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Adam Dorrel won't know until three or four years down the road whether his first recruiting class as the head coach at Northwest Missouri State measures up to those brought in by former coach Mel Tjeerdsma.
For the time being, he thinks it's comparable.
"The number one thing we got is we got really good athletes and we got good students," said Dorrel. "That's a start. That's all you can ask for. I look at where we're at and where we've been in the past. I think Mel would be proud of this class. I think Scott would be too."
With Dorrel as the front man and a reconfigured staff on the recruiting trail together for the first time, Northwest landed 24 high school players and four transfers on National Signing Day Wednesday.
Two other high school players have committed to Northwest, but have yet to send in their national letters of intent.
Northwest signed nine players from Missouri, five each from Kansas and Iowa, three from Nebraska, two from Illinois and one from Texas.
The Bearcats were especially active in the Kansas City area, signing seven players and four on the Kansas side.
"I thought our staff worked really hard," said Dorrel. "Recruiting is a lot of hard work. People have no idea how hard it is to develop a relationship in a short amount of time with a student-athlete, his parents, the high school football coach, so there's a lot that goes into it. Getting into their homes takes time. I was very proud of our staff's effort, the way they went out and handled their business. I thought it was a great class."
Northwest made the offensive line its top priority, signing seven players at that position.
The Bearcats also brought in five defensive backs, three defensive lineman and two running backs, receivers and tight ends and one quarterback.
Their three other recruits are classified as a long snapper, rover and athlete.
"I think there are top-notch kids from top to bottom," said Dorrel. "I think it's a great class, but to me it's the best offensive and defensive line class we've had in a while. I thought our running backs were very good. They're entirely different type of kids, but both are extremely good."
Adam Dorrel won't know until three or four years down the road whether his first recruiting class as the head coach at Northwest Missouri State measures up to those brought in by former coach Mel Tjeerdsma.
For the time being, he thinks it's comparable.
"The number one thing we got is we got really good athletes and we got good students," said Dorrel. "That's a start. That's all you can ask for. I look at where we're at and where we've been in the past. I think Mel would be proud of this class. I think Scott would be too."
With Dorrel as the front man and a reconfigured staff on the recruiting trail together for the first time, Northwest landed 24 high school players and four transfers on National Signing Day Wednesday.
Two other high school players have committed to Northwest, but have yet to send in their national letters of intent.
Northwest signed nine players from Missouri, five each from Kansas and Iowa, three from Nebraska, two from Illinois and one from Texas.
The Bearcats were especially active in the Kansas City area, signing seven players and four on the Kansas side.
"I thought our staff worked really hard," said Dorrel. "Recruiting is a lot of hard work. People have no idea how hard it is to develop a relationship in a short amount of time with a student-athlete, his parents, the high school football coach, so there's a lot that goes into it. Getting into their homes takes time. I was very proud of our staff's effort, the way they went out and handled their business. I thought it was a great class."
Northwest made the offensive line its top priority, signing seven players at that position.
The Bearcats also brought in five defensive backs, three defensive lineman and two running backs, receivers and tight ends and one quarterback.
Their three other recruits are classified as a long snapper, rover and athlete.
"I think there are top-notch kids from top to bottom," said Dorrel. "I think it's a great class, but to me it's the best offensive and defensive line class we've had in a while. I thought our running backs were very good. They're entirely different type of kids, but both are extremely good."
Although Dorrel said it wasn't their main criteria for recruiting a player, Northwest seemed to place a heavy emphasis on kids from winning programs.
The Bearcats signed players from schools like Blue Valley, Rockhurst, Blue Springs, Richmond, Iowa City (Regina HS) and Crete, Neb., all of which are powerhouse programs in their respective areas.
"We won't gong a kid from that aspect if he's not from a winning program, but I certainly like it," said Dorrel. "Personally, it says a lot to me and it helps to get kids from those programs that know the expectations on how to win and what it takes to win."
Three of Northwest's most high profile recruits—quarterback Kyle Zimmerman, defensive end Chris Foster and running back Justin Fulks— were teammates at Blue Valley, the 2010 Kansas 5A state champion and this year's 5A runner-up.
That's also the same school that Pitt State offensive coordinator Steve Rampe used to coach at.
Dorrel wouldn't confirm whether Pitt State was involved in their recruitment, but did say they "go against them a lot."
"They were kids were identified last year in the recruiting process," said Dorrel. "They were kids we identified last year in the recruiting process. They were kids we recruited extremely hard. Coach Gordon, coach Osborn did a great job recruiting them. I felt like they got into their homes and developed a relationship with them We just worked hard to get them."
Zimmerman (6-1, 183), a two-time honorable mention all-state selection, was the starting quarterback during both of Blue Valley's state title game runs.
Upon hearing he was coming to Northwest, Dorrel told a St. Joseph radio station that he let out an excited scream in his kitchen.
"I just wasn't sure on him," said Dorrel. "He had a lot of stuff going on. He was being recruited by a lot of people. I don't want to say who because I don't want to get into that. It makes me angry when I read that people are saying they beat us on kids. I'm not going to give anyone ammunition, but I know there was a lot of people recruiting him. We had that kid at camp. We felt like we knew what we were getting and we're getting a winner."
Zimmerman, Northwest's only quarterback signee, is described as a dual threat signal-caller in the mold of last year's starting quarterback Blake Christopher.
Dorrel said Zimmerman is actually "more talented athletically" than Christopher.
Fulks (5-11, 175) was a first team all-state selection each as a junior and senior. He broke the school record for career rushing yards (5,111) and touchdowns (51).
"He is a playmaker that can go the distance any time he touches it," said Dorrel.
Northwest's other Kansas City area signees are offensive lineman Zach Callahan (6-3, 270), defensive tackle Trey Randle (6-2, 275), linebacker Casey Sudhoff (6-0, 220), defensive back and DeAndre Thomas (6-2, 195).
Athletes Quanzee Johnson (5-9, 155) and P.T. Mahoney (6-5, 230) have committed to play for Northwest.
Callahan was a two-time all-state selection at Mill Valley and finished third Kansas Class 5 Wrestling Championships.
Randle was a first-team all-state lineman for perennial Class 6 power Rockhurst.
Sudhoff was a starting linebacker on the team that knocked out Rockhurst and went on to win the Class 6 title—Blue Springs South.
Thomas made all-state as a defensive back at Winnentonka. He will also run track at Northwest.
Also from the state of Missouri, Northwest nabbed long snapper Colby Bowers (Richmond), offensive lineman Zach Hilsabeck (South Nodaway), offensive lineman Kyle Meyer (Morgan County), Dylan Morris (Lawson), TJ Schieber (Hamilton) and Brock Behrndt (Lafayette-St. Louis).
Bowers (6-0, 230) was a two-time all-state selection for the Spartans who reached the Final Four in Class 3 last year and won state in 2010.
Hilsabeck, Northwest's only signee from Nodaway County, is a 6-7, 312 pound lineman. At eight-man South Nodaway, he was first-team all-district as an offensive and defensive lineman.
"I don't think it's going to be a hard transition," said Dorrel. "To me football is football. I think we've got a really good player and I mean that. I had to fight for that kid. That kid was recruited by a lot of people. I am very happy that he's coming here. I've had him in camp. I know what I'm getting. I'm getting a kid that's tough, blue-collar and he's 6-7 with a 7-0 wing span. That's unbelievable."
Schieber, a 6-3, 238-pound tight end, was named the Class 2 Defensive Player of the Year. He's a three-time all-state selection and a four-time all-conference selection.
From the state of Iowa, Northwest picked up offensive lineman Luke Guenther (Altoona), defensive back Carson Klocko (Norwalk), kicker Ben Trewyn (Bettendorf), athlete Jordan Von Roekel (Monroe) and linebacker Jacob Vollstedt (Iowa City).
All five players earned all-state honors.
Trewyn is viewed as the heir apparent to Bearcat kicker Todd Adolf who is entering his senior year. Van Roekl (6-3, 195) projects as a defensive lineman or linebacker.
Vollstedt , a 6-2, 225 pound linebacker is the most accomplished player of the group. He's a two-time MVP of the 2A state championship game and led his team to back-to-back state titles. He was first team all-state as a junior and senior.
The Bearcats three Nebraska signees are offensive lineman Chase Sherman (Crete), wide receiver Michael Wickham (Bennington) and rover Connor Wilson (Omaha).
Sherman's older brother, Brock, is a freshman linebacker at Northwest.
Wickham played quarterback in high school and was a two-time all-state selection and a three-year starter.
Defensive end Josh Falk (6-5, 205) and running back Phil Jackson II (6-0, 220) both hail from the state of Illinois which is one of defensive coordinator Richard Wright's recruiting areas. Jackson was a player that Dorrel "didn't think the Bearcats would be able to get."
"When you watch Phil on video, you notice, his big quick feet," said Dorrel. "He has great vision and an ability to finish runs. He fits well in our offense and he is a big back that is a different dimension."
Northwest's lone Texas signee is Steven Butler Jr., a 5-7 defensive back who played at the same high school as Aldwin Foster-Rettig and Fred Ngwu.
Dorrel plans to redshirt all of the freshmen in this year's class.
Transfers David Tooley (Wyoming), Brandon Dixon (Joliet JC) and Adam Vanderpool (Southern Illinois) should push for playing time right away.
Tooley, a 6-5, 200 pound receiver from Moberly, played in 10 games a true freshman at Wyoming. He's coming off an injury that may cause him to miss part or all of spring practice.
"What I saw him do at Wyoming, there's no question he could help our football team in a big-time way," said Dorrel. "He's a very special player."
Vanderpool, a 6-6, 275 pound offensive lineman from Park Hill South, was targeted by the Bearcats last year before signing with Southern Illinois.
Dorrel said he would've been the top recruit in last year's class and will push to start at right tackle or right guard.
He redshirted at Southern Illinois and has four years of eligibility remaining.
Northwest Missouri State's 2012 Recruiting Class
High School Signees
Name Position Height Weight Hometown
Colby Bowers LS 6-0 230 Richmond, Mo.
Brock Behrndt TE 6-5 240 St. Louis, Mo.
Steven Butler Jr. DB 5-7 160 Mesquite Texas
Zach Callahan OL 6-3 270 Shawnee, Kan.
Joshua Falk DE 6-5 205 Joliet, Ill.
Chris Foster DE 6-5 220 Overland Park, Kan.
Justin Fulks RB 5-11 175 Overland Park, Kan.
Luke Guenther OL 6-6 245 Altoona, Iowa
Zach Hilsabeck OL 6-7 312 Barnard, Mo.
Phil Jackson II RB 6-2 220 Carol Stream, Ill.
Carson Klocko DB 6-2 185 Norwalk, Iowa
Kyle Meyer OL 6-3 245 Versailles, Mo.
Dylan Morris OL 6-5 270 Lawson, Mo.
Trey Randle DT 6-2 275 Kansas City, Mo.
TJ Schieber TE 6-3 238 Hamilton, Mo.
Chase Sherman OL 6-0 270 Crete, Neb.
Casey Sudhoff LB 6-0 220 Blue Springs, Mo.
DeAndre Thomas DB 6-2 195 Gladstone, Mo.
Ben Trewyn K 5-11 195 Bettendorf, Iowa
Jordan Van Roekel Ath. 6-3 195 Monroe, Iowa
Jacob Vollstedt LB 6-2 225 Iowa City, Iowa
Michael Wickham WR 6-3 190 Bennington, Neb.
Connor Wilson Rover 6-1 205 Omaha, Neb.
Kyle Zimmerman QB 6-1 183 Overland Park, Kan.
Comitted to play at Northwest
Quanzee Johnson Ath 5-9 155 Shawnee, Kan.
P. T. Mahoney Ath 6-5 230 Belton, Mo.
Transfers
Position Height Weight Previous School
David Tooley WR 6-5 203 Wyoming
Brandon Dixon DB 6-0 195 Joliet JC
Stacy Whitaker DB 6-2 185 Tarleton State
Adam Vanderpool OL 6-6 275 Southern Illinois
