BOWLING GREEN — In a year that looked rife for attrition in recruiting classes, Bowling Green's trek to signing day was comfortingly drama free.
On the heels of a winless season and in a year when all in-person recruiting was suspended, the players who were committed to Bowling Green stuck with the Falcons when it came time to sign letters of intent on Wednesday, cementing a class of 2021 that will be imperative for the future of the football program.
“It's like everything is set in stone now,” said Central Catholic wide receiver Tae'Shaun Johnson, BG's top-rated signee. “It's for sure now that I'm going to go to BG, and it just feels great. … It's all about growth, and you can see the growth in BG.”
Of the 22 names the Falcons announced Wednesday, eight of them came from Ohio, and another eight more came from the combination of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Indiana — the familiar regional states that Scot Loeffler's coaching staff has made an emphasis in its tenure at Bowling Green.
In December, 2018, Loeffler inherited a roster that had three players from high schools within 30 miles of BGSU. In addition to Johnson, St. John's Jesuit tight end Jaedyn McKinstry and Perrysburg lineman Cade Zimmerly are slated to start their college careers as preferred walk-ons with chances to earn full scholarships in future seasons.
Bowling Green's 2021 roster is on track to feature players from 10 different local high schools.
"I believe in taking care of your backyard," Loeffler said. "I watched Coach [Jim] Tressel do it. When I was at the University of Michigan, he took care of Ohio. He recruited some really, really good players out of Ohio, and the one thing I'll never forget about Coach Tressel's teams was their spirit about Ohio State was off the charts."
Loeffler said the enthusiasm Tressel found in Ohio prospects can be translated to the talent surrounding the two Mid-American Conference schools in northwestern Ohio.
“Northwest Ohio guys are going to love Toledo and Bowling Green. That's how it works,” Loeffler said. “Taking care of our backyard is very important. Recruiting the four-hour radius is huge. That's how you get through tough times.”
From the perspective of recruiting service, the Falcons' 2021 class was not as highly rated — 247Sports rated BG's group eighth in the MAC — as a 2020 class that ranked second in the league.
But Bowling Green checked off a number of boxes it established well before the class of 2021 actually signed. The Falcons signed three receivers, two running backs, and three defensive backs all rated as three-star players, a much-needed jolt at the skill positions.
Further, BG added four players to both the offensive and defensive lines, both of which have been hollowed in recent years.
And they won more than a few battles, particularly against MAC competition. Cincinnati Northwest linebacker Diego Neri had nine MAC offers; Chicago safety Willie Jones and Indiana defensive end Dierre Kelly both had seven. Kansas City defensive end Cashius Howell earned a late offer from Houston but stuck firm to BG.
Johnson had 12 offers, but picked BG in large part because of the relationship with Chris Hedden, the former St. Francis coach now on Loeffler’s staff.
"I talk to Coach Hedden almost every day," Johnson said. "That was a big part because it wasn't always football with Coach Hedden. We could talk about personal stuff, and he even helped me with some stuff I was going through. That relationship I have with him, I know I have people there I can trust.”
BG has three more scholarships available ahead of the February signing window.
The most recent season proved the Falcons were a long way from competitive — but changing the tide begins with recruiting, and Loeffler said “stacking” back-to-back solid classes together is a start.
“We really look at it as the base foundation of our program,” Loeffler said. “In order to build a great house, you have to have a foundation, and we needed to establish that. I think adding the ['21 class] to the [2020] class, we're starting to have a foundation, which is huge.”
First Published December 16, 2020, 11:03 p.m.
