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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Coach Announces, Comments On Incoming Class Of 2012
June 04, 2008 | Football
Head coach Roger Hughes announced the Football Class of 2012 one day after the Class of 2008 graduated from Princeton University. Coach Hughes also commented specifically on each player.
Matt Allen is a 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman from Tulsa, Okla. He will graduate this year from Holland Hall High School.
“Matt is a big Oklahoma kid who was offered at SMU but chose to come to Princeton. He has a chance to help us a little as a freshman next season. He's a good kid, very explosive.”
Cameron Browne is a 6-4, 240-pound offensive lineman from Lakewood, Colo. He will graduate this year from Bear Creek High School.
“I think Cameron is a good athlete who moves well and could possibly play the center, guard or tackle position. His school loves him. He's done a great job at his school, and he is a great leader. His father played in the pros, and I think he will be a very good player.”
Nick Broz is a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker from Denver, Colo. He will graduate this year from Regis Jesuit High School.
“Nick is a good, tough, hard-nosed kid who makes a lot of tackles. We really liked his range and think he can be a good player.”
Mike Catapano is a 6-4, 230-pound defensive lineman from Bayville, N.Y. He will graduate this year from Chaminade High School.
“Believe it or not, Mike played fullback in high school at 6-4, 230 pounds. He has really long arms, and I like how physical he is. We're going to start him off at defensive end, but he has the versatility to play end, defensive tackle, tight end or fullback. He's a great athlete who moves pretty well.”
Ivan Charbonneau is a 5-8, 160-pound defensive back from Kansas City, Kan. He will graduate this year from Rockhurst High School.
“Ivan is a defensive back who moves pretty well and is a pretty tough kid. He's from the Midwest, where football is very important, and he's going to be a great program kid who could contribute to special teams next year.”
Blake Clemons is a 5-9, 160-pound defensive back from Hampton, Ga. He will graduate this year from Lovejoy High School.
“Blake is an outstanding young man. He's a defensive back who is versatile enough to play safety, although we'll start him off at corner. He's good on special teams, and I think he'll add to the athleticism in the secondary.”
Chance Cross is a 6-2, 205 pound defensive back from Simi Valley, Calif. He will graduate this year from Simi Valley High School.
“Chance is a great baseball player as well and may end up playing two sports here. He's a very good outfielder. Tough kid, deep snapper, so right away he becomes very valuable with his ability as a snapper.”
Harrison Daniels is a 6-2, 180-pound quarterback from Naperville, Ill. He will graduate this year from Naperville Central High School.
“Harrison is a tough kid. He's a little raw as a quarterback, but his brother, Owen, is the starting tight end for the Houston Texans. Harrison isn't as big as his brother right now, but he has the potential to grow that way. He understands football. The sport is very important to him.”
Kevin Demaio is a 6-4, 260-pound defensive lineman from Holmdel, N.J. He will graduate this year from Holmdel High School.
“Kevin is a big defensive lineman that we hope can help the rotation this year. We hope he works to that level as the season goes on. Tough kid, explosive and he has good size, which we haven't had as much from our freshman linemen. They've had to grow into it, where he comes in at 260 and could help Matt Koch at the nose guard position as the season goes on.”
Drew Ellis is a 6-1, 180-pound quarterback from Myrtle Beach, S.C. He will graduate this year from Myrtle Beach High School.
“Drew Ellis is a bit of a wild card in this class. He was a very good quarterback as a junior. He did everything we do, from reading the option to throwing the ball and running it. He developed mono as a senior. One of the things that really attracted me to him was that, when he missed six games, his team was still winning, so although he was clearly the best quarterback, he told the coach that he didn't want to disrupt anything. It wasn't about him, it was about the team, so they played him at wide receiver. He's a wild card because he hasn't played quarterback in a while, but he came to our spring game, sat in a couple quarterback meetings and really picked things up quickly.”
Jaiye Falusi is a 6-2, 205-pound defensive back from San Jose, Calif. He will graduate this year from Archbishop Mitty High School.
“Jaiye played corner, believe it or not, at 6-2, 205 pounds. He has a body that can play D-end, outside linebacker, corner or safety. He can run, he can move and he has really only played football for one year. He's another diamond in the rough that we think can really develop into something.”
Dan Fitzsimmons is a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker from Flemington, N.J. He will graduate this year from Hunterdon Central High School.
“Dan is a local kid, a tough kid who is also a very good baseball player. I want to say he hit over .320 in high school for a very good team. He's a tough kid who could play fullback or could play linebacker. We'll start him off at linebacker and see what happens. He's a good special teams player and he comes out of the same mold as another Hunterdon Central product, Rob Toresco. Both kids are tough and versatile.”
Otavio Fleury is a 5-10, 195-pound punter from Oswego, Ill. He will graduate this year from Oswego High School.
“Otavio has an interesting story. His father came here from South America, and Otavio has evolved into a pretty good punter. He is so appreciative of the opportunity that he has after coming from South America, where there wasn't much opportunity for him or his family. Coming to Princeton is a dream come true for him. He is going to have to step in immediately as a backup punter, because we really don't have one right now. Ryan is our senior starter, but Otavio may be on the bus as the backup as a freshman.”
Ryan Gallagher is a 6-2, 215-pound linebacker from West Chester, Pa. He will graduate this year from East High School.
“Ryan is a versatile, hard-nosed linebacker with a lot of range. He wants to be an engineering student here. He was just selected to play in the Western Pennsylvania all-star game. I think he is versatile because he is 6-2 and can run. He could eventually grow into an inside linebacker, but we'll start him off on the outside. With him, speed is everything. He plays very fast.”
Chris Grous is a 6-3, 220-pound offensive lineman from Sewell, N.J. He will graduate this year from Bishop Eustace High School.
“Chris is good athlete who we will start off on the offensive line, but he could move around some, depending on how he grows into his body. We like his athleticism and we like his agility. He's undersized now, but with our strength program, we think he can grow plenty.”
Jon Hibler is a 6-2, 175-pound wide receiver from Midland, Texas. He will graduate this year from Midland Christian High School.
“Jon is another big kid, 6-2, who moves pretty well. He's a tough kid from Texas, very physical on the perimeter. I think he will help us improve the size of our wideouts. Most of our wideouts coming in are about 6-2 now. He's a long, lanky kid who I think has a lot of upside.”
Patrick Jacob is a 5-9, 170-pound kicker from Solon, Ohio. He will graduate this year from Solon High School.
“Patrick is a good kicker. He could figure into the mix early on because he is a good kickoff guy, and that's an area we struggled. He'll have a chance to help us immediately.”
Brad Megay is a 6-2, 220-pound linebacker from Pottstown, Pa. He will graduate this year from Owen J. Roberts High School.
“Brad is a big linebacker/tight end. He was also elected to that same Western Pennsylvania all-star team I mentioned before. We're starting him off at outside linebacker, but he has the size potential to move to defensive end. He could also become a Zak Keasey-type, who we move inside and put over the opposing team's worst pass defender or pass blocker to get extra pressure on the quarterback.”
Jonathan Meyers is a 6-0, 255-pound linebacker from Greenwich, Conn. He will graduate this year from Greenwich High School.
“Jonathan is our first two-sport athlete to be recruited by both football and lacrosse that has matriculated. He has tremendous, tremendous upside. He's versatile, he's fast, he has played running back and linebacker. We'll start him off at linebacker, but he could move to running back if our depth situation becomes a problem. He's just a great athlete that had offers all over the country. At minimum, we hope he contributes this year in special teams, but hopefully it can be like a situation two years ago, when we rotated nine linebackers, including two freshmen.”
Mike Milano is a 6-0, 190-pound linebacker from New Canaan, Conn. He will graduate this year from New Canaan High School.
“Mike Milano is the nephew of a Princeton alum, a former linebacker. He is also the grandson of Peter Milano, who played with Dick Kazmaier on those great Princeton teams of the 1950s. He's a tough, hard-nosed kid who was a great wrestler. I believe he went to the state tournament in wrestling. He was in our camp last year and showed his toughness. He demonstrated mobility. He needs to work on his speed a little bit, but we like him inside because of his physical style and the toughness that he brings.”
Kevin Mill is a 6-2, 245-pound offensive lineman from West Chester, Pa. He will graduate this year from East High School.
“Another kid chosen to play in the Western Pa. all-star game, Kevin is a tough kid who may be a little undersized coming in as a freshman, but he's very athletic and physical. He plays with a lot of passion. He snapped the ball all the time, so we hope he can come in and help us as a backup center.”
John Moellers is a 6-5, 245-pound tight end from Tulsa, Okla. He will graduate this year from Cascia Hall Prep School.
“John is another wild card in this class. He's a tight end right now, but I think he is athletic enough to play a lot of positions, including defensive end and outside linebacker. He's really just learning the tight end position, but he's going to grow into his body. He's long, he's lanky, and hopefully he can continue to be the type of tight end we split out and use as an offensive threat.”
Mike Muha is a 6-4, 240-pound defensive lineman from Coraopolis, Pa. He played at Montour High School.
“Mike was an all-league defensive lineman in the Pittsburgh area who had some offers from a couple of Colonial schools, like William & Mary. He's another freshman we hope fits into that defensive line rotation. He's a very tough, very physical kid who plays low. He makes a lot of plays.”
Grant Serdy is a 6-0, 215-pound fullback from Pittsburgh, Pa. He will graduate this year from Upper Saint Clair High School.
“Grant is an awesome player out of Upper Saint Clair. He played safety, he played linebacker and he played fullback. We're going to start him off at fullback. The best compliment I can give him is that he's just a football player. He has a nose for the ball and he loves the physical aspect of the game. He plays with a lot of passion and emotion, and we hope he brings that to the field here.”
Isaac Serwanga is a 6-3, 185-pound wide receiver from Sacramento, Calif. He will graduate this year from Jesuit High School.
“Isaac has had two brothers, Kato and Wasswa, play professionally. He's another big, 6-3 wide receiver. His mother emigrated from Uganda. He has really done a phenomenal job at Jesuit High School. He has made himself into a very good player despite really only playing a lot the last two years. I think, because of his frame size, he has a lot of upside. He runs very well, and he just needs to impove his ball skills some. But I think he has the chance to be pretty good.”
Adam Shippey is a 6-4, 220-pound defensive lineman from Lawrenceville, N.J. He will graduate this year from Culver Academies.
“Adam's a big kid, 6-4 and 220, which is what we are trying to get on the defensive line. He's a very good athlete who covers a lot of ground. He played outside linebacker and defensive end. I think he could do both here. He has the body type that, if he puts on a lot of weight, he could play inside. If he stays where he is, he could stay outside. I think he could add early depth wherever he plays.”
Tommy Stewart is a 6-3, 205-pound wide receiver from Eugene, Ore. He will graduate this year from Sheldon High School.
“Tommy is another big wide receiver who moves very well. He has good ball skills and could possibly help us as a freshman. He's probably the most polished of the three freshmen coming in and he's had the most experience. I think he could be the type of receiver that we're hoping Will Thanheiser will be this season.”
Eric Stoyanoff is a 5-10, 205-pound tailback from Strongsville, Ohio. He will graduate this year from Strongsville High School.
“Eric is a physical running back out of Ohio. He's a shorter, thick kid who runs physically and is a slasher type. He has good speed, not great speed, but he has great instincts and understands angles to attack.”
Nick Thomas is a 5-10, 180-pound cornerback from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. He will graduate this year from Brother Rice High School.
“Nick is a corner with good speed and ball skills. He plays much taller than his stature and is able to elevate to cover larger receivers.”
Matt Wakulchik is a 6-1, 185-pound defensive back from North Canton, Ohio. He will graduate this year from Hoover High School.
“Matt is more of a safety, although I think he could play corner. We'll start him off at one of the safety positions. He's a tough kid and another good special teams player.”
Trevor Wilkins is a 5-10, 180-pound defensive back from Chicago, Ill. He will graduate this year from Whitney Young High School.
“Trevor is a tremendous athlete. He is a cover corner, but has good physicality and plays with a lot of attitude and plays with a passion I like. He had some big-time looks from some MAC schools. Again, at minimum, we hope we get some special teams work from him, but hopefully he can challenge for time in the rotation, much like Dan Kopolovich did.”
Tommy Wornham is a 6-2, 190-pound quarterback from San Diego, Calif. He will graduate this year from The Bishop's School.
“Tommy is a quarterback out of Bishop's School. His team went deep in the state tournament. He missed a couple games in the season with an injury, but he came back in and did very well. He runs well and throws well. He's not the 6-4 prototype, but he understands football, and all he's done since he's been there is win. I think that winning attitude, plus his work ethic, will make him very good.”