Seawolves Add 25 Names to Roster for 2009 Stony Brook, N.Y. -
Stony Brook University head football coach Chuck Priore has announced a 2009 recruiting class of 25 players that will be taking the field next fall for the Seawolves. Stony Brook is coming off its first season as a member of the Big South Conference, finishing in second-place with a 3-2 conference record. This is the fourth recruiting class for Priore, who saw his team win four of its last five games in 2008 and finish ninth in the nation in rushing offense.
"With the combination of losing the number of seniors we had and our increase to the full 63 scholarships for an FCS program, we were able to examine our program and take care of our needs from the bottom up," remarked Priore. "We have been able to plug in some players in January to help our immediate needs as well as bringing in a group of freshmen that will be very important to the class."
Stony Brook's class includes eight players that are already enrolled at SBU and will participate in spring practice in preparation for the fall season. The Seawolves picked up the majority of their class from California, with 10 of the players on the list hailing from the West Coast. Four players from the local New York area have also committed to Stony Brook, along with three each from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, two from Florida and one each from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Texas.
"Having the full scholarships this year helped us to bring in a real freshman class for the first time," said Priore. "Now we can start redshirting some kids and get some fifth-year players in our program. That was a major thought in our recruiting process this year. Now we can take a player that we can project into the future and not necessarily have them be an impact player right away. We can allow our strength and conditioning program to put them in position to be a great player."
Stony Brook University head football coach Chuck Priore has announced a 2009 recruiting class of 25 players that will be taking the field next fall for the Seawolves. Stony Brook is coming off its first season as a member of the Big South Conference, finishing in second-place with a 3-2 conference record. This is the fourth recruiting class for Priore, who saw his team win four of its last five games in 2008 and finish ninth in the nation in rushing offense.
"With the combination of losing the number of seniors we had and our increase to the full 63 scholarships for an FCS program, we were able to examine our program and take care of our needs from the bottom up," remarked Priore. "We have been able to plug in some players in January to help our immediate needs as well as bringing in a group of freshmen that will be very important to the class."
Stony Brook's class includes eight players that are already enrolled at SBU and will participate in spring practice in preparation for the fall season. The Seawolves picked up the majority of their class from California, with 10 of the players on the list hailing from the West Coast. Four players from the local New York area have also committed to Stony Brook, along with three each from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, two from Florida and one each from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Texas.
"Having the full scholarships this year helped us to bring in a real freshman class for the first time," said Priore. "Now we can start redshirting some kids and get some fifth-year players in our program. That was a major thought in our recruiting process this year. Now we can take a player that we can project into the future and not necessarily have them be an impact player right away. We can allow our strength and conditioning program to put them in position to be a great player."
