Audio from interview with GoLeopards.com

March 12, 2001

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Lafayette College football coaching staff has announced its list of freshmen recruits set to enroll at the College this Fall as members of the Class of 2005, the first full-year recruiting effort under Head Coach Frank Tavani.

Tavani will enter his second season as the head coach with 22 recruits expected to report to preseason camp in August. A diverse class, the recruits are coming from Lafayette's historically strong recruiting areas, as well as a few new regions. Of the 22 recruits, six are from Pennsylvania - including three from the Lehigh Valley, four each from Florida and New Jersey, two each from New York and Ohio, and one each from Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Panama.

"Our target was 20-25 student-athletes and we are actually still dealing with a few more," said Tavani. "Most important was the positional break-out. We went out and got five very large offensive linemen, as well as four defensive linemen. We really needed to shore up the trenches and we believe we did that. We are also very excited about the talent we have coming in at tailback. Overall, we feel good about the class and we hope this is a start of full-year, quality recruiting, not just going after numbers in the program."

Of the 22 recruits, nine are projected by the Leopards' coaching staff as interior linemen, including five offensive linemen. Three are projected as defensive backs, and there are also three each at linebacker and tailback, and one each at fullback, wide receiver, tight end, and kicker. The average size of the five incoming offensive linemen is 6-4, 294.

Lafayette concluded its 119th season of college football with a 2-9 overall record, and 1-5 in Patriot League play. The Leopards' spring practices begin March 31, and culminate with the Maroon-White Spring Game on Saturday, April 28, at 1 p.m. Lafayette opens the 2001 season at Towson on September 8 at 1:30 p.m.

2001 Lafayette Football Signees

Name	                Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown/High School
Andrew Buettner	        OL	6-4	290	Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston
Brian Carstens	        DL/TE	6-4	245	Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell
Reginald Clark	        LB	6-0	200	Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy
Reco Collins	        DB	5-10	180	Decatur, Ga./Avondale
Mike Davis	        P/PK	5-11	190	St. Leonard, Md./Maurice J. McDonough
Richard Deutch	        OL	6-6	300	Lovelan, Ohio/Moeller
Wesley Erbe	        LB	6-1	210	Wall, N.J./Admiral Farragut (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Greg Gibbs	        LB	6-2	220	Allentown, Pa./Salisbury
Brendon Green	        FB	6-0	210	Collingswood, N.J./Collingswood
Michael Lewandos	OL	6-4	285	Walpole, Mass./Walpole/Blair Academy (N.J.)
Robert Mayo	        DL	6-4	235	Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic
Brandon McCloud	        DB	6-1	190	St. Augustine, Fla./St. Joseph Academy
Joe McCourt	        TB/DB	6-0	185	Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic
Michael Ruell	        DL	6-2	255	Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff
Eduardo Sanchez	        DL	6-2	255	Panama City, Panama/Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic
Breon Scott	        WR	6-2	190	New Brunswick, N.J./Immaculata
James Sommers	        TB	5-10	185	Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater Central Catholic
John-Frank Stubits	DB	6-3	200	Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth
Joe Ungrady	        OL	6-5	300	Hollandale, Fla./South Broward/Wyoming Seminary
Dave Walters	        TB	5-10	180	Easton, Pa./Freedom/Wyoming Seminary
Lawrence Zimmerman	OL	6-3	295	Ormond Beach, Fla./Seabreeze
Paul Ziska	        LB	6-2	230	Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott/Wyoming Seminary

NOTE -- Official notification will be extended by the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

LAFAYETTE FOOTBALL -- Class of 2005

ANDREW BUETTNER, OL, 6-4, 290, Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston AT KENSTON HIGH SCHOOL: A two-year letterwinner on the football team and a four-year letterwinner for the track and field program, serving as captain for both squads...played offensive and defensive tackle, earning All-Georgia County honors and All-Area honors from the News Herald while being voted the team's best offensive lineman. PERSONAL: "Drew" is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Buettner...born 9/4/82.
COACH TAVANI ON BUETTNER: "Drew is an offensive lineman who is a solid addition to this class. He possesses great size and strength and has the potential to compete."

BRIAN CARSTENS, DL/TE, 6-4, 245, Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell AT MONSIGNOR FARRELL HIGH SCHOOL: A three-sport standout for the football, basketball and baseball squads...played defensive end and was a captain for the Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) city champions...earned All-State and All-Catholic league honors after his senior campaign...also a two-time Staten Island Advance all-star...averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds per contest for the basketball team. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Carstens...born 4/11/83.
COACH TAVANI ON CARSTENS: "Brian is a very agile player who has the ability to excel on either side of the ball as a defensive end or tight end. He is an outstanding player."

REGINALD CLARK, LB, 6-0, 200, Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy AT PERTH AMBOY HIGH SCHOOL: A dual sport standout, he was a four-year letterwinner for both the football and track and field teams...multi-dimensional, playing linebacker, tight end, running back and defensive end...named the team's Defensive Skill Player and Defensive Lineman of the year while earning All-Red Division for his performance at tight end...with the track and field team, he recorded personal bests of 46 feet in the shot put, 130 feet in the javelin, and 125 feet, 55 inches in the discus. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. William Clark...born 6/22/83.
COACH TAVANI ON CLARK: "Reggie is a very good athlete who runs extremely well and adds some speed to our linebacking core."

RECO COLLINS, DB, 5-10, 180, Decatur, Ga./Avondale AT AVONDALE HIGH SCHOOL: A three-sport student-athlete, competing in football, wrestling and track and field...played defensive back, punter and wide receiver, averaging 41.9 yards per punt and recording 103 tackles and five interceptions...earned All-County, All-City and All-Metro honors in both his junior and senior campaigns...was a key member of both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. David Norwood...born 2/28/83.
COACH TAVANI ON COLLINS: "I feel that Reco is as pure a defensive back as any I've seen during the recruiting campaign."

MIKE DAVIS, P/PK, 5-11, 190, St. Leonard, Md./Maurice J. McDonough AT MAURICE J. McDONOUGH HIGH SCHOOL: A two-sport letterwinner for both the football and tennis teams...handled the kicking and punting duties...his accurate leg connected on 55 out of 60 extra points and 10 out of 14 field goal attempts...two-time first-team All-Conference selection...with the tennis team, he competed as the No. 2 singles and was a No. 1 doubles player. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. Orville W. Davis Jr. and Ms. Betsy Cooksey...born 12/2/83.
COACH TAVANI ON DAVIS: "Mike has the ability to both punt and kick which gives us some depth there that we haven't had in a while."

RICHARD DEUTCH, OL, 6-6, 300, Lovelan, Ohio/Moeller AT MOELLER HIGH SCHOOL: A two-sport student-athlete competing for both the football and track and field programs...played offensive tackle for one of the premier high school programs in the country...gained second-team All-Greater Catholic League honors as a senior...for the track and field team, he recorded a personal best of 45 feet, 3.5 inches in the shot put. PERSONAL: "Steph" is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Deutch...born 6/3/83.
COACH TAVANI ON DEUTCH: " Steph is a big, strong lineman who is used to playing at a high level coming from one of the best high school programs in the country."

WESLEY ERBE, LB, 6-1, 210, Wall, N.J./Admiral Farragut (St. Petersburg, Fla.) AT ADMIRAL FARRAGUT: A three-sport letterwinner for the football, track and field and baseball teams...played fullback and outside linebacker, he rushed for 1,020 yards and a school record 21 touchdowns as a senior...named to the All-State football team and played in the Palm/Pinellos All-Star Game...batted .310 with three home runs during his senior year on the baseball team. PERSONAL: Son of Ms. Katherine Penna...born 4/17/83.
COACH TAVANI ON ERBE: "Wes is a fine athlete who runs very well and has a real nose for the football."

GREG GIBBS, LB, 6-2, 220, Allentown, Pa./Salisbury AT SALISBURY HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year letterwinner on the gridiron and three-year letterwinner with the basketball team...earned Associated Press Small School All-State honorable mention and Pennsylvania Coaches Association second-team All-State honors as a senior...a Lehigh Valley McDonald's All-Star selection, he earned All-Colonial League recognition as both a tight end and a linebacker his final two seasons...a first-team selection to The Morning Call's All-Area defense, he also earned All-Colonial League honors with the basketball team. PERSONAL: Son of Dr. and Mrs. Brian Gibbs...born 1/23/83.
COACH TAVANI ON GIBBS: "Greg is an outstanding local recruit for us. He has great size, speed, and agility and is a player that I am really looking forward to see line up and play."

BRENDON GREEN, FB, 6-0, 210, Collingswood, N.J./Collingswood AT COLLINGSWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Excelled on the football and basketball teams, playing running back and linebacker...rushed for 900 yards during his senior season...earned first-team All-Colonial Conference and All-South Jersey Group II in both sports...scored 1,000 career points and maintained a career average of 16 points per game for the Panthers basketball squad. PERSONAL: Son of Ms. Karen Green...born 8/2/83.
COACH TAVANI ON GREEN: "Brendon is a tough, solid runner who has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield for us. He is a great fullback prospect."

MICHAEL LEWANDOS, OL, 6-4, 285, Walpole, Mass./Walpole/Blair Academy AT BLAIR ACADEMY: Excelled at the New Jersey prep school, starting on the offensive line...earned All-Conference and All-Area honors. AT WALPOLE HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year member of the football program, playing on the offensive line...earned Boston Globe and Daily Transcript All-Star honors...also earned first-team All-Bay State League for his performance as a senior. PERSONAL: Prepped at Blair Academy in N.J...son of Ms. Jeannine Boulais...born 4/29/82.
COACH TAVANI ON LEWANDOS: "Mike is a giant on the offensive line. His prep year at Blair Academy really allowed him to mature and we are extremely excited he will be a Leopard."

ROBERT MAYO, DL, 6-4, 235, Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic AT GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL: A two-sport student-athlete competing for the football and track and field teams...played defensive end and offensive line...a team captain, he earned second-team All-State from the Associated Press and first-team All-WPIAL as a senior...with the track and field team, he ran a personal best 11.8 in the 100-meters. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. James P. Mayo...born 1/18/83.
COACH TAVANI ON MAYO: "Bob is a great addition to our defensive line. He was an outstanding performer in both sports that he played in high school and I see him doing great things at defensive end."

BRANDON McCLOUD, DB, 6-1, 190, St. Augustine, Fla./St. Joseph Academy AT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY: A four-sport letterwinner for the football, wrestling, basketball and track and field teams...played wide receiver, running back, linebacker and defensive back...as a senior, he tallied 81 tackles and three interceptions while gaining 1,200 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns...earned All-County and All-Conference honors...district champion on the wrestling mat with a record of 27-7...voted most valuable runner on the track and field team reaching All-County and All-Conference status...received President's Academic Excellence Award. PERSONAL: Son of Ms. Donna Kehoe...born 9/21/81.
COACH TAVANI ON McCLOUD: "Brandon is as good looking an athlete that I've seen since I've been here at Lafayette. Physically he is really solid and I like the things he's done as a two-way player."

JOE McCOURT, TB/DB, 6-0, 185, Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic AT ROMAN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year member of the football, basketball and baseball squads...played running back, wide receiver, linebacker, defensive back and return specialist...he was the team's most valuable player in 1999 and 2000...rushed for a single-season school record of 1,780 yards as a senior and scored 173 points, helping lead Roman Catholic to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship...finished his football career at Roman Catholic as the all-time leading rusher in school history with 3,315 yards...earned All-Catholic and All-City honors three straight seasons and was the recipient of the prestigious Jim Henry Maxwell Award...named the Player of the Year in the city of Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Inquirer...also played center field in baseball, capturing All-Catholic honors while hitting for a career average over .400. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph McCourt...born 7/4/83.
COACH TAVANI ON McCOURT: "Joe is a multi-dimensional and versatile athlete who can play tailback, defensive back and wide receiver. He is also a return specialist who can really help us in that area. We are very excited to add such a great athlete to our program."

MICHAEL RUELL, DL, 6-2, 255, Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff AT CEDAR CLIFF HIGH SCHOOL: A three-sport letterwinner for the football, wrestling and track teams...played offensive and defensive tackle...a three-time All-Mid Penn Conference honoree in football, he also played in the distinguished Pennsylvania East/West All-Star game...member of the National Honor Society. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ruell...born 10/4/82.
COACH TAVANI ON RUELL: "Michael is a very aggressive defensive lineman who was recruited by a number of great programs. He is a young man who we feel will make an impact on our defensive line."

EDUARDO SANCHEZ, DL, 6-2, 255, Panama City, Panama/Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic AT CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL: A dual sport athlete, he was a two-year letterwinner for both the football and wrestling programs...played offensive guard and defensive tackle...named the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year while accumulating 160 tackles and 30 sacks for his career...earned first-team All-County and All-Conference honors...also gained second-team All-State honors after his senior campaign...heavyweight district champion on the wrestling mat. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Angel Sanchez...born 4/4/82.
COACH TAVANI ON SANCHEZ: "Eduardo is a player that we are looking forward to helping our defensive line. He was an all-league performer in high school who has potential to be an impact player for us."

BREON SCOTT, WR, 6-2, 190, New Brunswick, N.J./Immaculata AT IMMACULATA HIGH SCHOOL: A two-year letterwinner for both the football and basketball teams...played wide receiver and defensive back... named first-team All-Somerset County and All-Mountain Valley Conference after his senior season...also earned first team All-Parochial and named Courier News Player of the Week several times. PERSONAL: Son of Ms. Diane Scott...born 7/5/83.
COACH TAVANI ON SCOTT: "Breon brings a very high talent level to Lafayette. We have high hopes for him and I feel that he has great potential."

JAMES SOMMERS, TB, 5-10, 185, Clearwater, Fla./Clearwater Central Catholic AT CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year letterwinner playing running back and defensive back for the football team...finished career with 2,802 yards and 27 touchdowns...three-time All-County selection and team's most valuable player in 2000...also earned All-State honors after his junior campaign. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. James Sommers...born 9/24/82.
COACH TAVANI ON SOMMERS: "James had a big year and a great career which is evident by his statistics and we think that he is an outstanding prospect at tailback."

JOHN-FRANK STUBITS, DB, 6-3, 200, Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth AT NAZARETH HIGH SCHOOL: A three-year letterwinner in football, basketball and track and field...played wide receiver, defensive back and quarterback...a captain in all three sports, he earned All-Area first-team honors from The Express-Times and All-Mountain Valley Conference recognition as a senior...started at forward for the basketball team and participated in the high jump, sprints and hurdles as a track and field team member. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. John Louis Stubits...born 2/18/83.
COACH TAVANI ON STUBITS: "John-Frank really stands out. He is very athletic and has tremendous size. He is another player who can do a lot of different things on the field. I really feel fortunate to have him since he was one of the best prospects in the Lehigh Valley this year."

JOE UNGRADY, OL, 6-5, 300, Hollendale, Fla./South Broward/Wyoming Seminary AT WYOMING SEMINARY: Had a strong season on the offensive line...chosen the offensive line most valuable performer following the season. AT SOUTH BROWARD HIGH SCHOOL: A three-sport letterwinner who excelled with the football, basketball and track and field teams...earned a prestigious Army National Scholar-Athlete award...received All-Conference and All-Area honors as both a defensive tackle and an offensive lineman. PERSONAL: Prepped at Wyoming Seminary...son of Mrs. Carrie Ungrady...born 4/23/82.
COACH TAVANI ON UNGRADY: "Joe is a monster among the monsters. He is one of two offensive lineman who is a post graduate and I feel that he may be able to contribute to our offensive line needs very early."

DAVE WALTERS, TB, 5-10, 180, Easton, Pa./Freedom/Wyoming Seminary AT WYOMING SEMINARY: Shared the rushing duties with another tailback, recording several strong performances during the season....also returned kicks and saw time on special teams. AT FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL: A National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, he served as the captain of the football team...broke the program's rushing record with 1,296 yards as a senior...best performance was a 262-yard, five-touchdown effort in a win over East Stroudsburg...earned All-Mountain Valley Conference honors as a junior and a senior. PERSONAL: Prepped at Wyoming Seminary ... son of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Walters... born 5/5/82.
COACH TAVANI ON WALTERS: "Dave was as good a running back as any in the Lehigh Valley two years ago. He is a tremendous talent and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do."

LAWRENCE ZIMMERMAN, OL, 6-3, 295, Ormond Beach, Fla./Seabreeze AT SEABREEZE HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year letterwinner in football and weight lifting...played offensive guard and was voted the team's best lineman...earned honorable mention All-State, first-team All-Conference and second-team All-District honors...also posted the highest bench press for the weight lifting team. PERSONAL: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Zimmerman...born 11/25/82.
COACH TAVANI ON ZIMMERMAN: "Lawrence is a real thick, solid guy who is really well strength trained. He will be playing offensive guard for us and we look forward to seeing him lineup and blocking people."

PAUL ZISKA, LB, 6-2, 230, Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott/Wyoming Seminary AT WYOMING SEMINARY: Excelled on the gridiron as the defensive captain ...played linebacker, recording 107 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in just nine games...voted team's most valuable defensive player. AT UNION-ENDICOTT HIGH SCHOOL: A three-year letterwinner for the football team and two-year letterwinner for the baseball program, serving as captain for both squads...played linebacker and fullback...tallied 95 tackles and rushed for over 300 yards as a senior...earned first-team All-Conference and third-team All-State honors...also gained a spot on the first-team Press and Sun Bulletin All-Metro team for his play at linebacker...played in the Ernie Davis Senior All-Star game...posted a .341 career batting average for the baseball team while earning first-team All-Conference status as an outfielder. PERSONAL: Prepped at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa....son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ziska...born 1/30/82.
COACH TAVANI ON ZISKA: "Paul is a real intense leader type of guy who possesses great size. He brings great maturity and a tremendous knowledge of the game."