Edwards brothers, pair of three-star quarterbacks highlight Central Michigan's National Signing Day
With a limited number of graduating seniors on the 2015 Central Michigan football roster, Head Coach John Bonamego didn't have many spots to fill with newcomers.
Akron was the only Mid-American Conference school to have fewer recruits join the program Wednesday for National Signing Day than CMU's 14. The Chippewas also added two transfer student-athletes.
Defensive backs and halfbacks were in the majority, with CMU adding four at each position.
"Running backs are like ice cream: I like several different flavors," said Head Coach John Bonamego. "I'm not just going to narrow myself down to one. When you have guys that have different physical abilities and different skill sets, you're able to use them in a variety of different ways."
The running back coming in with the most experience is Berkley Edwards, who played 10 games for Minnesota at running back as a freshman in 2014, but only carried the ball five times in 2015.
He transferred to CMU for the spring semester and will also run track for CMU, Bonamego said.
Edwards is the younger brother of former Michigan wide receiver and top five draft pick Braylon Edwards. Bailey Edwards, the youngest of the three brothers, also signed with CMU Wednesday.
Bailey is listed as a three-star recruit according 247Sports. The 6-1, 183-pound wideout received offers from at least five other Mid-American Conference schools — including Bowling Green and Western Michigan — and Minnesota.
He is CMU's second-highest-rated recruit and the 32nd-highest recruit in the state according to 247Sports.
Bailey had 47 catches for 630 yards and six receiving touchdowns for the Chelsea Bulldogs in 2015. He helped his team to a 12-2 record and the MHSAA Division 3 State Championship Game before falling 29-12 to St. Mary Prep.
“When you turn on the film he doesn’t disappoint," Bonamego said. "He’s an exciting player we feel can develop into a real difference maker on our team and in our conference.”
Assistant Head Coach and Wide Receivers Coach Mose Rison said he likes Bailey's quickness.
"I really fell in love with his speed," Rison said. "I can’t teach speed. This young man can flat out fly.”
The Chippewas plan on redshirting Bailey in 2016.
The top recruit
Quarterback Tony Poljan stepped in for Cooper Rush after he graduated from Lansing Catholic High School. He has the chance to do the same at CMU.
Poljan had originally verbally committed to Minnesota, but decommitted in November after Minnesota had several coaches leave the program after Head Coach Jerry Kill retired due to health issues.
At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, the three-star talent also had received offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State, according to MLive. Those schools were recruiting him as a full-time tight end, but Poljan has plans to become a full-time quarterback.
CMU, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Buffalo offered Poljan a scholarship to play quarterback.
With Lansing Catholic in 2015, Poljan went 11-2 with more than 1,900 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, along with more than 1,200 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns, for a total of over 3,100 yards and 41 touchdowns. He led Lansing Catholic to a regional title for the second time and was a top 10 finalist for Michigan High School Football Player of the Year.
Poljan is CMU's highest-rated Chippewa this recruiting season, according to 247Sports.com. His overall rating is an 85.53 and is ranked 19th among recruits from Michigan.
CMU also added junior college quarterback Tommy Lazzaro, who's also a three-star recruit according to 247Sports.
Finding defensive backs
Bonamego said adding defensive backs was important to him this offseason. CMU added four Michigan natives Wednesday.
"I see that's going to give us depth right away," Bonamego said. "If we had neglected to do that, then we would have been scary thin. They're not easy to find. They're a little more difficult to evaluate."
Stealing a Rocket
Three-star defensive back Alonzo McCoy flipped his commitment last weekend from Toledo to Central Michigan. He is CMU's third-highest-rated recruit.
"(Defensive Backs Coach Archie Collins) did a great job of staying on him," Bonamego said. "He told us he felt this was a better fit for him. We’re happy to have him.”
Breakdown by position
Quarterbacks (3): Tony Poljan (Lansing), Austin Hergott (Fort Thomas, Kentucky), Tommy Lazzaro (Dodge City Community College in Kansas)
Halfbacks (4): Hunter Buczkowski (Mount Pleasant), Kumehnnu Gwilly (Shelby Township), Jonathan Ward (Kankakee, Illinois), Berkley Edwards (University of Minnesota)
Wide receivers (1): Bailey Edwards (Chelsea)
Tight ends, offensive linemen, linebackers (0)
Defensive linemen (3): Leon Page (Detroit), Josh Eldridge (Clinton Township), Dante Cleveland (Hoffman Estates, Illinois)
Defensive backs (4): Tee’ondre Harvey (Detroit), Alonzo McCoy (Detroit), Jakkar Jackson (Farmington Hills), Gage Kreski (Saint Ignace)
Kickers/punters (1): Kaden Keon (Saint Louis)
