Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WCU announces recruiting class
WCU hopes next recruiting class is one to remember
Time and time again at each West Chester Football Banquet, departing seniors mention being recruited out of high school. And you can be sure that the first name that pops up is assistant head coach Gerald Toney.
A four-year letterwinner at WCU, Toney has been a fixture for the Golden Rams as a player and coach for more than a quarter century. He is also the program’s recruiting coordinator, and throughout Bill Zwaan’s 14-years as head coach, he has relied on the Philadelphia native to take the point when it comes to bringing talent to West Chester.
“Gerald does the Philadelphia area, Bucks County and some of Chester County,” Zwaan explained “He is integral in all of our classes. He sets the parameters on how we go after guys we really like.
“He is the best as far as getting guys to sign with us. He is a great guy, a genuine person and he really develops a relationship with not only the players but with their families. That really helps when the family comes to visit because they are so comfortable with Gerald. It all starts with him and his personality.”
It also helps that Zwaan has an experienced core of other assistants who also focus on recruiting, like longtime defensive coordinator Mike Furlong, offensive coordinator Bill Zwaan, Jr., and running backs coach Osagie Osunde.
“They have all been with us a lot of years, so they know how to go out there and get the kind of guys that will fit in to the program,” Zwaan said. “You can see the fruits of their efforts.
“The other coaches on our staff have challenged (Toney) to see who can win the recruiting battles, but Gerald has been our best recruiter.”
As with every group of high school prospects dating back to the early 1990s, Toney’s fingerprints are all over the Class of 2021. The latest crop includes 21 freshmen and a pair of transfers. It is heavy on defensive backs and overall features several Division Ilevel players who managed to slip under the radar.
“We got a few guys we were surprised to be able to get,” Zwaan said.
The biggest surprise could be 6-foot-4 quarterback Zach Gilbert, who threw for 2,786 yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior season as a starter at Whitehall High School.
“(Gilbert) was kind of under the radar because he didn’t start until his senior year,” Zwaan said. “He is the son of a head coach, he has great size, can run and has a great arm. We were really happy to get him because he is kind of a sleeper.”
Another is 6-2 Nate Barnes from Carlisle, who is one of seven defensive backs in this class. Zwaan called him “an FCS-calibre
kid for sure.” The coaching staff is also high on Nyseer Jones from Philadelphia and Isaiah Cruz from Abington. He called Jones “a true cover cornerback.”
“We graduate five DBs, so we wanted to build some depth,” Zwaan added. “We got some pretty good players back there. We are happy with that group.”
As is usually the case, WCU signed some premier skilled offensive players, including four wideouts and a couple running backs. According to Zwaan, one to watch is 6-3 receiver Nasir Mundy, who was an AllPublic School League performer at Ben Franklin in Philadelphia. Another is runner Darnell Ferrell, who scored 42 touchdowns during his All-State high school career at Allentown Central Catholic.
“There is tons of talent there,” Zwaan said of this group. “We were looking for speed at those positions because we think that it is one of the reasons that we’ve won in the past.
“They are big playmakers who can threaten down the field.”
Tight end is always a key position in WCU’s Spread Winged-T offense, and the coaching staff is thrilled to get Adam Schreck (6-5, 220) from Manasquan, N.J., who was a conference defensive player of the year.
“We started looking at him as a defensive end, but as we watched film on him we liked in better on the offensive side,” Zwaan pointed out.
The list of prospects also features four offensive linemen, including promising freshmen Patrick Ferry (6-3, 300) from Allentown and Brendan Ruskowski (6-3, 255) from Archbishop Ryan. Both of the transfers – Malik White and Brendan Clark – round out the group. White (6-1, 330) hails from Virginia and is a junior college transfer. Clark (6-4, 290) is from Father Judge and is a transfer from Temple.
“We wanted to get a couple guys a little older so that they would be ready for the 2018 season, because we are going to graduate five O-line after next season,” Zwann said. “Malik White is legit.”
The Rams also inked three players with local connections. Defensive end Brett Moyer (6-2, 185) from Exeter is the step-son of West Chester cheerleading coach Kelly Moyer. And WCU plucked two stars from Downingtown: East wideout Ethan Harris s and the versatile Cole Zapf from West. Both are firstteam All-Ches-Mont selections with big-play capabilities.
“Cole is an excellent football player,” Zwaan said. “He could play on either side of the ball. He is a good local kid who did everything for Downingtown West.
“Harris has speed, athleticism and is an excellent student.”
In addition, West Chester will be adding to its depth with some quality preferred walk-ons that are not listed. One is Downingtown East’s Chris Day, who is the son of WCU graduate Chris Day, Sr., who is now the head women’s basketball coach at Division I Vermont.