Signing Day Presser: Martin on Commits - Pt 1

Head Coach Chuck Martin addressed the media today and went through each recruit and talked about their strengths, areas for improvement and how they could contribute to the Laker team.

*This is paraphrased - full comments/video will be available on the official athletics site soon:

Opening Comments
They're always looking for linemen. It is really hard to find linemen at any level and Martin said, "we feel like we really hit the jackpot with this O-Line class."

Versatility is key with the scholarship limits, that way when the recruit doesn't pan out at one position, they can play somewhere else. So they looked for multi-talented players who have played 1-2 positions and could play more down the road.

The assistants did a good job of finding "our kind of kid." Kids wirh work ethic and character. "If you're not a tremendous competitor, you won't make it here. We're excited about the competitveness of these kids. They'll be coming in and fighting for a starting position and they understand it may take longer here than elsewhere."

Chris Crawford - QB/ATH - Muskegon: "He's a special, special athlete, a dominant football player who was one of the state's best as a junior. The one thing you don't see on the tape is that his ball skills are unbelieveable." Could play QB/RB/WR/CB or safety.

Erik Thompson - RB - L'Anse Creuse North: "We're excited to have a piece of paper with his signature on it. Coach Mitchell has been recruiing him for awhile but it liked like he was a D1 player but we hung in there with him. We had a small crack, we got him in here for a visit and he and his parents loved it and he committed two weeks later. He is explosive, unbelieveably fast, strong, agile and has tremendous ball skills. Physically, he'll matchup well from the day he walks through the door here."

Luther Ware - RB/DB - Bay City Central: "Also played OLB, a different kid of back for us. A bigger kid, physical. A versatile athlete."

Myron Puryear - RB/CB - Plymouth"Not the biggert guy but great feet, good return man, great ball skills. Could be a slot WR/RB/CB."

Chad O'Shell - RB - Warren DeLaSalle: Very fast, once he gets out in the open field, no one catches him and he suits our style of offense. Very explosive and fast."

Jerren Harrison - RB/DB - Ferndale:"Tremendous senior season, very strong. A Michael Tennessee-Reggie Spearmon-Astin Martin type, not the biggest but can run between the tackles an break arm tackles. He is more of a pure tailback but he could project to cornerback as well."

Jarrod Cox - SS - Port Clinton (OH): "He is a hitter. He has tremendous ball skills. He plays a position we need some young guys at. He was a great tailback in high school, but his hitting ability excites us and he'll start out on defense. He plays a position of need so we'll get him up and running early."

Matt Sanders - FS/WR - Farmington:"Tremendous hands, he is big, strong and athletic. On defense he can run and he will strike you. 6'3 guys who can run and with good ball skills are difficult to find." Should see the field at some point...