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2009 Western Michigan Football Recruiting

WMU Overview:
Western Michigan signed 26 players from eleven different states. Seven come from Michigan, three from Illinois and two each from Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina and one each from Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin. This class includes one quarterback, five receivers, two running backs, three tight ends, five offensive linemen, three defensive ends, two defensive tackles, one linebacker and four defensive backs. Four of these incoming players come from military academies.

Top Players for WMU:

• Mark Zielinski, OL, 6-4, 330, Winnetka, IL (New Trier)

  One of the top incoming MAC recruits overall, rated as the #30 OT in the nation by ESPN/Scout. A top-50 player in the state of Illinois and recruited by several Big Ten schools.

• T.J. Lynch, DE, 6-3, 238, Blythe, GA ( Georgia Military College; Hephzibah HS)

  A solid rush DE who was recruited by Big East, ACC and C-USA schools. Named all-state, all-region and all-area as a senior in high school. Has two years of eligibility remaining.

• Christopher Blair, TE, 6-4, 217 East Grand Rapids, MI

  Rated by ESPN/Scout as the #101 in the country and #23 overall prospect from Michigan. Helped his high school team win three state titles during his prep career.

• Greg Peterson, OT, 6-5, 255, Waukesha West H.S. (WI)

  The #69 OT in the nation by ESPN/Scout and listed as a top-20 player in the state of Wisconsin.

• Chelb Ravenell, WR, 6-0, 185, Mt. Pleasant, SC (Georgia Military Coll.; Wando HS)

  Ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals and listed by service as the ‘Junior College Newcomer of the Year’ in 2007. Recruited by Conference USA & Sun Belt schools.

Sleepers in the 2009 WMU Recruiting Class:

• Paul Hazel, DE, 6-6, 205, Miami, FL ( South Miami High)

  Named All-Dade County in football and basketball. Tremendously athletic player who needs to add weight for the position.

• Ansel Ponder, WR, 6-2, 187, Bluefield, WV (Hargrave Military Acad./Bluefield HS)

  Listed as three-star recruit by Rivals. Earned first team all-state honors in high school for football and basketball as senior. Listed as the # 26 overall prep school player on Rivals.

WMU's Final Analysis:
Western’s Bill Cubit has become one of the MAC’s best recruiters. The one thing that jumps out in this class is size. The QB singed is 6-4, the receivers are all 6-0 to 6-4, the TEs are 6-4 or 6-5, the five offensive linemen collectively average 6-5 and over 300 pounds each and the defensive linemen are big. Getting off of the bus, this is a class that will look like a seasoned Big Ten team. Moreover, eleven recruits appear in the rankings by ESPN/Scout and four have three-star ratings by Rivals. Within the state of Michigan, six of the seven in-state prospects are considered top-50 overall prospects with the state. Even though WMU took it an uppercut on the chin during signing day when heralded North Miami Beach safety Kemal Ishmael and teammate QB Nico Flores signed with UCF (Each would have been considered the top of their respected positions), the Broncos still did a splendid job finding talent. Overall this class rates a OUTSTANDING compared to the rest of the league.

> Official 2009 WMU Football Recruits Press Release

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