Click Here For Video
Albany, NY -- University at Albany head football coach Bob Ford will welcome 19 freshmen and one transfer for the 2012 season, as announced on Signing Day, on Feb. 1, 2012. Nineteen student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Great Dane program, while UAlbany will also bring in one transfer from Colgate University.
Local products Matt Campion (Stillwater), Nick Ketter (Queensbury) and Jonathan Martin (Bethlehem Central) will all be wearing purple and gold next season. Campion, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive tackle, was named to the Times Union Small School First Team, and was also a Class C North First Team member. Ketter is a 6-foot-4 tight end, and was named to the Times Union Large School First Team, as well as earning the Section II Class A Player of the Year award. He was also a Third Team All-State honoree. Martin was the Class AA Empire Division First Team kicker/punter of the year after averaging 37.11 yards on 28 punts as a senior. All three student-athletes played in the Section II Exceptional Senior All-Star Game this fall.
Six other New York natives will also be gracing the 2012 roster, including 6-foot-0 safety Rayshan Clark, the Section III All-North MVP out of Indian River High School. Clark was also on the All-State First Team and was an All-CNY First Team member, along with Jon McGriff and Adam Wierbinski. McGriff is a 6-foot-3 defensive end out of Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, and was also named to the All-State Sixth team. Wierbinski, a 6-foot-3 offensive tackle, was a two-time captain at West Genesee.
Ryan Spelman is a 6-foot-1 quarterback, who was a two-time Section IX AA All-Section and All-League honoree, as well as a two-time captain and MVP for Monroe-Woodbury High School. As a junior, Spelman was a Fourth-Team All-State selection, and was named to the All-State Third Team as a senior. Parrish McKnight and Christian Harris were both named First Team All-Greater Rochester, and First Team All-Monroe County. McKnight, who was named to the All-State Sixth Team, is a 5-foot-10 all-purpose athlete from Webster Schroeder High School. Harris, a 6-foot-0 strong safety, was an All-State Fourth Team defensive back out of Rush Henrietta.
UAlbany continues to bring in accomplished players from the state of New Jersey, as the Great Danes signed four players from the Garden State for 2012. Cody Greenhagen is a 6-foot-0 inside linebacker from Morris Knolls High School, and was named First-Team All-Morris County and First-Team NJAC National Division. He also earned Second-Team All-Star Group 4 honors and was a US Army All-American Combine participant. Power Lawrence out of Montclair Kimberly Academy, is a 5-foot-11 running back, who was named Third-Team All-Essex County and First-Team Super Essex Conference after recording 1,004 rushing yards with eight touchdowns and 467 yards receiving with three touchdowns.
Terrence Russell joins the Great Danes from West Orange High School as a 6-foot-1 outside linebacker. Russell was named Second-Team Super Essex Conference as a senior. The final newcomer from New Jersey is Domenic LaFragola, a 6-foot-2 center out of Holy Spirit High School. He was a Second-Team Press All-Star and was named to the All-Cape Atlantic League.
The Great Danes also welcome players from both east and west of the New York borders. Sam Hutchings, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Rhode Island, becomes the first UAlbany recruit from his state. Hutchings, who attended prep school at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, he was the 2011 Offensive Lineman of the Year, and was named First-Team All-State and was a Rhode Island/Connecticut All-Star Game participant in 2010. UAlbany welcomes two players from Ohio in Dylan Seibel and Dirk Weisenburger. Seibel is a 6-foot-5 tight end, coming from Lake High School. He was Second-Team All-Federal League and Honorable Mention All-Stark County, en route to playing in the Northeast Ohio Thanksgiving All-Star Game. Weisenburger is a 6-foot-6 offensive tackle out of Norwalk High School, and was named First-Team All-Conference and D2 All-District, as well as being an Honorable Mention All-Ohio selection.
Maryland and Virginia also send student-athletes to the Capital Region, in the form of Michael Nicastro and Cameron Lewis. Nicastro, a 5-foot-11 outside linebacker from Our Lady of Good Counsel, was a 2011 team captain and a Second-Team WCAC selection. Lewis is a 5-foot-9 wide receiver and punt returner coming out of Robert E. Lee High School. He was named First-Team All-Patriot Conference after recording 48 receptions for 700 yards, and also returned two punts for touchdowns. The final freshman signee is Jojo McClary, a 5-foot-8 corner out of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. McClary was an All-Star Second-Team honoree and was a Second-Team Broward County honoree.
Joining the team as a transfer from Colgate University is local product Ryan Smith. A 6-foot-2 quarterback out of Guilderland High School, Smith was a Times Union All-Area First Team member in 2009 and 2010, and was named Third-Team All-State in 2001. He completed 114 of 234 passes for 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2010.
"Overall, we met our needs," said UAlbany head coach Bob Ford, who will be entering his 40th varsity season in 2012. "We are still looking to fill some spots on the defensive line, but we got some strong offensive line, skill positions and an excellent kicker. It is a very good class."
2012 UAlbany Football NLI Signees
Matthew Campion - 6-5, 330, OT, Stillwater, N.Y./Stillwater
Rayshan Clark - 6-0, 180, SS, Theresa, N.Y./Indian River
Cody Greenhagen - 6-0, 220, ILB, Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls
Christian Harris - 6-0, 205, SS, West Henrietta, N.Y./Rush Henrietta
Sam Hutchings - 6-2, 270, G, Barrington, R.I./Worcester Academy
Nick Ketter - 6-4, 210, TE/H, Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury
Domenic LaFragola - 6-2, 275, C, Little Egg Harbor, N.J./Holy Spirit
Power Lawrence - 5-11, 185, RB, Bloomfield, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy
Cameron Lewis - 5-9, 175, WR, Springfield, Va./Robert E. Lee
Jonathan Martin - 6-2, 185, K/P, Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central
Jojo McClary - 5-8, 160, CB, Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Saint Thomas Aquinas
Jon McGriff - 6-3, 220, DE, Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy
Parrish McKnight - 5-10, 190, Ath., Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder
Michael Nicastro - 5-11, 210, OLB, Clarksville, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel
Terrence Russell - 6-1, 215, OLB, West Orange, N.J./West Orange
Dylan Seibel - 6-5, 215, TE, Uniontown, Ohio/Lake
Ryan Smith - 6-2, 205, QB, Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland/Colgate
Ryan Spelman - 6-1, 215, QB, Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury
Dirk Weisenburger - 6-6, 270, OT, Norwalk, Ohio/Norwalk
Adam Wierbinski - 6-3, 265, G, Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee