Tech Football Announces 2020 Recruiting Class
HOUGHTON, Mich. - Head Coach Steve Olson and the Michigan Tech football program are pleased to announce that 25 student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Huskies for the 2020 season. Nine other student athletes have committed to Tech as preferred walk-ons.
Michigan Tech's incoming class includes 19 defensive players, 12 players on offense, and three specialists/multi positional players. There are eight players in this year's class that reside in the Upper Peninsula, 29 hail from the state of Michigan, and five are from Wisconsin.
"First off I'd like to thank our staff for their hard work throughout the signing season," Coach Olson said. "In addition to the football staff, I'd like to thank Beth Williams and Chris Hohnholt for coming to our recruiting weekend events, as well as the advisors and faculty members that came to visit with the prospective student athletes and their parents. Michigan Tech has a strong reputation academically, but the people here really help students to understand how special MTU is."
The Huskies wrapped the 2019 season 5-5 overall and finished fifth in the GLIAC standings. The Huskies secured the Miner's Cup for the 10th straight season with a 24-20 victory over rival Northern Michigan October 12 at Sherman Field at Kearly Stadium. Tech will begin spring practices in late March, with the annual spring game coming up in April.
Below is an alphabetical list of the 25 student-athletes who have signed NLI's at Tech and will play football this fall. A brief biography and highlight/introduction video on each recruit also available.
Sam Ahern DB 6'5 190 Farmington Hills, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Walled Lake Western High School… LVC All-Conference selection… Coaches' Association All-State… M-Live All-State… Academic All-State… Defensive stats include 55 tackles, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns… As a wide receiver, reeled in 36 receptions for 680 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three two-point conversions… Plans to major in Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Caleb Anderson DL 6'2 205 Gwinn, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Gwinn High School… First Team All-Conference… Special Mention All-U.P… Passed for 1,685 yards and 16 touchdowns… Ran for 580 yards and five touchdowns… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Electrical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Hunter Buechel DB 6'1 185 Lake Mills, Wis.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Lake Mills High School… First Team All-Conference Wide Receiver and Safety… First Team All-Region Wide Receiver… Honorable Mention All-State Wide Receiver… Defensive stats include 73 tackles, three interceptions, and one blocked punt for a touchdown… Offensive stats include 78 receptions for a state leading 1,222 yards and 11 touchdowns… Team Captain… Honor Roll student… Plans to major in General Business at Michigan Tech…
Ethan Champney WR 6'3 190 Saginaw, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Swan Valley High School… 2019 Division 5 MHSFCA All-State Wide Receiver and Defensive Back, Associated Press Second Team All-State Wide Receiver, and Detroit News Second Team All-State Wide Receiver… 2018 and 2019 Saginaw Area Dream Team Wide Receiver… 2018 Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention… 2018 and 2019 First Team All-Conference Wide Receiver and Defensive Back…2019 Academic All-State selection… Helped lead team to District Championships in 2017,18, 19, Regional Championships in 2017, 18, and a State Runner Up finish in 2017… Had 2,069 career receiving yards with 31 touchdowns and 113 receptions… As a senior in 2019, reeled in 50 catches for 856 yards and 17 touchdowns… Team Most Valuable Player Award in 2019… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Carter Crouch DB 5'9 160 Lake Linden, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Lake Linden High School… 2018 and 2019 All-State Defensive Back… 2018 All-U.P. Defensive Back… 2019 All-U.P. Quarterback… Helped lead the team to the 2019 State Playoffs… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Exercise Science at Michigan Tech…
Chase Ekonen DL 6'4 235 Hartland, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Hartland High School… First Team All-County… First Team All-Conference… Recorded 40 tackles, four sacks, and 11 tackles for a loss… Honorable Mention Academic All-State… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Colin Hicks WR 6'3 185 Marquette, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Marquette Senior High School… All-U.P. and All-Conference (G.N.C.) Wide Receiver as a senior… Caught 37 passes for 500 yards and nine touchdowns during his senior season… Team Captain… Student Council President… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Business and Computer Science at Michigan Tech...
Brady Ingbretson OL 6'6 235 Wauwatosa, Wis.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Wauwatosa West High School… Wisconsin State All-Star selection… Second Team All-Conference… Greater Metro Conference Scholar Athlete… Team Captain… Team Defensive Lineman of the Year… Had 46 tackles, including nine tackles for a loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes defended on defense… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Business and Finance at Michigan Tech…
Brenden Lach WR 6'1 185 South Lyon, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at South Lyon High School… 2019 Honorable Mention All-State Wide Receiver… 2018 and 2019 All-Conference honoree… 2019 Offensive Back of the Year… 2019 Special Teams Player of the Year… 2018 and 2019 Golden Lion Award recipient… Helped lead the team to a 2018 LVC League Championship, State Playoff Appearances in 2018 and 2019, and a combined 18-3 record from 2018-19… Recorded 76 receptions, 1,204 yards, and 20 touchdowns during his high school career… Honor Roll student… Plans to major in Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Jonathon Lafave OL 6'5 250 Romeo, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Romeo High School… First Team All-State, First Team All-Region, and First Team All-County selection… Detroit Free Press All-East Team, Effort Award Recipient, and Captain… Helped lead his team into 2019 playoff contention… All-Academic Team… Four Year Student-Athlete Award recipient and Macomb Area All-Academic Team honoree… Plans to major in Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Greg Lapetina FB 5'11 236 Portage, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Portage Northern High School… Kalamazoo Area Defensive Most Valuable Player, Kalamazoo Area Defensive Player of the Year, and Kalamazoo Area First Team Dream Team Selection… Detroit Free Press All-State… Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention… First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Division… Team Captain and Team Defensive Player of the Year… Academic All-State and National Honors Society…Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Hunter Little OL 6'5 297 Belleville, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Belleville High School… All-State and Two-Time All-Conference Offensive Lineman… Helped lead his team to District, Conference, and Regional Championships… Honor Roll student four times during his high school career…Plans to major in Electrical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Benjamin Marion ATH 6'2 215 Lake City, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Lake City High School… All-State Honorable Mention, All-Conference, and All-Area… Piled up 256 receiving yards and 444 rushing yards on offense… On defense, recorded 65 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss and two interceptions… Team Captain, Most Valuable Player, and "Trojan" Award… Plans to major in Construction Management at Michigan Tech…
Will McWatters LB 6'2 210 Grand Haven, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Grand Haven High School… First Team All-Conference and First Team Muskegon All-Area… Racked up 130 total tackles with 15 tackles for a loss as a senior. Recorded one interception as well… Plans to major in Business Finance at Michigan Tech…
Alec Moriarty RB 6'0 190 Berlin, Wis.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Berlin High School… WFCA Honorable Mention All-State Running Back… All-Region Running Back… Conference Running Back of the Year… Fox 11 News Small Division Offensive Player of the Year… Helped lead team to the Division 4 Wisconsin State Playoff Quarterfinals… 1,907 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior… Rushed for 4,063 career yards and 55 touchdowns… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Engineering Management at Michigan Tech…
Jake Newman DB 5'11 165 South Lyon, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at South Lyon High School… All-Conference, All-Area Honorable Mention, and Legacy Football All Star "College Bound" honoree… Free Press All-North High School Team selection… Had eight interceptions and 25 pass break-ups during his high school career… 2018 Team Defensive Back of the Year… 2019 Lions Creed Award Winner… Honor Roll student… Lakes Valley Conference Scholar Athlete… Plans to major in Business at Michigan Tech…
Jack Paupert DB 5'11 185 Dryden, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Almont High School… Associated Press First Team All-State, Detroit Free Press First Team All-State, and Detroit News Division First Team All-State Defensive Back… Detroit News Second Team All-East running back… First Team All-BWAC running back and defensive back… Tri-City Times First Team All-Area running back and defensive back… Team Offensive Player of the Year and Leadership Member… Had 29 tackles, three interceptions, and one touchdown as a senior… Had 125 carries for 1,003 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground and caught 19 passes for 362 yards and seven touchdowns during his senior season… MHSFCA Honorable Mention Academic All-State honoree… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Jeffrey Price LB 5'11 205 Bellville, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Belleville High School… KLAA Honorable Mention… Helped lead the team to a KLAA Championship and State Semifinals… Recorded over 50 tackles as a senior… Team Captain and Team Leader Award winner… Honor Roll student… Plans to major in Business or Electrical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Colton Salani DB 6'0 185 Hancock, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Hancock Central High School… First Team All-Conference… Second Team All-State… First Team All-U.P… First Team All-West Pac Honorable Mention… Team Captain and Team Most Valuable Player… Most all-purpose yards, passing yards, completions, and touchdown passes in Hancock Central High School history… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Exercise Science at Michigan Tech…
Jack Schafer LB 5'11 205 South Lyon, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at South Lyon High School… All-State Honorable Mention, 3-Time All-Conference selection, and Second Team All-Metro North honoree… Team Captain… Team Defensive Back of the Year… Team leader in tackles as a senior with 64 stops while also forcing three fumbles and recording a defensive touchdown… Honor Roll student… Plans to major in Biology at Michigan Tech…
Marc Sippel LB 6'2 205 Wausau, Wis.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Wausau West High School… 2019 All-Region… 2018 and 2019 Conference Linebacker of the Year… 2018 and 2019 First Team All-Conference Linebacker… 2019 Conference Defensive Player of the Year… 2019 News Channel All-Star… Team Captain… Team MVP Award… As a senior, 147 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles, two touchdowns… Career stats include 406 tackles, nine forced fumbles, five sacks, and eight touchdowns… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Civil Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Alex Studebaker DL 6'1 215 Ahmeek, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Calumet High School… All U.P. Dream Team Defensive Tackle… All U.P. Dream Team Player of the Year… Second Team All-State Defensive Line… Plans to major in Wildlife Management at Michigan Tech…
Owen Watson LB 6'3 217 Ostego, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Otsego High School… First Team All-Conference, Kalamazoo Dream Team, and Two-Time Kalamazoo Area Player of the Week finalist… Made 87 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, one interception, and one forced fumble as a senior… On offense as a senior, accumulated 750 passing yards and 10 touchdowns… Academic All-State, Honor Roll, and current Valedictorian… Team Captain… Plans to major in Engineering Management at Michigan Tech…
Connor Worthington DL 6'2 230 Grand Haven, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Grand Haven High School… 2018 and 2019 First Team All-State and First Team Muskegon All-Area honoree… M-Live Muskegon Dream Team… 2018 and 2019 First Team Ok Red All-Conference selection… Team Captain and Team Most Valuable Player… Made 55 tackles, four sacks, and two fumble recoveries on defense… Rushed for 726 yards, nine touchdowns, and averaged 5.76 yards per carry as a fullback… Honor Roll student… Plans to major in Construction Management at Michigan Tech…
Drew Wyble K/P 6'0 170 Marquette, Mich.
-Introduction Video-
Prepped at Marquette High School… 2019 All-U.P. Dream Team and First Team All-Great Northern Conference selection… 2018 All-U.P. Dream Team, Detroit Free Press All-State Honorable Mention and First Team All-Great Northern Conference… Helped lead the team to the 2019 U.P. Great Northern Conference Championship… U.P. Class A-B "Team of the Year" … Connected on 9 of 11 field goal attempts with a long of 45-yards… Was 23 for 25 on extra points and had seven touchbacks on kickoffs… National Honors Society… Major is undecided…
The players below have made a commitment to enroll at Michigan Tech as students and be part of the program as preferred walk-ons.
Xavier Ashcraft OL 6'8 290 Macomb Township, Mich.
Prepped at New Haven High School… All-Macomb County Honors each of the past two seasons… Team Captain as a Senior… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Ian Clark OL/DL 6'1 245 Kiel, Wis.
Prepped at Kiel High School… 2019 All-Conference and 2018 All-Conference Honorable Mention… All-Region Defensive Tackle… All-State Honorable Mention… 2017 Team Defensive Player of the Year… 2018 Team Most Improved Player… 2019 Academic All-State… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Cody Daraban WR 5'7 150 South Lyon, Mich.
Prepped at Detroit Catholic Central… All-Catholic Award winner… Honorable Mention and best Central Catholic Wide Receiver Award… Helped lead the team to District Championship, Catholic League Championship, and Central Division Championship… As a senior, had 18 receptions for 208 yards and one touchdown… Had 31 tackles and three interceptions… Returned 19 punts for 99 yards and had six kickoff returns for 130 yards… Generated 450 total all-purpose yards… Honor Roll Student… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Nick Dautremont OL 6'3 257 Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Prepped at Sault Area High School… 2018 All-U.P. Large Schools Team and 2019 All-U.P. Dream Team honoree… 2018 and 2019 Team Offensive Lineman of the Year and 2019 Team Most Valuable Player… Had 74 career tackles, three sacks, and two pass deflections as a defensive tackle… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Jacob Hausmann LB 6'1 210 Almont, Mich.
Prepped at Almont High School… 2018-19 Detroit Free Press First Team All-State… 2019 Detroit News Division First Team All-State… 2019 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-State… 2019 Detroit News First Team All-East… 2018 Detroit News First Team All-East... 2017, 18, 19 Tri-City Times First Team All-Area and First Team All-Conference… 2019 All-Conference Defensive Most Valuable Player… Recorded 105 tackles, four sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and two interceptions as a senior… 2019 Academic All-State… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Leo Helppi DL 6'2 200 Negaunee, Mich.
Prepped at Negaunee High School… First Team All-U.P… All-State… Recorded 98 tackles which included 28 solo stops, 10 tackles for a loss, five sacks, and three fumble recoveries as a senior… Team Captain… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Alex Smith OL 6'2 260 Grand Rapids, Mich.
Prepped at Forest Hills Eastern High School… First Team Academic All-State… Did not commit a holding penalty as a two-year starter and recorded numerous pancake blocks… Plans to major in Civil Engineering at Michigan Tech…
Zack Stone DB 6'0 195 Lansing, Mich.
Prepped at Lansing Catholic High School… Earned the team Defensive Secondary Award for Most Valuable Defensive Back…Plans to major in Management Information Systems at Michigan Tech…
Cole Wright ATH 6'2 200 Charlevoix, Mich.
Prepped at Charlevoix High School… Detroit Free Press Honorable Mention… First Team All-Conference Quarterback… Charlevoix County News Player of the Year… Petoskey News Review All-Purpose Player… Traverse City Record Eagle Dream Team Second Team Quarterback… Team Offensive Most Valuable Player and Team Captain… Accounted for 25 total touchdowns with 19 rushing and six passing… Accumulated 936 rushing yards, 801 passing yards, 14 total two-point conversions, 30 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and one interception… National Honors Society… Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech…