2012 Northeast Conference Champions
2012 NCAA FCS 2nd Round Participants
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Staten Island, NY - Thirteen student-athletes have elected to continue their education while pursuing a football career with the Wagner College and head coach
Walt Hameline nd will be freshmen this fall when the 2013 Seahawks take the field as defending Northeast (NEC) Conference champions.
“We're extremely excited about this group,” said Hameline. “With this recruiting class, we addressed several of our specific needs. I think this class is comprised of excellent football players who also do a very fine job with their academics. I applaud my assistant coaches for their hard work in helping attract a group of quality young men who I am confident will represent Wagner extremely well on and off the playing field.”
The most recent addition to the 2013 signing class is linebacker
Shurman Riggins, a standout from Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, NJ. Riggins' biography, along with those of his 12 future teammates, appears below.
Additional student-athletes will be announced at later dates as they become cleared for release through the athletic department's compliance office.
2013 WAGNER COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
Name CL POS HT WT Hometown/HS (Head Coach)
Kendle Bramble Fr. DL 6-4 280 Freeport, NY/ Baldwin (John Bowen)
Wayne Brown Fr. RB 5-10 180 Palm Beach Gardens, FL/ Thomas T. Dwyer (Jack Daniels)
Shane Cronin Fr. P 6-0 180 West Nyack, NY/ Clarkstown South (Jordan Turner)
Matt Diaz Fr. OL 6-6 270 Edison, NJ/Edison/Milford Academy (Bill Chaplick)
John DiStefano Fr. RB 5-9 185 Red Bank, NJ/ Red Bank Catholic (Frank Edgerly)
Keith Foster Fr. WR 6-3 180 Newark, NJ/ Weequahic/Milford Academy (Bill Chaplick)
Clayton Lisy Fr. OL 6-5 300 Plantation, FL/ Pine Crest (Neil Gruber)
Matthias McKinnon Fr. RB 6-0 190 Albany, NY/ Bishop Maginn/Jireh Prep (NC) (
Scott Smith)
Brandon Peoples Fr. RB 5-11 190
Abington Township, PA/ Archbishop Wood/Milford Academy (Bill Chaplick)
Shurman Riggins Fr. LB 6-2 215 Lawrenceville, NJ/ Lawrence (Rob Radice)
Caleb Scepaniak Fr. TE 6-4 220 Endicott, NY/Seton-Catholic/Union-Endicott (Shane Hurd)
Elijah Smith Fr. DB 6-0 180 Red Bank, NJ/ Middletown South (Steve Antonucci)
Lloyd Smith Fr. WR 6-3 190 Willingboro, NJ/ Holy Cross/ Valley Forge (PA) (Josh Sands)
2013 Recruiting Class Breakdown
By Position
Running Back - 4
Wide Receiver - 2
Offensive Line - 2
Defensive Line -1
Punter -1
Linebacker - 1
Defensive Back -1
By State
New Jersey - 6
New York - 3
Florida - 2
Pennsylvania - 1
Kendle Bramble
Fr. DL
6-4, 280
Freeport, NY/ Baldwin
Tremendous athlete who moves well in space and possesses excellent footwork … Displays uncommon agility and balance for a man his size … Led the Bruins to a 6-3 record in his senior season … Standout on the track & field team where he excels in the shot put and discus … Versatile lineman who has the skill set to play on either side of the ball though Seahawk coaching staff projects him as a defensive lineman … Named to
MSGVarsity's Long Island Top-100 Player List … Named First-Team All-Nassau County by
Newsday … Served as team captain.
Wayne Brown
Fr. RB
5-10, 180
Palm Beach Gardens, FL/ Thomas T. Dwyer
Has tremendous speed, instincts and burst … Top-flight sprinter on the Dwyer track & field team … On the gridiron, helped lead the Panthers to a 13-1 record and a No. 20 ranking in the final Florida High School Football Poll … Hails from the same high school as current Seahawk defensive tackle
Daevonte Barnett, who was named to the 2012
College Sports Journal Freshman All-American Team.
Shane Cronin
Fr. P
6-0, 180
West Nyack, NY/ Clarkstown South
All-around athlete with a powerful leg who will not only provide depth at this position but will also compete for a starting berth … Career-long punt was a booming 76 yards … Also an outstanding placekicker for the Vikings although the Seahawk coaching staff projects him as a punter … Former top-flight travel soccer player … From ages 8-14, was a member of the Eastern NY Olympic Development Team … Starting goalkeeper for the varsity soccer team as a freshman before turning his sights to football as a sophomore … As a senior in 2012, earned First-Team All-Conference, All League and All County honors while being named to the All-Section Second Team.
Matt Diaz
Fr. OL
6-6, 270
Edison, NJ/Edison/Milford Academy
Boasts tremendous size and is explosive at the point of attack … Standout two-way tackle for Edison HS who projects as an offensive lineman for the Seahawks … Earned All-Greater Middlesex Conference honors by the
Home News Tribune … Agile, athletic and mobile lineman … His quick feet allow him to use his wide body to prevent defensive linemen from entering the backfield … Honed his skills while gaining strength during a productive prep school year spent at Milford Academy.
John DiStefano
Fr. RB
5-9, 185
Red Bank, NJ/ Red Bank Catholic
Complete running back with terrific vision, balance and agility … As a senior at Red Bank Catholic, rushed for 1,685 yards and 25 touchdowns to lead the Monmouth County school to a school-record 10 wins and its first playoff victory since 1998 … That momentous win was a 42-6 vanquishing of Pope John … DiStefano played a huge role in that victory, galloping for a career-high 275 yards on 30 carries while rushing for four touchdowns … Rushed for 202 yards vs. Long Branch, 198 against Toms River East and 185 in a meeting with Ocean Township … For the season, he averaged 153 yards rushing per game in earning All-Monmouth County honors by the
Asbury Park Press … Further developed his skill set during a prep year at Milford Academy.
Keith Foster
Fr. WR
6-3, 180
Newark, NJ/ Weequahic/Milford Academy
Helped spark Weequahic HS of Newark to a 9-3 season in 2011 with 856 receiving yards and nine touchdowns after spending the previous three seasons at Newark West Side HS … Tremendously versatile performer who excelled at wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back … For his career, rushed for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns, threw for 2,188 yards and 21 touchdowns, had 12 touchdown receptions with 974 yards receiving … Also an outstanding basketball player where he was an explosive, high-scoring guard …. Named Second-Team All-Essex County by the
Star-Ledger … Participated in the The 34th annual North-South All-Star Football Classic in the summer of 2011 at Kean University in Union, NJ … Drew interest from several FBS programs, including Rutgers and Syracuse … Further developed his skill set during a prep year at Milford Academy.
Clayton Lisy
Fr. OL
6-5, 300
Plantation, FL/ Pine Crest
Played a key role in Pine Crest's offensive attack from his left tackle position … Massive athlete with tremendous wingspan … excellent technique that enables him to consistently gain leverage in the trenches … Helped lead the Panthers to a 9-2 record as a senior … Transferred to Pine Crest HS from American Heritage HS prior to his senior season … Has tremendous upside as he has been playing football for just two years … Prior to plying his trade on the gridiron, was best known by his peers as a musician … Is a very talented guitar player.
Matthias McKinnon
Fr. RB
6-0, 190
Albany, NY/ Bishop Maginn/Jireh Prep (NC)
2011 Section II MVP and Player of the Year for Bishop Maginn High School … Tough, hard-nosed runner who gained nearly 1,400 yards and had 14 rushing touchdowns …. One of the team leaders in tackles from his defensive back position … Also his team's top kick returner and kick coverage player on the team … Four-year defensive starter and three-year offensive starter … Team captain … Also a tremendous basketball talent … Further developed his skills by spending a year at Jireh Prep in Matthews, NC.
Brandon Peoples
Fr. RB
5-11, 190
Abington Township, PA/ Archbishop Wood/ Milford Academy
High-profile and well-honored player who originally committed to Temple University … Starred at Archbishop Wood HS, one of the perennial powerhouse programs in the talent-rich state of Pennsylvania … Helped lead the Vikings to a state title in his senior season of 2011 … … A complete back who is an adept blocker and capable receiver out of the backfield … Bruising runner who is difficult to bring down … Also a crunching blocker … His cousin and former backfield mate Desmon Peoples will be a redshirt freshman running back at Rutgers this fall … Gained experience and bulk while attending Milford Academy.
Shurman Riggins
Fr. LB
6-2, 215
Lawrenceville, NJ/ Lawrence
Played for Coach Rob Radice at Lawrence High School … Three-year starter and varsity letterwinner … Excelled at both linebacker and fullback for the Cardinals … Named Lawrence's 2012 Defensive Player of the Year … Team Captain who quarterbacked the defense from his linebacker spot where he amassed 56 tackles (six for a loss) and seven sacks … Also snared an interception which he returned 33 yards … At fullback, he gained 230 yards on the season while averaging six yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns … Also a standout on the Lawrence track & field team where he excels in the triple and long jumps, as well as the javelin … Versatility helped lead the Cardinals to consecutive conference championships in 2009 and 2010 … Honor Roll student who boasts a 3.75 GPA … Actively involved in a host of community service programs including the Special Olympics … One of 36 student-athletes accepted into the inaugural NFL Wharton Leadership Prep Program, a partnership between The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and the NFL … This three-day leadership program for high school seniors will be held in Philadelphia in late June.
Caleb Scepaniak
Fr. TE
6-4, 220
Endicott, NY/ Union-Endicott
Athletic, receiving-type tight end who has the speed to stretch defenses and the football I.Q. to find and settle into holes in opposing defenses … Helped lead the Tigers to a 9-2 record in 2012 … Versatile performer … Began his prep career at Seton-Catholic HS in Binghamton, NY where he was his team's starting quarterback … Was recruited by several schools as a signal-caller.
Elijah Smith
Fr. DB
5-10, 180
Red Bank, NJ/ Middletown South
A shut-down corner throughout his high school career for an Eagle program that has been dominant along the Jersey Shore for decades … Also a dangerous receiver and runner from his slot back position on offense ... Played an integral role in leading the Eagles to an 8-4 record in his senior season … Transferred to Middletown South from St. John Vianney before his senior season … Had four interceptions, two which he returned for touchdowns,, four tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries … On offense, he ran for 700 yards on 100 carries and eight touchdowns … Also a dangerous receiver, he corralled 37 passes for 475 yards and two touchdowns … May have an opportunity to see the field early in his Seahawk career as a returner as he averaged 18 yards per punt return and 25 yards per kickoff return.
Lloyd Smith
Fr. WR
6-3, 190
Willingboro, NJ/ Holy Cross/ Valley Forge (PA)
Dynamic, big-play performer who will be looking to make an impact early in his Seahawk career … Extremely athletic, explosive and versatile athlete who could find a home at virtually any skill position … Named second-Team All-Burlington County by
Phillyburbs.com .. Drew interest from several FBS schools … A standout on the hardwood at Holy Cross HS … Currently averages more than 20 points per game for the Valley Forge basketball team.
