Grand Valley State University head football coach Chuck Martin announced the signing of 31 student-athletes to attend and play football for the Lakers in the fall of 2006.

The class of 2006 features signees from five states, including 21 from Michigan, four from Ohio, three from Illinois, two from Indiana and one from Florida.

"Our number one goal is to always recruit Michigan first and we felt like we were able to get what we wanted from our home State," said Martin. "However, we were able to get into the Midwest a little more than in the past and bring in eight kids from bordering states," added Martin.

The Laker signees include 16 on the offensive side of the ball, 12 on the defensive side and three kickers. On offense, the Lakers are bringing in 10 offensive linemen, two tight ends, two wide receivers, one quarterback, and one running back. Defensively, GVSU added five defensive linemen, four linebackers, and three defensive backs. In addition, the Lakers added two kickers and a punter.

"Our primary need heading into this recruiting season was the interior lines both offensively and defensively, and I feel that we did an outstanding job by bringing in 15 interior linemen. If you include our tight ends 17 of our 31 recruits are frontline players," said Martin.

GVSU returns 45 letterwinners in 2006, including six starters on offense and nine on defense, from a squad that finished 13-0 and claimed its third NCAA DII Football National Championship in the last four years. GVSU is 64-5 the last five years with three NCAA DII National Championships (2002, 2003 and 2005) and four title game appearances (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005). GVSU is 70-5 in its last 75 games dating back to the sixth game of the 2000 season.

Click on the link below for the full release with all the signees:
2006 Signing Class

Tyler Aldridge • Wide Receiver • 5-10 • 160 • Jackson, Mich. • Lumen Christi High School

Caught 57 passes for 1,250 yards and 20 TDs as a senior...Rushed for 422 yards and five TDs on 21 carries...Named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team...Associated Press Class B All-State...Jackson Citizen Patriot Offensive Player of the Year...Earned all-area plaudits...Let squad to Division 5 State Championship game...Finalist for Michigan Great 8 Award...Hauled in a school-record 58 receptions for 937 yards and five TDs as a junior...Toted the ball 17 times for 311 yards and five TDs...Associated Press Class B All-State...Earned all-area honors as team captured Division 5 State Championship...Set career marks for receptions (115), yards (2,187) and TDs (25)...Team was 23-4 during final two prep campaigns.

Matt Bakker • Running Back • 6-1 • 190 • Middleville, Mich. • South Christian High School

Rushed for 1,097 yards and 18 TDs on 150 carries as a senior...Notched 117 tackles as a defensive back...Named to the Grand Rapids Press Dream Team as a senior...Earned Associated Press Class B All-State plaudits...First-team All-O.K. Conference and all-area performer...Tallied 1,420 rushing yards and 12 TDs on 180 carries as a junior...Hauled in seven catches for 178 yards and one TD...Recorded 108 tackles and two picks...Named to the Grand Rapids Press All-Area team...Earned All-O.K. Conference and all-area honors...Rushed for a school-record 3,240 yards during his caree...Team was 28-8 during prep career.

Tony Carreri (Ka-RARE-E) • Tight End • 6-3 • 235 • Clinton Twp., Mich. • L'Anse Cruese High School

Caught 27 passes for 625 yards and three TDs as a senior...Rushed for 537 yards and 10 TDs in limited time as a running back...Earned Associated Press Class A All-State plaudits as a senior...Earned First-Team All-Macomb Area Conference, All-Metro and All-County laurels...Listed #54 on the Detroit News Blue Chip list...Selected to play in the Michigan High School All-Star game...Rushed for 266 yards and three TDs in just over one quarter of action vs. Grosse Pointe South...Hauled in a combined 26 passes for 568 yards and two TDs during his sophomore and junior campaigns...Also participates in basketball and baseball.

Carlos Clark • Wide Receiver • 5-11 • 165 • Belleville, Mich. • Belleville High School

Rushed for a combined 1,050 yards and 17 TDs as a junior and senior...Tallied 112 tackles and picked off four passes as a senior...Earned All-Mega Red Conference plaudits as a senior...Named team captain senior year.

Dan Foster • Offensive Line • 6-5 • 245 • Grand Haven, Mich. • Grand Haven High School

Earned All-O.K. Conference plaudits as a junior and senior...Two-time Academic All-State...Member of the National Honor Society.

Alex Gilde • Defensive End • 6-0 • 268 • McBain, Mich. • McBain High School

Notched 56 tackles, five QB sacks and 20 tackles for loss as a senior...Earned Associated Press Class C All-State plaudits...Named to the Traverse City Record-Eagle Dream team...Four-time All-Highland Conference and all-area honoree...Three-time all-region performer...Notched 54 tackles, three QB sacks and 14 tackles for loss as a junior...Four-year, two-way varsity starter...Notched 53 tackles for loss and 13 QB sacks during his career...Academic All-State honoree...National powerlifting champion...Class Valedictorian.

John Godush (Good-ish) • Offensive Line • 6-3 • 315 • Stevensville, Mich. • Lakeshore High School

Two-time All-Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference honoree...Earned all-area plaudits....Team was a combined 18-3 during final two prep campaigns...Also participates in baseball and track...Continues a tradition of 11 straight years having a former Stevensville-Lakeshore player on the GVSU roster.

Jay Jandasek • Placekicker • 6-0 • 195 • Brighton, Mich. • Brighton High School

Converted 10-of-15 field goal attempts, with a long of 42 yards as a senior...Hit on 30-of-31 PATs during final prep campaign...24-of-52 kickoffs were touchbacks during senior season...Named to the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press Dream Teams...Associated Press Class A All-State honoree...First-Team All-Kensington Valley Conference and All-Detroit Metro performer...First-team all-area and all-county...Hit a career-best 52-yard field goal as a junior...Converted 24 field goals during prep career...Entered senior season as the #10 kicker on ESPN.Com...Earned all-conference, all-area and all-county honors as a junior...Detroit News and Detroit Free Press Honorable Mention All-State honoree.

Nathan John • Offensive Line • 6-4 • 300 • Romeoville, Ill. • Bolingbrook High School/College of Dupage

First-Team All-N4C junior college honoree...Earned junior college all-region plaudits...Two-time all-conference selection at Bolingbrook H.S...Earned all-area and all-region honors as a junior and senior...Team MVP and Captain as a senior.

Sam Jones • Defensive Line • 6-0 • 267 • Kentwood, Mich. • East Kentwood High School

Earned three varsity letters in football...Three-year starter...Earned all-state plaudits as a senior...First-Team All-O.K. Red Conference honoree as a junior and senior...Named to the Grand Rapids Press All-Area team as a senior...Two-time all-area selection...Three-year starter on varsity...Earned O.K. Conference All-Academic honors.

Byron Miles • Linebacker • 6-0 • 225 • Calumet City, Ill. • Morgan Park High School/Joliet J.C.

Spent 2005 season at Joliet Junior College...Saw action as a true freshman at Ball State in 2004...Earned four letters at Morgan Park H.S...Tallied 153 total tackles and seven QB sacks senior season...Earned all-state, all-area and all-conference plaudits as a senior...Notched 155 tackles and six QB sacks en route to earning all-league and all-area honors as a junior...Morgan Park was a combined 40-11 during his prep career.

Mike Mukuna (Ma-Koon-ah) • Linebacker • 6-2 • 205 • Haslett, Mich. • Haslett High School

Earned two varsity letters in football...Tallied 106 total tackles and three QB sacks as a senior...Rushed for 765 yards and 14 TDs on 103 carries...Detroit Free Press All-State selection as a senior...Named to the Lansing State Journal Dream Team...Earned First-Team All-CAAC honors...Team advanced to the Division 3 State Championship game and finished 13-1 senior year...Notched 82 tackles as a junior en route to earning All-CAAC honors...Also participates in basketball and swimming.

Mike Peterson • Offensive Line • 6-4 • 290 • Carmel, Ind. • Cathedral High School

Earned three letters and was a three-year starter...Tallied 47 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five QB sacks...Earned Associated Press All-State honors as a senior...Named all-city and all-area following senior campaign...Named 2004 Indiana Football Coaches Association Junior All-State...Earned all-city and all-area plaudits as a junior.

Danny Richard • Defensive Line • 6-3 • 220 • West Bloomfield, Mich. • West Bloomfield High School

Three-year starter and letterwinner...Tallied 127 tackles and 10 QB sacks as a senior linebacker...Rushed for 570 yards and seven TDs from as a running back...Listed #17 on the Detroit News Blue Chip list and #18 on Mick McCabe's Detroit Free Press Michigan Fab 50 list...Associated Press Class A All-State...Named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team...Earned all-conference, all-area and all-metro following his final prep campaign...Tallied 112 tackles and seven QB sacks, while rushing for 835 yards and four TDs as a junior...Selected to all-conference, all-area and all-county teams...Tallied 54 tackles as a sophomore.

Mike Scherpenberg (Sher-Pen-Berg) • Quarterback • 6-4 • 175 • Cincinnati, Ohio • Indian Hill High School

Completed 198-of-335 passes for 3,258 yards and 41 TDs as a senior...Added 189 rushing yards and three TDs...Earned Offensive Player of the Year honors as selected by the Associated Press All-Ohio; All-Ohio Region 16; All-Southwest Ohio District; Cincinnati High School; Cincinnati Hills League...Named Associated Press First-Team All-Ohio...First-Team All-Southwest Ohio District...First-Team All-Cincinnati Hills League...Hit on 181-of-325 passes for 2,493 yards and 24 TDs as a junior...Earned First-Team All-Southwest Ohio District honors...First-Team All-Cincinnati and All-Cincinnati Hills League following junior prep campaign...Team was a combined 21-3 during final two prep season's...Selected to play in 2006 Ohio Big 33 All-Star game versus Pennsylvania...Selected to play for the East team in the 2006 Cincinnati High School All-Star game.

Derek Stansbery • Defensive Back • 6-1 • 200 • Battle Creek, Mich. • Cincinnati

Redshirted 2004 season at Cincinnati...Saw action on special teams at Cincinnati in 2005...Graduated from Battle Creek Harper Creek in 2003...Spent 2003 campaign at Hargrave Military Acedemy...Earned all-league and all-city honors as a senior at Harper Creek.

Buster Larkins • Defensive Back • 5-11 • 190 • Indianapolis, Ind. • Indiana

Played first three years at Indiana...Started all 11 games at cornerback for the Hoosiers in 2004...Led the team with nine pass breakups, second with two interceptions and fourth with 45 tackles...Larkins had his best game of the season in the Hoosiers win at then-No. 24 Oregon, when he had 10 solo tackles to go along with a pair of pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble...Tallied an interception and pass breakup against Michigan State and seven tackles (four solo and three assists) at Northwestern...Larkins registered four or more tackles on seven occasions during the season...Tallied 18 total tackles as a sophomore in 2003...Picked off one pass...Larkins recorded 49 total tackles and 33 solo stops in 2002...He also had one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one interception and four pass breakups...His first career interception came against Penn State, and he returned it 59 yards for a touchdown...Larkins redshirted his freshman year in 2001...Prepped at Cathedral High School. During his senior season (2000), he helped Cathedral to a 10-1 record, while playing every game at safety and wide receiver...Larkins helped Cathedral to two state championships during his career...Recorded 32 tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups, and two blocked kicks at safety his senior year.

Brett Stengele • Offensive Line • 6-5 • 270 • Crest Hill, Ill. • Joliet Catholic High School

Two-year starter on the varsity at Joliet Catholic Academy...Selected by the Chicago Sun-Times as one of the top 100 high school seniors in the State of Illinois...Earned all-state honors as a senior...Earned All-East Suburban Catholic Conference plaudits...Starter on a 14-0 squad during his junior season en route to State Championship...Joliet Catholic was 25-1 during Stengele's prep career.