Five former Lakers make NFL rosters

After the final game of the NFL preseason, five former Grand Valley State football players survived final cuts to make their respective team’s rosters. Defensive players Matt Judon, Brandon Carr and Dan Skuta, along with offensive players Charles Johnson and Tim Lelito will all suit up for week one of the NFL season.

Judon, the most recent GVSU graduate, made the Baltimore Ravens roster as a pass rushing specialist at the linebacker position. He is slated to backup veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs to start the season.

Carr, now a veteran cornerback in the league, will start at cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. He has started every game of his career and will be a top cornerback in the Cowboys’ defensive scheme.

Skuta, one of Carr’s teammates at GVSU, is penciled in to start at outside linebacker for his new team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Skuta spent the previous two years with the San Francisco 49ers.

Johnson will be featured in a young wide receiving core for the Minnesota Vikings. After an injury-plagued start to his career, Johnson is listed as a starting wide receiver for the Vikings.

Lelito, a former GVSU lineman, will be a starter on the New Orleans Saints offensive line. After entering the league as an undrafted free-agent in 2013, Lelito started a career-high 13 games last season on the Saints’ offensive line.

With five players on NFL rosters, GVSU has more alumni in the NFL than any other GLIAC school. The Lakers are tied with California (PA) for most alumni on the 53-man roster from an NCAA Division II school.

GV softball announces assistant coaching hire

The Grand Valley State softball team has added a new member to its coaching staff for the 2017 season. Ryan Schalk, the former head coach at Muskegon Community College, will assist in developing the Lakers’ defense while also working with batters.

Schalk led MCC to a state championship last season, boasting a 40-14 record. He was named the Michigan Community College Athletic Associations Coach of the Year in the same season.

As a head coach, Schalk finished his career at MCC with a 93-49 record. He was an assistant coach five years prior to becoming the head coach, amassing a total of 306 wins as a part of the MCC coaching staff.

Schalk will join a GVSU team that finished last season as the seventh ranked team in the nation with a 43-13 overall record.

GV football remains No. 3 in national rankings

The Grand Valley State football team stayed put in the national rankings that were released Sept. 5. The Lakers trailed behind only Northwest Missouri State and West Georgia in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

The Lakers trounced Tiffin 45-7 in the season opener at Lubbers Stadium. After the newest poll, GVSU ranked only two spots ahead of GLIAC rival Ashland. The Lakers will not play Ashland in the regular season.

GVSU’s next game will come against Lake Erie Sept. 10 at Lubbers Stadium.