RB Jesse Locke
School: New Hampton HS Hometown: New Hampton, IA
555 Rating

Athleticism	48
Speed	68
Durability	55
Work Ethic	35
Stamina	46
Strength	46
Blocking	34
Tackling	24
Hands	43
Game Instinct	50
Elusiveness	68
Technique	38

Jesse Locke is another that will probably redshirt, though it isn't for a lack of talent. Quite the opposite, actually, as he could turn out to be a heck of a running back. He's very similar to Jerry Metcalf, who I recruited last year, and he's turned out to be a huge prospect.

Potential: "He's got the potential to improve his game a lot over 4 years with us."

WR Raymond Williams
School: Brookfield Township HS Hometown: Riverside, IL
556 Rating

Athleticism	48
Speed	70
Durability	49
Work Ethic	35
Stamina	65
Strength	21
Blocking	54
Tackling	11
Hands	61
Game Instinct	26
Elusiveness	69
Technique	47

The local WR pool was pretty bad, but I wound up with two decent prospects. Raymond Williams is the better of the two; he's already a burner, and while I wish his game instinct was better, that'll improve, and it isn't like I need him to contribute right away. I'm pretty excited about him.

Potential: "With your coaching, I think his game has a lot of room to grow."

WR Tommy Howard
School: Sanborn HS Hometown: Kingston, NH
564 Rating

Athleticism	42
Speed	65
Durability	27
Work Ethic	32
Stamina	38
Strength	44
Blocking	68
Tackling	27
Hands	57
Game Instinct	48
Elusiveness	55
Technique	61

I generally don't travel too far for recruits, but Tommy Howard was an exception because of the local WR crop being very poor. Howard is essentially a finished product, which sort of stinks. However, he's got decent stats (and is a heck of a blocker for a wide receiver), so he may not wind up too bad. He was easily the best option of a bad WR group, so I think I did OK.

Potential: "He's made good strides towards reaching his potential over the past couple years."

OL William Adkins
School: Ada HS Hometown: Ada, OK
531 Rating

Athleticism	53
Speed	35
Durability	33
Work Ethic	59
Stamina	51
Strength	66
Blocking	56
Tackling	30
Hands	22
Game Instinct	50
Elusiveness	44
Technique	32

William Adkins is one of two OL recruits this year, and I really like him. His core numbers are good, his work ethic is through the roof, and I really like his game instinct, which is high for an OL. He should make a good starter in a few seasons' time.

Potential: "With your coaching, I think his game has a lot of room to grow."

OL Raymond Benson
School: Fayetteville East HS Hometown: Fayetteville, AR
512 Rating

Athleticism	38
Speed	38
Durability	16
Work Ethic	47
Stamina	60
Strength	74
Blocking	50
Tackling	35
Hands	25
Game Instinct	34
Elusiveness	43
Technique	52

Raymond Benson is raw, but he's got the potential to develop nicely. His strength is a huge plus, and I like his technique. He'll have time to develop into a better player, and he should turn out OK.

Potential: "With your coaching, I think his game has a lot of room to grow."

DL Mark Gardner
School: Prairie Ridge HS Hometown: Crystal Lake, IL
565 Rating

Athleticism	66
Speed	26
Durability	47
Work Ethic	36
Stamina	60
Strength	64
Blocking	46
Tackling	56
Hands	28
Game Instinct	47
Elusiveness	44
Technique	45

DL was a big need this time around, as we've got two seniors and three juniors at that spot currently. We got two of them here, and Mark Gardner may be my best recruit this year regardless of position. He's an athletic, physical player with room to improve, and I'm really pleased to have him.

Potential: "I think his growth potential is pretty average - nothing special."

DL Louis Reynolds
School: Checotah HS Hometown: Checotah, OK
559 Rating

Athleticism	44
Speed	29
Durability	53
Work Ethic	52
Stamina	58
Strength	51
Blocking	19
Tackling	70
Hands	43
Game Instinct	46
Elusiveness	53
Technique	41

Louis Reynolds is already a great tackler, and there's not a single part of his game that's BAD. He's pretty well-rounded, and his high potential and good work ethic suggest he'll turn into a very strong player.

Potential: "He's got the potential to improve his game a lot over 4 years with us."

LB Robert Edwards
School: Southridge HS Hometown: Huntingburg, IN
568 Rating

Athleticism	36
Speed	45
Durability	58
Work Ethic	49
Stamina	46
Strength	60
Blocking	35
Tackling	65
Hands	18
Game Instinct	41
Elusiveness	72
Technique	43

We really needed depth at linebacker since we return just four of them, and with signing three LB's, we got that. Robert Edwards may be the best of the bunch. He's got hands of stone, but he plays the run exceptionally well and should grow into a really nice player.

Potential: "He's got the potential to improve his game a lot over 4 years with us."

LB Michael Peacock
School: Tremper HS Hometown: Kenosha, WI
573 Rating

Athleticism	48
Speed	54
Durability	41
Work Ethic	40
Stamina	69
Strength	61
Blocking	28
Tackling	58
Hands	33
Game Instinct	37
Elusiveness	56
Technique	48

Michael Peacock isn't as much of a prospect as Edwards is, but he's pretty solid in most facets. His overall rating is inflated somewhat by stamina, but he's got good athleticism and speed coming in and should be OK.

Potential: "I think his growth potential is pretty average - nothing special."

LB Jonathan Tyler
School: Fossil Ridge HS Hometown: Keller, TX
563 Rating

Athleticism	46
Speed	36
Durability	77
Work Ethic	49
Stamina	50
Strength	56
Blocking	16
Tackling	60
Hands	30
Game Instinct	51
Elusiveness	52
Technique	40

One of my LB's is going to redshirt, and it's probably going to be Jonathan Tyler. He's not a bad player, and he's got room to improve, but his overall rating is hugely inflated due to durability. Still, he's a good prospect, and he should benefit from the extra year.

Potential: "With your coaching, I think his game has a lot of room to grow."

DB James Gaines
School: Mount Horeb HS Hometown: Mount Horeb, WI
567 Rating

Athleticism	47
Speed	61
Durability	35
Work Ethic	43
Stamina	62
Strength	30
Blocking	24
Tackling	58
Hands	51
Game Instinct	59
Elusiveness	54
Technique	43

Once again, the local DB pool wasn't great, but thankfully I at least got one decent prospect. We have two seniors and two juniors, so James Gaines was a pretty important signing. He's very solid across the board, with no real weaknesses in his game, and I think he'll make a very good starter down the road.

Potential: "I think his potential is pretty average - nothing special."

K Harvey Sandoval
School: West Ouachita HS Hometown: West Monroe, LA
445 Rating; #134 K

Athleticism	22
Speed	11
Durability	38
Work Ethic	71
Stamina	43
Strength	41
Blocking	29
Tackling	27
Hands	22
Game Instinct	52
Elusiveness	46
Technique	43

Finally, Harvey Sandoval is Randy Wilson's replacement, and he should be OK. His core numbers are fine, and I love his work ethic, which means he'll reach his potential about as quickly as possible.

Potential: "I think his potential is pretty average - nothing special."

The GUESS reports have the recruiting class ranked 23rd nationally, which seems about right. Down the line, though, that may be a slight under-ranking, as the reports were very kind to Gutierrez and Locke, who will both redshirt.

We're ranked #16 in both the Press and Coaches' polls to start the season.

EDIT (12/9/14): Additionally, Charles Johnson and Raymond Gorman were named Pre-Seaon All American honorable mentions.

Well, we're 1-4, with the four losses coming to teams that are a combined 19-1. Most recently, we led 20-10 in the third quarter at #9 Slippery Rock and lost 27-20. We are NOT a bad team, but I did overschedule, and it cost us in out-of-conference play. It looks like our only chance of getting to the playoffs is winning our conference. That's certainly doable with only two other human-coached teams in the league, but we've lost some winnable games against really good teams, and I hope that doesn't hurt us down the road.

We ran the table in-conference to end our regular season at 9-4. This included a come-from-behind win over a good Cheyney team to put us in the MIAA title game against Central Missouri State, another good human-coached team. We lead 14-3 at the half, and need to win to make the playoffs.