Sixth article at the Independent

SMSU FOOTBALL: SMSU announces 17 signings on Wednesday CHRIS DRUMMOND cdrummond@marshallindependent.com MARSHALL — On Wednesday, the future of young men’s lives changed as Southwest Minnesota State University head football coach Scott Underwood signed 17 new players to the Mustang program on National Signing Day.

(They’re a) great group of guys that are going to blend in with our team,” Underwood said about his newest recruitment class. “I like some of the connections my staff have made with the players as we continue to build for success.”

The Mustangs recruited from various areas, including Minnesota, Nebraska, Arizona, South Dakota and California. More than half (9) of the signings were in-state, including Marshall High School offensive lineman Eddie Garcia. The other signees from Minnesota include offensive tackle TJ Edminson (Rosemount), linebackers Gideon Ervasti (Verndale), Eniedi Isuk (Champlin Park) and Tyler Neitzel (Mayer Lutheran), wide receivers Jeremy Greer (Litchfield) and Bryce Lund (Sauk Rapids Rice) and cornerbacks Ethan John (Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton) and Rashad Sherwood (Robbinsdale Armstrong).

Three of the players transferred into the program, including sophomore quarterback Caden Hinton (Antelope Valley College) and defensive backs Marquise Ogletree (Junior, Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and John (Sophomore, North Dakota State College of Science). Rounding out the signings are linebackers Logan Booth (Ames, Neb.) and Colt Wilkinson (De Smet, S.D.), safety Amari Gilmore (San Tan Valley, Ariz.), defensive tackle Jose Oliveros (Burbank, Calif.), cornerback Terryon Rowe (Tolleson, Ariz.) and tight end Matt Willis (Goodyear, Ariz.).

Of the 17 recruits, 12 were on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having a background on defense, Underwood didn’t put any emphasis on one side of the ball over the other during recruiting.

“No, it didn’t have anything to do with my background,” Underwood said. “When you look at our roster, there is a need to recruit more on that side of the ball, but this will be an ongoing recruiting process.”

The Mustangs are coming off a 2-9 season in 2021. Coach Underwood spoke about this upcoming seasons’ expectations for his new recruiting class.

“The key thing for us is to see where we’re at come fall camp,” Underwood said. “We’ll evaluate them, make the best decisions on who plays for our team and for the freshmen that don’t play, we will redshirt them and give them their four years.”

The recruitment process is something that is a work in progress, as Underwood just arrived as the new coach on Jan. 7. The staff is still not complete, as the Mustangs are missing a position coach on the offensive side.

SMSU will kick off the 2022 season on Sept. 3, traveling to Duluth to take on the Bulldogs.