FERRIS STATE FOOTBALL INKS 17 TO NATIONAL LETTERS-OF-INTENT

Bulldogs Focus On Defense; 15 Signees Hail From Michigan

“We had some areas which needed to be addressed and I’m happy with the quality of student-athletes we’re bringing in,” said Pierce, who will begin his 10th season at Ferris State this fall and is one victory shy of becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach. “With limited scholarships this year, we focused on some specific position needs and concentrated heavily in attracting top quality student-athletes.”

The Bulldogs signed seven down linemen, including five on the defensive side of the ball. Ferris also added four defensive backs and three linebackers. Offensively, Pierce signed three individuals at skilled positions. The 17-member class has a combined overall grade point average over 3.0.

“I’m really excited about this group of kids,” Pierce said. “We placed emphasis on the defensive interior and are bringing in linemen who have both ability and mobility. With these two skills, they can also become good athletic offensive linemen.”

“We initially didn’t plan to take that many (five) defensive linemen, but there were a lot of talented linemen out there and because of our needs we took advantage,” added Pierce.

Fifteen of the signees hail from Michigan while both Illinois and Indiana had one representative.

“We always try to recruit kids from Michigan first which is important from a retention standpoint,” Pierce said. “It’s refreshing to go through the recruiting process and sell Ferris State University and the community of Big Rapids to prospective recruits. Together, the university with its wide variety of academic programs, noteworthy placement reputation and upgrade in facilties makes us highly competitive in recruiting.”

Highlighting the group are prep all-staters defensive tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville) and linebacker Jeff Hollandsworth (Livona Stevenson). Visser, who earned Class B All-State honors this season, is a two-time Grand Rapids Press Dream Team selection and also received Detroit Free Press Division IV All-State accolades along with Detroit News Dream Team kudos. Hollandsworth garnered both Class A All-State Honorable Mention and Detroit News All-State Honorable Mention laurels. Along with those defenders, the Bulldogs landed defensive tackle Ryan Northup (Sterling Heights/Stevenson) and a pair of ends in Tom Thornton (Flushing) and Kyle Walker (Grand Haven), who's older brother Stephen is presently on the Bulldogs' roster. FSU also netted two other linebackers – Nick Henne (Owosso) and Kevin Noe (Orleans/Belding). The secondary welcomes local area defensive back Rahseen Jones-Salaam (Baldwin) along with defensive backs Kyle King (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) and Zach Wadsworth (Holland/West Ottawa).

Ferris inked two big offensive linemen – 6-4, 280-pound Mike Vipond (Lake Odessa/Lakewood) and 6-8, 290-pound Matt Westrate (Holland/Zeeland). FSU added one tailback in Jared McKinstry (Lemont, Ill.) and a fullback, Alex Shattuck (Mason), who will join older brother Chauncey on the Bulldogs’ roster. Local standout Cole Meredith (Paris/Big Rapids), a Pioneer Dream Team member and the Pioneer Offensive Player of the Year, was the lone wide receiver to sign with the Bulldogs.

“It’s a plus for us to find the caliber of athlete we’re looking for in the local area who can be competitive at the college level,” said Pierce.

Pierce also went into the junior college ranks to secure defensive back Tim King (Oak Park/Walled Lake Western) and defensive end Eric Malloy (Grand Rapids/Creston), both of Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College. King is the younger brother of Central Michigan strong safety James King while Malloy was a prep teammate of FSU flanker Carlton Brewster.

“Overall, there’s a number of these athletes who are versatile and can play more than one position,” Pierce stated. “As they mature in our program, we acquire the flexibility to get them into a position where they can be dominant. At the NCAA Division II level, we have to sometimes project where an athlete will be most competitive instead of where they were needed in high school.”

The Bulldogs, who were 6-5 last season, are set to open spring drills March 30. FSU opens the 2004 campaign August 28 hosting Grand Valley State.

2004 Ferris State Bulldogs Football Signees
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown/High School (Junior College)	Head Coach (JC Head Coach)
Nick Henne	LB	6-1	200	Owosso	Bruce Bendix
Jeff Hollandsworth	LB	6-0	205	Livonia/Stevenson	Tim Gabel
Rahseen Jones-Salaam	DB	6-0	185	Baldwin	Joel Washington
Kyle King	DB	5-10	171	Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon	Kevin O'Shea
Tim King	DB	6-3	200	Oak Park/Walled Lake Western (Grand Rapids CC)	Mike Zdebski (Jim Schulte)
Eric Malloy	DE	6-3	260	Grand Rapids/Creston (Grand Rapids CC)	Sparky McEwen (Jim Schulte)
Jared McKinstry	TB	5-11	206	Lemont, Ill.	Eric Michaelson
Cole Meredith	WR	6-0	180	Paris/Big Rapids	Phil Fortier
Kevin Noe	LB	6-4	200	Orleans/Belding	Joel Wilker
Ryan Northup	DT	6-4	267	Sterling Heights/Stevenson	Richard Bye
Alex Shattuck	FB	6-1	235	Mason	Jerry VanHavel
Tom Thornton	DE	6-4	230	Flushing	Bob Buckel
Mike Vipond	OL	6-4	280	Lake Odessa/Lakewood	Randall Hager
Jake Visser	DT	6-2	250	Coopersville	Jim Meerman
Zach Wadsworth	DB	5-11	175	Holland/West Ottawa	Jim Caserta
Kyle Walker	DE	6-2	220	Grand Haven	Steve Horodyski
Matt Westrate	OL	6-8	290	Holland/Zeeland	Steve Turner