West Virginia Wesleyan football coach Bill Struble likes what he sees when he looks over his latest class of recruits. “This is an extraordinarily talented and versatile group,” said the veteran coach. “It is a class with excellent maturity and an obvious passion to be a part of the proud tradition of Wesleyan football. I am extremely happy with the job our coaches did this recruiting season.”

The class of 2006 currently includes 43 players, including 11 players from the state of West Virginia. Other states heavily recruited include Florida (eight players), Pennsylvania (seven), and California (five). “We always like to look at in-state players,” stated Struble. “You have to get the great ones here at home and I think we did that with several players.”

Local in-state players include Buckhannon-Upshur’s Keith Branch and Brandon Long, Elkins’ Roy Schneider, Clarksburg Notre Dame’s Steve Hargiss, Morgantown’s Mike Price, and Doddridge County’s Josh Dilger.

When broken down by position, this year’s recruiting class was almost a 50-50 split between the offense (21) and defense (22) with four players listed on both sides of the ball.

Struble notes that the coaches have brought in a strong group of linebackers and offensive and defensive lineman. “We will have to wait and see what happens in the fall and evaluate how these new players can help us the best,” noted Struble. “But I believe that we have some players coming in that will be able to make an impact for us on the field immediately.”

Two of the incoming players Struble is high on are junior-college transfers Carlos Downey from Mount San Jacinto Community College, Escondido, CA and Yemi Shonibare from Lackawanna Junior College, Bowie, MD. Downey is a 6-2, 310-pound offensive lineman while Shonibare is a 5-8, 175-pound defensive back. “Downey has a lot of upside. He is a very good athlete for someone his size. He could come in and vie for playing time right away at one of the offensive line positions. Shonibare is a smart kid who is a savvy player with a lot of confidence.”

Struble hopes to land at least three to five more recruits before the fall season begins in August. Wesleyan, who has won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship two of the last four years, is looking to rebound from a disappointing three-win season. “I am really excited about our prospects,” concluded Struble. “We were able to address our needs with a talented group of incoming freshmen. I feel we are off to a great start to the 2006 season.”

Click here for a complete list of 2006 football recruits.