Ashland University football announces 2022 recruiting class, reveals schedule

The Ashland University football team held its annual national signing day on Wednesday, and veteran coach Lee Owens was elated over his new list of recruits.

But Owens, who will begin his 19th season at AU this fall, said things are a bit different this time around since the Eagles already have a roster of 120 players on campus.

"Numbers-wise, we really had to be careful of how many roster spots we filled and how much money we spent, so we were a little more selective in the players we brought in," Owens said. "I say that today and our numbers are still growing, so if you do the math that's going to be a lot of players that are here."

Players being given an extra COVID year has also enhanced the positioning of the Eagles for the coming season.

"We talk about our 'super seniors' and we've got a lot of guys coming back for their sixth year," Owens said. "(Quarterback Austin) Brenner (who was injured last season) and (wide receiver) Logan Bolin are coming back. You know, guys no one thought would play again for their sixth year and they're part of that 'super senior' group."

Owens said the other thing they're dealing with is how the transfer portal has grown and expanded. Athletes from all three NCAA divisions (I, II and III) can post notices of their intent to transfer, allowing coaches to search for players to recruit.

"It's a tool athletes use much more than ever before with immediate eligibility, and we ended up taking three off the portal," Owens said. "(We) really tried to save some money in some roster spots because we're going to get constantly contacted until the end of the school year by guys who go on the portal."

Owens also said the NCAA has changed its requirements in terms of what it takes to be eligible.

"There's no longer a test requirement, so more and more players are out there that are eligible and going to different schools who never would have had the chance to go before because they wouldn't have had any eligibility as they do now," he said. "The whole landscape of recruiting has been a little bit different because of that."

Owens: A quality group of student-athletes signed with AU

Owens said the team felt a little thin at quarterback.

"With Brenner's situation coming back from the injury, we know if anybody can do it, he can do it, and we did play the two freshmen (Trent Maddox, Cameron Blair) last year, and they both performed well," Owens said. "We knew we had to get another scholarship player, and we were on some really good freshmen but again, the portal thing jumped up and Trevor (Bycznski, a 6-foot-5, 239-pound transfer from Division I Buffalo) became available.

"To get a talent like Trevor was a big deal we thought. He's got the COVID year, too, so he has three years left and only played one year. Again, he was one of the top high school players his senior year at Berea-Midpark, in the state, in the country."

Another key transfer is Jent Joseph, a 5-11, 160-pound wide receiver from New Philadelphia who is coming from Eastern Michigan.

"Jent kind of got involved in the portal, came down and worked out in our facility and transferred to our school," Owens said. "So, there's a couple of perfect examples of just really adding strength to your program with some D-I players right away."

Linemen were also targeted by Owens and his staff as the Eagles landed a top offensive tackle in Damarion Stone, a 6-6, 330-pounder from Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati.

"He ran a 5.2 in the indoor facility, played for the state championship team at left tackle," Owens said. "He's the blind side prototype kind of young man so, again, he can be a player, in my opinion, who has a chance to play right away."

Area players have always been a key in any recruitment class under Owens, and that remained true again this go-round.

Running back Nick Cole (5-9, 165) played at Plymouth High School and earned All-Firelands Conference honors while getting varsity letters in football (two), basketball (two) and track and field (four).

Quarterback Peyton Lemon (5-11, 190) played at Waynedale High School, where he recorded 44 career touchdown passes and 22 touchdown passes in a season (both program records) and was the program's career passing yards leader. He was named third-team All-Ohio, first-team all-district and was a two-time All-Wayne County Athletic League selection. He earned varsity letters in football (four), wrestling (four) and track and field (three).

Ashland's top-notch facilities help lure players

The Dwight Schar Athletic Complex and Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field certainly have helped in the recruiting process. Adding the Niss Athletic Training Center to the mix has only enhanced AU's ability to land top players.

"The whole process of recruiting is changing and transfer athletes are becoming a much bigger part of it, and the other thing is I think we're close to being a really, really good team and to get some guys in here early, get some guys we think are impact players in here early would really give us a chance," Owens said. "And having the indoor facility. In Division II you're allowed to try out every athlete signed, and we could never do that before and get accurate numbers on them and have them go through drills. I think it's really helped our evaluation to be able to do that.

“And on top of it, not only does it help your evaluation, it's a pretty attractive deal with those recruits when they walk into that first-class facility and have the opportunity to get that kind of attention and work out this time of year. That, to me, was the two things that really made a difference for us."

AU’s 2022 schedule features six home games

Six home games will be played this upcoming season at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field. AU starts the season with a nonleague game against Notre Dame College on Sept. 1.

The Eagles then travel to Findlay Sept. 10 to begin Great Midwest Athletic Conference play before returning home Sept. 17 to take on Lindenwood University in nonconference action.

"We're playing Lindenwood, who was a playoff team last year, playing against Grand Valley in the first round," Owens said. “Northwood is coming into our conference, so they're coming in (Oct. 1), and we open against Notre Dame and Findlay, two playoff teams from last year.

"Our league schedule is now eight games, and we're playing three nonleague games (also at Quincy on Sept. 24), so Quincy and Lindenwood are two Great Lakes Valley Conference crossover games. It's worked out good for us because it's been 10 years since we've had six home games in a regular season."

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland U football announces 2022 recruiting class, schedule