29 high school football players officially sign as Lakers on 2020 National Signing Day

Courtesy+%7C+GVSULakers.com

Courtesy | GVSULakers.com

Kellen Voss, Sports Editor

The Grand Valley State football team announced on Wednesday the signing of 29 student athletes to attend GVSU and play football for the Lakers in the fall of 2020.

 “We evaluated the makeup of our entire team, with an emphasis on the last three classes to build the 2020 class,” said GVSU Head Coach Matt Mitchell. “We had specific needs in terms of position, but we also wanted to take the best player available regardless of position if the opportunity arose.”

The 2020 class consists of mostly players from Michigan (29), but have also found talented recruits from Indiana (6), Illinois (5) and Ohio (4) who will be taking classes in Allendale in the Fall.

When speaking to Mitchell about recruiting following the 2019 season, he emphasized the importance of recruiting players who are winners, as they added a lot of players that played in the State finals a few short months ago.

 “We really feel the 2020 class is great compliment to our 2018 and 2019 classes and the depth we have been able to build in positions of need on both sides of the ball,” Mitchell said. “In addition, we want to build a competitive situation at every position that will allow us to have great competition for playing time. It is also essential that we find the right fit in the classroom and socially. We are extremely proud of our student-athletes academic success rating, which is among the leaders in both the GLIAC and NCAA.”

The Lakers gained 18 players on the defensive end, with five defensive linemen, three linebackers and 10 defensive backs, the most of any position recruited by GVSU.

GVSU also gained some firepower on the offensive end, as they recruited one quarterback, four wide receivers, two running backs and four offensive linemen.

Last season, the Lakers went 8-3, with a 5-3 record in the GLIAC. They look to get the 2020 season started off on the right foot on Thursday, Sept. 3, as they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Edinboro.