By BRIAN LESTER
STAFF WRITER
When Rob Keys took over the University of Findlay football team in December of 2010, all he had to sell to recruits was an idea of what the program could be.
The Oilers were 1-10 in 2010 and had no direction.
A lot has changed, though.
As Keys and his staff hit the recruiting trail during the offseason, they had confidence they could sell Findlay as a program on the rise.
The Oilers, despite having only four seniors, finished 6-5 overall and 6-4 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Two of their wins came on the road, one against national power Grand Valley State and the other against national runner-up Wayne State.
"All we could talk about last year was a vision. It has definitely been easier this year," Keys said. "We had an understanding of what our needs were and we could lay out our program to recruits. Kids are familiar with Grand Valley and Wayne State. The success definitely helped."
What has also helped is that the Oilers understood what holes needed to be filled.
"We knew what our strengths were and what positions we needed to build on," Keys said. "We had a much better understanding of our needs and it made this recruiting process go a lot smoother."
The game plan for Keys and his staff was to hit high schools in Ohio and prospects in Detroit.
"We blanketed the state and visited 410 high schools in eight days," Keys said.
"We would go to one city and meet that night to talk about the players before moving on. We would give information about the players and give each one a grade. It was an overwhelming process but we feel like we have a pretty good class. We expect all of them to come in ready to play."
The Oilers announced their 2012 class on Wednesday. It features 33 players, including 20 on the defensive side of the ball. Twenty-eight of the players are from Ohio.
Among the recruits are two local standouts, Findlay High wide receiver Dylan Blunk and Vanlue tight end Jonathan Kloepfer.
One of the top recruits coming to Findlay is Johnstown-Monroe running back Ross Franklin. He has led Ohio in rushing the last two seasons, rolling up a state-record 3,472 rushing yards last fall.
Franklin was recruited by several schools in the GLIAC, including rival Ashland.
"From the moment I walked on campus, I felt comfortable," Franklin said. "All of the players and coaches treated me well and I got along great with them. Findlay just felt like a place I could spend the next four or five years."
Battling for recruits in a state where there are five GLIAC teams can be intense. And while the Oilers don't have a flashy stadium or the top weight facilities in D-II football, Keys didn't let that serve as a roadblock to finding the best players.
"We don't have the worst facilities but we don't have the best either," Keys said. "We were up front with every recruit. There were no ploys. We told them that if they want to surround themselves with good people and have a chance to win games, this is the place to be. The guys we got bought into that."
Franklin certainly did and he can't wait to arrive at camp.
"I'm going to hit the workouts hard and talk with the position coach about what I can do to be ready to play," Franklin said. "I'm looking forward to being a part of the team and having an opportunity to compete for playing time."
As for the future of the Oilers, who open their season on Aug. 30 against Northern Michigan at Donnell Stadium, Keys feels good about the program going forward.
"We filled a lot of our needs and we're excited about the future. But we can't rest on what we did last year. We have to keep working hard if we want to get to where we want to be as a team."
UF Signees
Karvon Beamon, Cincinnati Oak Hills, LB, 6-3, 255; 1st-team Greater Miami Conference; 65 tackles, 6 sacks as senior.
Greg Brown, Fremont Ross/Univ. of Michigan, DB, 5-10, 195; Played 3 games at Michigan as freshman; 1st-team all-Ohio in 2010; 2-time 1st-team all-district; 1st-team all-Greater Buckeye Conference; rated 54th best prospect in Ohio as a senior; 10 TDs as senior with 30 tackles, 5 INTs.
T.K. Burk, Avon Lake, OL, 6-5, 310; 1st-team all-Southwestern Conference, all-Lorain County; 2nd-team all-district; voted 2011 most outstanding offensive lineman.
Davonte Congress, Cleveland Glenville, DB, 6-1, 175; 1st-team Cleveland Senate Athletic League.
Brad Fenton, Mount Vernon, DB, 6-3, 215; 2-time 2nd-team Ohio Capital Conference; 1st-team all-district.
Ross Franklin, Johnstown-Monroe, RB, 5-11, 210; 1st-team all-Ohio (2011), 2nd team (2010); all-Metro, Mid-Buckeye Conference and player of year; 2-time 1st-team all-district; 2-time 1st-team all-region; 2-time 1st-team all-MBC; 2010 Region 11 Player of the Year; led Ohio in rushing in 2010, 2011, piling up Ohio record 3,472 yards rushing last fall with 52 rushing TDs; 2,183 yards rushing as junior; selected for Ohio North/South game.
Daniel Gusching, Minster, LB, 6-3, 220; 1st-team all-Ohio; Ohio Division IV Co-Defensive Player of the Year; Midwest Athletic Conference, Miami Valley and northwest District Defensive Player of the Year; 1st-team all-MAC & 1st-team all-Miami Valley; 1st-team all-district; honorable mention all-MAC as receiver; school records for receptions in season and career.
Luke Hampton, Columbus, Ind. East, WR, 5-11, 170; 1st-team all-Indiana; all-Indiana academic pick; 1st-team all-conference and all-area; 47 catches, 986 yards, 15 TDs as senior.
Anthony Howard, Cleveland John F. Kennedy, DB, 6-23, 185; all-Cleveland Senate Athletic League; class salutatorian.
Saivon Jefferson, Cleveland John F. Kennedy, DL, 6-2, 315; 2-time 1st-team all-Cleveland Senate Athletic League; 63 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks as senior; named to 2011 Northeast Ohio Thanksgiving All-Star Classic.
Evan Lese, Westerville South, DB, 6-1, 175; 3-year starter; team-high 25-yard average per punt return, 37-yard kickoff return average; 85 tackles, 3 INTs as senior.
Ryan Mayfield, Springfield Shawnee, LB, 6-1, 200; 1st-team all-Central Buckeye Conference as senior; 2nd-team all-County pick; 2nd-team all-district; member of Shawnee's state runner-up team.
Austin Reichert, Van Wert, DE, 6-3, 225; 2-time 1st-team all-Western Buckeye League; 2-time honorable mention all-northwest District; 81 tackles, 7 sacks as senior.
Cole Stalker, West Chester, LB, 6-1, 210; 3-time all-conference academic in football & basketball; Anthony Munoz Scholar Athlete Award honoree; 1st-team all-conference in basketball; all-county football & basketball pick; honorable mention all-district.
Dennis Austin, Cincinnati Wyoming, DE, 6-2, 200; 1st-team all-conference & all-Southwest Ohio; 2nd-team all-district; 99 tackles, 7 sacks.
Dylan Blunk, Findlay, WR, 5-10, 180; 1st-team all-Three Rivers Athletic Conference as senior; 1st-team all-district, 2nd-team all-state; 39 receptions, 727 yards, 6 TDs.
Justin Browning, Detroit, Mich. De La Salle, DB, 5-7, 175; all-Catholic League; led team to three district championships, regional title.
Spencer Cooper, Ashland, LB, 5-11, 185; 77 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 fumble recoveries.
Brad Dotson, Piqua, LB, 5-10, 205; 1st-team all-Greater Western Ohio Conference; 1st-team all-Dayton Daily News; honorable mention all-district; 112 tackles.
Taylor Hardy, Olentangy Orange, TE, 6-2, 215; honorable mention all-conference; three varsity letters in football, three in lacrosse and four in hockey.
Jack Homan, Marion Local, DE, 6-3, 215; won state Division VI title; 2nd-team all-district & all-Midwest Athletic Conference.
Trae Honeycutt, Piqua, WR, 5-10, 175; 2-time, 2nd-team all-Greater Western Ohio Conference.
Jonathan Kloepfer, Vanlue, TE, 6-4, 210; 2nd-team all-Blanchard Valley Conference; honorable mention all-district.
Nick Longenbarger, Toledo Whitmer, TE, 6-2, 220; 1st-team all-Three Rivers Athletic Conference; honorable mention all-district.
Justin Miller, Hicksville, QB, 6-foot, 185; 3rd-eam all-Ohio; 1st-team all-conference on defense & 2nd-team on offense; all-district; 1,286 yards rushing, 18 TDs; 1,220 yards passing, 16 TDs; 55 tackles, 7 INTs.
Brandon Pummill, Piqua, LB, 5-10, 205; all-conference wrestler; Special Teams Award recipient.
Evan Rinke, Canton, Mich., WR, 5-11, 180; lettered in football and baseball; school record for most receiving yards in a game (174).
Nathan Ritzler, Tiffin Calvert, QB, 5-10, 165; honorable mention all-district; 948 yards passing, 3 TDs as senior; 1,369 yards rushing, 19 TDs.
Dan Romigh, Holt, Mich.; TE, 6-3, 225; 2-time all-Capital Area Activities Conference pick.
Marcus Staples, Cincinnati Oak Hills, WR, 6-2, 185; 22 catches, 290 yards.
Tylor Trautwein, Fremont Ross/Ashland Univ., DB, 5-11, 190; 1st-team all-Ohio as senior; Greater Buckeye Conference Running Back of Year; 1st-team all-district.
Jake Voegtle, Hanover Park, Ill. Hoffman Estates, DE, 6-0, 255; honorable mention all-conference.
Bobby Young-Brooks, Eastwood, LB, 5-11, 195; special mention all-Ohio; 1st-team all-Northern Buckeye Conference; 1st-team all-district; 86 tackles, 6.5 sacks as senior.
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