February 1, 2023

Lechtenberg Announces First Recruiting Class

The Blue Devils welcome 25 newcomers to the football program

Central Connecticut football coach Adam Lechtenberg unveiled the Blue Devils National Letters of Intent signees and midyear enrollees on Wednesday. All told, CCSU added 25 student-athletes to the roster, with six of them enrolled for the spring semester. The remainder of the class will join the University for the fall semester.

"I would like to thank everyone that played a role in signing this class," said Lechtenberg. "Thank you to the families of these young men, who have nurtured and guided them to this day, and who helped them make the decision to become Blue Devils. Thank you to the teachers, guidance counselors and coaches of these student-athletes who have poured hours of time and effort into helping them become the people they are today, and we are grateful for their impact. Thank you to the CCSU community for working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure we were getting information and guidance in a timely manner. Finally, a huge thanks to our players and coaching staff who built relationships with our prospects and provided tremendous hospitality while on campus. Our players are hungry for success and they are excited to bring quality kids into our family."

The Blue Devils signing class hails from nine states, with seven signees from New York, three from Connecticut, and one hailing from California. CCSU added 13 players to the defensive side of the ball and 12 to the offense, with one slated to play on both sides of the line.

"I am very proud of this class," said Lechtenberg. "Most importantly, this class is full of high character individuals who value education and will embrace the oppurtunity to play at a championship level here at CCSU. I believe we filled some pressing needs with these signees today and I think some of them have the ability to contribute right away. I look forward to getting them to campus and have them come together with our veterans as we prepare for the future."

Lechtenberg was named the 15th head coach in program's history on January 11, 2023.

	BARRY BROWN Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Lacawanna College Quarterback 6-foot-2, 195 pounds "Barry was a prolific quarterback at Lackawanna College, accounting for 49 touchdowns in two seasons. He is talented and a great leader and we are excited to have him in our program." - Coach Lechtenberg
	TYSHEED CROCKTON Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua Academy Wide Receiver 5-foot-11, 180 pounds "Bringing young talent to the wide receiver room was important, Tysheed adds needed speed and his high football IQ will give him a chance to contribute early!" - Coach Lechtenberg
	WAYNE COLEMAN Waterbury, Connecticut Archbishop Stepinac HS Defensive Line 6-foot-1, 295 pounds "Wayne is from Waterbury, Connecticut and we are proud that he chose to stay home to play his college ball. He is a twitchy guy with the size to cause problems in the NEC. We are excited he is a Blue Devil!" - Coach Lechtenberg
	ELIJAH DANIELS Staten Island, New York Curtis HS Wide Receiver 6-foot-3, 175 pounds "Elijah is a big athletic guy who made some outstanding plays in high school. He adds some big play potential to our receiver room, and we are excited he chose to be a Blue Devil." - Coach Lechtenberg
	KENDAL DONOVAN Buffalo, New York Williamsville North HS Running Back 6-foot-1, 200 pounds "Kendal is a big athletic running back with great vision and speed. He has a chance to add to the impressive list of running backs that have come through CCSU." - Coach Lechtenberg
	PRECIOUS EKEH Elmont, New York Canarsie HS Offensive Line 6-foot-4, 290 pounds "Precious is a very talented guy who has a huge upside. He is big and athletic and can play guard or tackle at this level. I'm excited to see how good he can be." - Coach Lechtenberg
	JAYDEN FERRELL Rochester, New York Defensive Line 6-foot-3, 240 pounds "Jayden is an explosive and physical defensive lineman who on tape shows great burst to the football. He has potential to be a really good player here and we are excited he's a Blue Devil." - Coach Lechtenberg
	AKEEL GAINES Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch HS Defensive Back 5-foot-11, 175 pounds "Akeel is an extremely intelligent football player, he has great instincts and a knack for making big plays. Excited he is part of our football program." - Coach Lechtenberg
	TY'RENNE HYNSON Middletown, Delaware Middletown HS Wide Receiver 6-foot-1, 182 pounds "Ty'renne is an exciting prospect, as well as being a talented receiver, he plays a big role on a really good high school basketball team. He has a great frame and we think he will excel in our strength and conditioning program." - Coach Lechtenberg
	ERIC JACKSON Paterson, New Jersey Passaic County Tech Defensive Back 5-foot-9, 175 pounds "Eric is a savvy player who has played on both sides of the ball and on special teams. He is a physical guy and we are excited about his versatility." - Coach Lechtenberg
	CHRISTOPHER JEAN Rochester, New York Rochester HS Defensive Back 5-foot-11, 186 pounds "Chris is a versatile player who has played on both sides of the ball. He adds immediate depth to our secondary, he is a physical player who can really run." - Coach Lechtenberg
	MATT JENNER El Dorado Hills, California City College of San Francisco Quarterback 6-foot-4, 220 pounds "Matt is a big kid, he is highly competitive & has been a team leader on every team he has been on. He was slowed by injury at San Francisco City College but has huge potential and was very productive in his time at St. Thomas More here in Connecticut." - Coach Lechtenberg
	KARL KHUNS Hilton, New York Hilton HS Offensive Line/Defensive Line 6-foot-3, 295 pounds ""It always tough to get big guys and Karl is a really big guy that can run. He adds size and athleticism to our defensive line room and we hope he can contribute early." - Coach Lechtenberg
	JARED MASSEY West Orange, New Jersey High School HS Outside Linebacker 6-foot-2, 215 pounds "Jared is a long athlete who made a bunch of plays all over the field. We think he can be a good player in the alley for us." - Coach Lechtenberg
	EMERIL MITCHELL Sicklerville, New Jersey East Coast Prep Linebacker 6-foot-0, 200 pounds "It's always good to have great athletes in the middle of your defense, and Emeril adds speed and athleticism to our defense. He is a physical guy who adds immediate depth." - Coach Lechtenberg
	NAVON MITCHELL Staten Island, New York Curtis HS Defensive Back 5-foot-11, 175 pounds "Navon is another two way player that has great instincts. He is a fast and physical player that will add depth to our secondary." - Coach Lechtenberg
	DAVID PARDO East Hartford, Connecticut East Coast Prep Wide Receiver 6-foot-4, 210 pounds "David has a big frame and has huge upside. He is an extremely hard worker and we are excited to see him develop in our strength program." - Coach Lechtenberg
	ELIJAH PERRY Hartford, Connecticut Hartford Public High School Defensive Back 6-foot-0, 180 pounds "Love getting an athletic kid from Connecticut. Elijah is a versatile player that adds some length to our defensive backfield. He is a good basketball player as well and we are excited to see him develop in our program!" - Coach Lechtenberg
	AMARRI PITTS Syracuse, New York CBA - Syracuse Wide Receiver 6-foot-3, 185 pounds "Amarri is a long athlete that has excelled on both sides of the ball. We love guys with position flexibility. He will start out as a receiver and we think he adds needed size and speed to that room." - Coach Lechtenberg
	TYLER POTTER Milford, Massachusetts Milford HS Offensive Line 6-foot-3, 285 pounds "Tyler is a bruiser who adds toughness to our offensive line, we are excited to have him join the Blue Devil family!" - Coach Lechtenberg
	JAMIR ROBERTSON Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Roman Catholic HS Running Back 5-foot-9, 174 pounds "Jamir played all over the field in high school. We think he has a bright future as a running back at CCSU. He will be a guy that we can find creative ways to use in our offense." - Coach Lechtenberg
	NICO SANDOVAL Germantown, Maryland Mt. Zion Prep Defensive Back 5-foot-11, 170 pounds "We needed to address depth issues in our secondary and Nico gives us a physical cornerback who can run and make plays in the back end of our defense. We are excited he is a Blue Devil!" - Coach Lechtenberg
	CLIFTON THOMPSON Hackensack, New Jersey American International College Defensive Line 6-foot-2, 235 pounds "Clifton gives us another big body in the middle of our defense. He is athletic and tough. We are excited to see him develop in our weight room and hope he can contribute early in his career here at CCSU." - Coach Lechtenberg
	RYAN TURLEY Merrimack, New Hampshire Merrimack HS Tight End 6-foot-5, 250 pounds "Ryan is a huge kid, who plays with a high motor, physical and catches the ball well. His upside is tremendous and he has the potential to be a team leader one day." - Coach Lechtenberg
	JAYDEN WRIGHT Glassboro, New Jersey Myrtle Beach Collegiate Defensive Line 6-foot-4, 236 pounds "Jayden is a long athletic guy who has a chance to be an elite pass rusher as he develops. He adds size and speed to our defensive front and we are excited to have him in our program." - Coach Lechtenberg

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