Swann has a 31.6-inch vertical.

Swann's wide receivers coach at Irvington High School congratulated him.

Irvington defensive backs coach Ibn Jihad said Swann is going to "set the MAC on fire."

Meanwhile, former Culver-Stockton College defensive lineman and assistant coach of the Pewamo-Westphalia High School football team referred to Lumen Christi High School three-star offensive guard Keegan Smith as the "best lineman prospect" he's ever seen.

Smith, at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, picked the Chippewas over Air Force, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) and Navy. He signed at 7:26 a.m. Wednesday.

One player the Central Michigan staff believes will be a stud is 5-foot-11, 180-pound cornerback Donte Kent. He played both sides of the ball for Harrisburg High School in Pennsylvania.

Even though he missed a month of the 2019 season, Kent finished with four interceptions. He's speedy and athletic, giving the Chippewas a future weapon at the corner spot.

Kent signed at 7:58 a.m. and went with CMU over Bowling Green, Buffalo, Connecticut, East Carolina, Massachusetts, Monmouth, New Hampshire, Toledo, Western Carolina, William & Mary and Youngstown State.

Read more about one of the most athletic prospects in the 2020 class from Brian Linder at PennLive.

And then came the surprise at 8:07 a.m. when Palmetto High School cornerback Daemon Hill committed and signed. The Florida prospect is another recruit that the coaching staff thinks could end up as the best signee in the 2020 class.

At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Hill took the Chippewas over Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Louisville, Miami (Florida), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Samford and Western Kentucky.

Hill's commitment will likely be the only surprise for CMU from the early signing period.

Karschnia, the recruiting director that helped pull Hill to Central Michigan, was pumped.


Pomona High School linebacker Kyle Moretti signed at 9:34 a.m., roughly two hours after the first prospect signed to the Chippewas.

Facing a two-hour time difference between Colorado and Michigan, the coaching staff had to wait a little longer for his paperwork.

The three-star prospect turned down offers from Air Force, North Dakota, Northern Colorado and South Dakota.

Since Moretti and Smith committed, the pair of Chippewas have grown closer than most in the 2020 class. As a matter of fact, Smith has plans to fly out to Colorado to hang out with Moretti in February.

For now, Moretti and Smith have communicated through visits, phone calls, text messages and over video games.

From North Hills High School, three-star offensive tackle Ronald Novosedliak is one of two 2020 signees from Pennsylvania. He's 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, and the Chippewas were his only offer.

All the way from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, three-star defensive end Cade Cote got his letter of intent in at 10:13 a.m. He's the only current signee in the 2020 class from outside the United States.

Cote becomes the second player from Canada on CMU's roster, as defensive lineman Mohamed Diallo is from Toronto, Canada.

Central Michigan had to wait a little bit for linebacker Lawai’a Brown to send in his national letter of intent, but that's because he lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.

At 12:18 p.m., which is 7:18 p.m. in Hawaii, Brown officially became a Chippewa.

Update on Akron (Ohio) East three-star wide receiver Travon Walker:

If you want to follow the future Chippewas:

Offensive guard Keegan Smith:

Running back Marion Lukes:

Linebacker Kyle Moretti:

Wide receiver Zahir Swann:


Wide receiver Alec Ward:

Tight end Davis Heinzen:

Offensive lineman Braden Doyle:

Defensive lineman Jonathan Decker:

Running back Myles Bailey:

Linebacker Lawai’a Brown:

Quarterback Tyler Pape:

Wide receiver Ke'Andre Collins:

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