The Baker University football coaching staff has wasted no time in its offseason.
In fact, the program has made substantial progress on its 2009 recruiting class and is more than halfway finished with the process.
Head coach Mike Grossner said 20 recruits signed letters of intent last week on signing day, and the coaching staff has made even more progress since.
“We’ve added eight to the mix since last Wednesday,” Grossner said. “Scholarship day (last weekend) we had a lot of guys in that hadn’t been in yet. That was a good day for us.”
Defensive Coordinator Jason Thoren said although the staff will continue to recruit throughout the spring, it’s about 75 percent finished as the process begins to slow down.
“We still have quite a few more guys out there who are taking a bit more time,” Thoren said. “We were having four or five a day for the past three weeks and now we have maybe one or two.”
After an impressive 2008 finish, Grossner said vital positions to fill will be in the areas of the offensive line and tackle, as well as an impact receiver to replace senior Tyrell Spain.
He also said the staff is trying to sign three quarterbacks, two of which have already signed, to provide added depth at the position.
On the defensive end, replacing the secondary has been an emphasis, Grossner said, as well as a few linemen.
Thoren said the staff has, for the most part, fulfilled its goals for these key positions.
“We’ve done real well in the secondary and well defensive wise,” he said.
Grossner said the top two recruits have already arrived on Baker’s campus and began spring training with the team. Transfers Brandon Hill, a sophomore from Glendale Community College, and Billy Chambers, a sophomore from Coffeyville Community College, are expected to fill key roles for the 2009 season.
“We needed a D-back like Brandon with experience as well as Billy to add something in the middle for us because we lost our three starters to graduation,” Grossner said.
Hill tackled many surprises as he arrived just one week before school started. In fact, he said he hadn’t visited Baker until the first week of school, but has enjoyed football and Baker life so far.
“It’s pretty cool,” Hill said. “It’s pretty fun and the people are nice. They acknowledge you and say ‘hi,’ unlike in Arizona.”