FOOTBALL: Ball State officially inks 21 players on Signing Day

In what seemed to be a hectic morning at the Fisher Complex at Scheumann Stadium Wednesday, Ball State received all 21 letters of intent by its recruits before 11 a.m.

The letters came rapidly in a two-hour span and left coach Pete Lembo satisfied that every expected target came through on signing with Ball State.

But it also left him pleased with the entire process as well.

“It’s a time where you reflect back on a year’s worth of work by your staff to make this all come to fruition,” Lembo said. “You also look ahead and envision what this new group of young men will do for this program. Whether that’d be next summer, next season or four years from now. It’s one of the most special days of the year by far.”

Lembo has spent the last few weeks on the road finalizing Ball State’s 2013 recruiting class. While he said it can be difficult to be away from his family, he enjoys being on the road and building relationships with high school and junior college coaches and players.

The class fills empty spots on Ball State’s depth chart because of graduations, specifically at the offensive line and linebacker positions. Five offensive linemen, including Vinnie Palazeti from Owosso, Mich. and Harris Vrabac from Warren, Mich. will help fill voids from the senior-heavy line Ball State had in 2012. And with the graduations of former linebackers Travis Freeman, Tony Martin and Justin Cruz, Ball State needed new players at the position, and the school delievered.

Four linebackers, Nick Isaacs, Stephan Martin, Sean Wiggins and Stu Stanley have all been signed to play for Ball State in 2013. Martin is a transfer from Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan., and Lembo hinted he would be an immediate help at linebacker.

“He gives us a little bit of an older guy to bridge that gap,” Lembo said. “There wasn’t a whole lot in between those seniors that are graduating and guys that we recruited when we got here. He’ll have to earn what he gets, but he’s certainly developed.”

A third of Ball State’s 2013 recruiting class comes from North Carolina, and two players - Wiggins and defensive back David Moore - come from the same high school as running back Jahwan Edwards.

While Ball State went out and recruited the holes on the depth chart it needed to fill, most of the fan base will want to know who the new offensive skill positions players will be. For the second straight year Ball State has recruited a quarterback, this year bringing in Jack Milas from Arlington Heights, Ill.

Milas is a 6-foot-1-inch, 199 pound quarterback from Rolling Meadows High School and set several school records in his career. He finished his high school career with 5,961 passing yards, 71 touchdowns and a 67 percent completion percentage. He set school records for most touchdown passes in a season, most touchdown passes in a career, most passing yards in a season and most passing yards in a career.

“He’s coming out of an offensive that’s very similar to our own,” Lembo said. “I love the way he’s able to keep his vision down the field when he scrambles. He’s got very good feet in the pocket. He’s got a nice touch on deep throws.”

It’s no secret that Lembo will prefer to redshirt as many of the incoming recruits as possible, but because of the depth chart he may be forced to put new players in games immeditately. But the freshmen Lembo has had play in the past, including Edwards and wide receivers Willie Snead and KeVonn Mabon, have played crucial roles on the offense the past two seasons.

When it comes to deciding if a recruit can play right away, Lembo said it doesn’t always come down to talent level.

“Maturity and mindset,” he said. “When you look at a guy like KeVonn, the reason he had such a successful season as a freshman was he came in with a mindset that I am here to play. He’s also mature beyond his years. He acts like a junior. More so than talent, it comes down to the ability to make the transition and adjust to a new environment.”