SFU Clan Adds Key Pieces On National Signing Day

Burnaby, BC – Head coach Kelly Bates and his SFU Clan football team revealed their 16 newest additions on Wednesday’s National Signing Day, adding some impressive talent on both sides of the ball with the nucleus of their 2017 recruiting class.

“I think today, we added players that will continue to build the base of our program,” said Bates. “Today is the start of our signing period, which will continue to play out over the weeks ahead, but the guys that have committed today are going to be huge pieces of moving this program in the direction that we want.”

Looking to unearth a few dynamic playmakers on offense, the Clan will bolster an already-deep receiving corps with wideouts Ethan Beselt (Mt. Boucherie Secondary), Mauro GIammaria (Notre Dame Secondary), Aidan Pearce (Argyle Secondary), and Ryan Naylor (Stadium High School). Ballenas Secondary’s Liviano Canil and Winnipeg native Christian Phillips (Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada) both have a shot to be impact players at tight end, while Matthew Shuen of Terry Fox Secondary will add another weapon at running back.

“On offense, especially at wide receiver, you have a variety of different body types and skill-sets capable of doing different things on the field,” said Bates. “With the guys we’ve added, in addition to some of the guys we have, I think we now have the depth and versatility to do more on offense. Really, adding more talent just gives us flexibility.”

On the offensive line, Bates has added some real size with four Canadian pass protectors. Lorenzo DelGiglio (Notre Dame Secondary), Dominic Martin (Carson Graham Secondary), and Jackson Drew (Vancouver College) all hail from the Lower Mainland, while Fort McMurray, AB native Diego Holz (Holy Trinity) clocks in as the Clan’s biggest addition thus far at 6-2, 310-lbs.

“Offensive line has been an area we need to shore up, and I think we added a couple of guys that can compete,” said Bates. “However, there’s still work to be done there, and we could add a couple more guys over the next couple of weeks.”

On defense, Bates’ key additions come from all over the map – defensive end Spencer McCabe and free safety Shea Carstens are coming up to Burnaby Mountain from Washington’s O’Dea High School, while linebackers Jakob Mozzill (Centennial Collegiate) and Griffin Barrett (Albert E. Peacock Collegiate) will be moving out west from Saskatchewan. Defensive back Matteo Montagliani is the only local addition on the stop unit, as he starred at Burnaby’s St. Thomas More Collegiate.

Bates’ roster was looking at a massive hole in the middle following the graduation of the Herdman twins at linebacker. However, the head coach noted that the commitment of the two linebackers goes a long way to alleviate those concerns.

“Mozzill and Barrett are two linebackers that we had ranked very highly nationally, and it’s terrific that they’ve decided to commit to us. On the defensive line, the last two or three weeks saw us pick up momentum with McCabe, who got some D1 offers. Still, he decided to go the academic route and stay close to home, and we were very fortunate to earn his signature. In the defensive backfield, we picked up some depth with Carstens and Montagliani.” 

Despite the busy day on NSD, Bates is insistent that the Clan aren’t even close to finished.

“This is about half of our recruiting class, and I think it’s a great foundation,” said Bates. “Compared to last year, we might not have the sheer volume of local players, but we have some excellent pieces that should be ready to make an impact soon and for the foreseeable future.”

 

PLAYER                         POS      HT        WT       HOMETOWN                 HIGH SCHOOL

Ethan Beselt                 WR       5’11      160       West Kelowna, BC         Mount Boucherie

Griffin Barrett                LB        6’1        200       Moose Jaw, SK              AE Peacock

Liviano Canil                 TE        6’3        215       Nanaimo, BC                 Ballenas

Shea Carstens             DB        5’11      175       Seattle, WA                  O’Dea HS

Lorenzo Delgiglio          OL        6’2        260       Vancouver, BC              Notre Dame

Jackson Drew              OL        6’4        220       Vancouver, BC              Vancouver College

Mauro Giammaria          WR       6’0        170       Vancouver, BC              Notre Dame

Diego Holz                    OL        6’2        310       Fort McMurray, AB        Holy Trinity

Dominic Martin             OL        6’2        250       Gresham, OR                Gresham

Spencer McCabe           DE        6’4        250       Seattle, WA                  O’Dea HS

Matteo Montagliani       DB        5’11      160       Burnaby, BC                 St. Thomas More

Jakob Mozill                  LB        6’2        205       Saskatoon, SK              Centennial Collegiate

Ryan Naylor                  WR       6’3        185       Tacoma, WA                 Stadium HS

Aidan Pearce                 WR       5’11      170       North Vancouver, BC     Argyle

Christian Phillips                       TE        6’4        230       Winnipeg, MB               Royal Imperial Collegiate

Matthew Shuen                        RB        5’9        185       Port Coquitlam, BC        Terry Fox