UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State University Head Football Coach Jim Collins has announced the signing of 27 high school student-athletes to join the Cardinal football program in the fall of 2017. This year's class consists mainly of players from Michigan, with a few others coming from Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Coach Collins quote on the 2017 Football Recruiting Class...

"It is with great excitement that we announce the 2017 Recruiting Class and thank all of the people involved in making it happen. First of all, I would like to thank our coaching staff for all the hard work they put into making this recruiting class possible. The many hours of evaluation and the time spent building relationships with these student-athletes and their family members is what outstanding recruiting is all about. I also want to thank the entire campus community for all the contributions they make. We receive outstanding support from all of the great people in our admissions office who go the extra mile in making sure everyone who visits understands what SVSU is all about. I also thank the many faculty members and administrators who take time out of their day to sit down and talk about the outstanding programs we offer here academically. And last, but certainly not least, I want to acknowledge the great job that our players do in welcoming the prospective student-athletes into our program. 

Our goals with this recruiting class were the same as any other year; we look for outstanding student-athletes of character, who have the talent and work ethic to compete at a high level in the classroom and on the football field, and are passionate about our University and the football program. In addition to that, we were specifically looking for dynamic and versatile players who can fit the personality of what we are all about. We feel very good about the men we have signed and look forward to working with them over the next 4-5 years. 

We are excited to report that these young men are true student-athletes and leaders, with approximately one-third of this recruiting class being eligible for SVSU academic scholarships and over two-thirds of this class having high school playoff experience under their belts.  

The recruiting focus for us begins with building our team up front with lineman on both sides of the ball who have size, power, and quickness. From there, we look for competitive and productive quarterbacks and explosive playmakers at the skill positions. We have brought in an outstanding group of big, strong and athletic linemen on both sides of the ball. Our quarterbacks put up some tremendous numbers and were a part of a great number of victories at their respective schools. The skill players on both sides of the ball are proven playmakers and tenacious competitors. In addition, we signed a very good long snapper who we feel very strongly might get into the mix early. As a staff, we are looking forward to working with all of them!"

2017 Recruiting Class Press Conference

Breakdown of recruits by state...

Michigan - 22

Illinois - 3

Ohio - 1

Pennsylvania - 1