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Groundhog’s Day is tomorrow, and today is college football’s second National Signing Day. While the early (normal?) signing period has been in the books for just over two months now, the second signing period is now opened, and Eastern Michigan had the pleasure of officially welcoming eight new additions to its roster.
Most of the new signees are already on campus. Six of them were transfers who committed after the early signing period but are currently enrolled at EMU in time for spring ball. The other two new signees are preferred walk-ons who will join the team with the majority of the freshman class in the summer.
Three new signees are offensive linemen: Chris Mayo from West Virginia — the highest-graded offensive player out of high school to come to EMU — Dan Sunderman from Central Missouri, and Owen Snively from Colorado State.
Sunderman, a three-time all-conference guard at the D2-level, is the only graduate transfer to come to EMU this winter.
EMU added a pair of wide receivers who didn’t get much playing time at their former Big Ten schools: Terry Lockett Jr. from Michigan State, and Javon Swinton from Indiana. The third receiver added will go to the tight ends room: C.J. Horton. Horton was a former walk-on receiver at Kansas State before he went the junior college route (Iowa Western C.C.). Horton was a junior college teammate with cornerback Jaheim Jenkins, who signed with EMU in December after they won a junior college national championship together.
In total, EMU will see 27 new players.
Offensively, EMU has signed one quarterback from the junior college ranks, added two high school running backs (one early enrollee, one walk-on), four wide receivers (two transfers, two prep), three tight ends (two HS signees, and a converted wide receiver from JUCO), and six O-linemen (one grad transfer, two transfers that each have three years of eligibility remaining, three high schoolers. One of the HS players is an early enrollee).
On defense, EMU inked five D-linemen (four HS players, one JUCO transfer), one linebacker (in-state HS), one safety (freshman, early enrollee), and four cornerbacks (one JUCO, two high school players on scholarship, one walk-on).
Eastern Michigan Football Signing Class of 2023
Italics = February signees | ** = Walk-on | (IFS) = In For Spring, currently on campus, with team | Recruiting score via 247sports composite
QB, Ike Udengwu III (IFS) (Paramount, Calif. - Mt. San Antonio College) / NR
RB, Deion Brown (IFS) (St. Louis, Mo. - Kirkwood HS) / 3-star
RB, Joey Mattord** (Hartland, Mich. - Hartland HS) / NR
WR, Terry Lockett Jr. (IFS) (Minneapolis, Minn. - Minnehaha Academy; Michigan State) / 3-star
WR, Javon Swinton (IFS) (Stafford, Va. - North Stafford HS; Indiana) / 3-star
WR, Joseph Walker Jr. (Indianapolis, Ind. - Warren Central HS) / 3-star
WR, Makhail Wood (Hoschton, Ga. - Mill Creek HS) / 3-star
TE, Cedric Anton (IFS) (Rabun Gap, Ga. - Rabun Gap-Nacoochee HS) / 3-star
TE, Gabe Hoffmann (Sammamish, Wash. - Eastside Catholic HS) / NR
TE, C.J. Horton (IFS) (Fort Scott, Kan. - Fort Scott HS; Kansas State, Iowa Western C.C.) / NR
OL, Chris Mayo (IFS) (Highstown, N.J. - The Peddie School; West Virginia) / 3-star
OL, Kellen McDonough (Pittsburgh, Pa. - Woodland Hills HS) / NR
OL, Terrance Saunders (Stilwell, Kan. - Blue Valley West HS) / NR
OL, Owen Snively (IFS) (Tilton, N.H. - Tilton HS; Colorado State) / 3-star
OL, Dan Sunderman (IFS) (Omaha, Neb. - Millard South HS; Central Missouri) / NR
OL, Trenton VanBoening (IFS) (Libertyville, Ill. - Libertyville HS) / 3-star
DE, Messiah Blair (Detroit, Mich. - Martin Luther King HS) / 3-star
DE, Luke Fletcher (Port Huron, Mich. - Porth Huron Northern HS) / 3-star
DT, Ugochukwu Nosike (IFS) (South Holland, Ill. - Butler C.C.) / 2-star
DT, Malik Tullis (Fairburn, Ga. - Creekside HS) / 3-star
DL, Kevion Wellington (Indianapolis, Ind. - North Central HS) / 2-star
LB, Bryce Eliuk (Linden, Mich. - Linden HS) / 2-star
S, Jaivian Norman (IFS) (Springfield, Ohio - Springfield HS) / 3-star
CB, Chase Arrington** (Pittsburg, Pa. - North Catholic HS) / NR
CB, Caleb Dobbs (Cocoa, Fla. - Cocoa HS) / 3-star
CB, Jaheim Jenkins (IFS) (Bainbridge, Ga. - Iowa Western C.C.) / NR
CB, Daiquan White (Fairburn, Ga. - Creekside HS) / 3-star