WMU FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES 2005 RECRUITING CLASS

KALAMAZOO — The Bill Cubit Era is officially underway at Western Michigan University as the Broncos unveiled their 2005 recruiting class at a 3:00 p.m. news conference today held at the Donald J Seelye Athletic Center. A total of 24 studentathletes signed National Letters of Intent to enroll next fall. In addition, two recruits are currently enrolled at WMU after submitting their letters in December.

“This is a great class for us. We focused on young men with character who have a passion for football,” said Cubit, named to WMU’s post Dec. 7. “We received good feedback about this group from our current players and I’m proud of the fact that their overall grade-point average is 3.00.” Included in the group are three sets of high school teammates.

The Broncos secured talent from nine states and two Canadian provinces. Florida led the way with six commitments, with Illinois (5) and Michigan (4) right behind. “Whenever you bring in a new staff, there is a comfort zone and areas coaches are familiar with. We established a presence in Chicago and Florida, and continued to do so in Michigan.”

In terms of positions, WMU signed 16 players on defense and 10 on offense. “We have some top notch players on defense and were able to shore up our defensive line with some athleticism,” said Cubit, who inked six defensive backs, five linemen and five linebackers. On offense, three linemen were recruited, along with a pair of skilled quarterbacks. “There were a lot of areas that needed patch work and some holes to fill and I think we did that pretty effectively,” Cubit stated.

While it’s too early to gauge the impact this class will have in the fall, Cubit reiterated his views on freshman contributions. “I promised these guys that if they were the best players at their positions, they will play and there are probably a few obvious ones in this group.”

Cubit also acknowledged the efforts of his newly-formed coaching staff, many of whom had little time to settle into their offices before hitting the road to recruit. “I think the quality of this class speaks volumes of how hard the staff worked.”

Short biographies of all signees are available at wmubroncos.com.