- All
FOOTBALL RECRUITING: Sanders commits to Bowling Green, Cass Tech’s DI pipeline continues to grow
DETROIT – The number has reached double digits.
Nationally-ranked Detroit Cass Tech has now sent 10 players to the Division I college level on the gridiron from its 2012 state-championship football squad.
Earlier this week, defensive lineman Brian Sanders committed to Bowling Green, making him the tenth player on the Technicians’ 2012 roster to accept a Division I scholarship, third already in the junior class.
Sanders (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) is a rush end with wheels, long arms and a natural instinct to get to the quarterback.
Prior to Sanders committing this week, Cass Tech’s Class of 2014 had already seen linebacker Deon Drake (Michigan State) and wide receiver-defensive back Damon Webb (Ohio State) commit earlier in the recruiting period.
Bowling Green went 8-5 last season and head coach Dave Clawson carried 12 players who prepped in the state of Michigan on the Falcons roster.
Clawson and his staff did a stellar job locally with their current recruiting class (2013), signing up four quality prospects in safety Isaiah Gourdine (Farmington), offensive lineman Clark Clancy (Auburn Hills Avondale), wide receiver Teo Redding (Warren Michigan Collegiate) and tight end Hunter Folkertsma (Grand Rapids Forrest Hills Central).
Back-to-back state champ Cass Tech will be seeking a three-peat in the fall. A total of seven departing seniors will be playing Division I ball next year: cornerback Daquan Pace (Eastern Michigan), cornerback DeJuan Rogers (Toledo), offensive lineman David Dawson (Michigan), offensive lineman Dennis Finley (Michigan State), safety Delano Hill (Michigan), wide receiver-cornerback Jourdan Lewis (Michigan) and defensive lineman Kenton Gibbs (North Carolina State).
Another near half-dozen players from the 2011 state-title team landed Division I scholarships as well (see the likes of Michigan’s Royce Jenkins-Stone and Iowa’s Ruben Lile and Laron Taylor).
The program’s talent train isn’t losing any steam coming down the pike, either. The Technicians’ Class of 2015 is off the charts, too.
For example, quarterback Jay’Ru Campbell, running back Mike Webber and defensive linemen Josh Alabi, each entering their junior year in the fall, are three of the most sought-after recruits in the state right now. Campbell has started under center since he was a freshman and has offers from elite colleges such as Alabama and Notre Dame.
When it’s all said and done, scouting experts expect Cass Tech’s 2012 state-championship squad to place upwards of 20 players at Division I college programs, most in MHSAA history.
