Unsigned Hype: Massachusetts Football Recruits Still Looking for a Home

SuiteSports All-State receiver Cole Drugotch from St. John's (Shrewsbury) is still looking for a place to play college ball

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

National Signing Day has come and gone, but that doesn't mean football recruiting is done for the Class of 2018. Even with the new early signing period that took place in December, last week's National Signing Day is just the beginning for many of the state's top players, who are still looking to take their games to the next level.

There are literally dozens of Massachusetts football prospects still available, but here are some of the best ones still looking for a college team.

Your 2018 Massachusetts Football Recruiting Database

Compiled by Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's National Signing Day, and that means high school athletes across the country will be making their intentions to play in college official today.

Yes, we already had an early signing period for football, which saw many of the Commonwealth's best players sign their National Letters of Intent to play college ball, but we're still posting all college commitments here, today.

So, whether your favorite player is going D1, D2 or D3, or if they signed in December, or just faxed that NLI in today, look for them below. And heck, if we don't have them listed, let me know by Tweeting me at @HerewegoJoe, or via email at jparello86@gmail.com. I'll be updating the list throughout the day.

Also note that, for Massachusetts natives who played at out of state prep schools, you can find them under their most recent school, with their home town or former team in parentheses.

Massachusetts Football Stars Ink National Letters of Intent During New Early Signing Day

Bridgewater-Raynham's Bryce Shaw signing with Navy Wednesday.  Photo from @BR_Athletics_MA

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

The first week in February has become synonymous with college football signings, as the traditional National Signing Day was when high school athletes could finally officially commit to where they will spend their next four years.

Today, December 20th, however, gave athletes the first “early” opportunity to solidify what has been, for a long period of time now, a simple verbal guarantee.

Across Massachusetts a number of the most notable high school recruits today signed their National Letters of Intent, officially fulfilling their obligation.

Massachusetts National Signing Day Central 2017

Grafton's Ifeatu Melifonwu, joined by his mother and teammates shortly after signing his National Letter of Intent to play at Syracuse.

Miss any of our National Signing Day coverage? No worries, we've got you covered with links to our recruiting database and all of our NSD stories, along with links to some fantastic recruiting coverage by Inside the Huddle Massachusetts.

Onward!

RADIO: The High School Sports Lunchbox, Recapping National Signing Day in CMass

Leominster's Noah Gray was one of many athletes around the region who signed National Letters of Intent yesterday.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On this week's episode of the Local Sports Lunchbox on WPKZ, we recapped all the biggest happenings from National Signing Day.

With players signing to play for schools at every level, there was a ton to cover, and we had Leominster star, and Duke signee, Noah Gray call in, then chatted with Carl Setterlund of the Telegram & Gazette.

It was a full show highlighting the top prospects from across the region, so listen in for more below.

Still a Blue Devil: Leominster's Noah Gray Signs With Duke

Leominster's Noah Gray surrounded by family, coaches and educators.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

At a ceremony in the Leominster High School library, Noah Gray celebrated making his long-standing commitment to Duke University official. The Gray family sent in Noah's National Letter of Intent earlier Wednesday morning, but the emotions were still flowing when Noah addressed the Leominster community around noon.

"My parents have been an inspiration to me, I look up to them every single day," Gray said, while choking up a bit. "I'm grateful for them, and my brother and my sister, they've been a blessing to me. I've just been blessed with amazing people around me."

VIDEO: Best Friends Ragan and Cassidy Sign Letters of Intent at St. John's (Shrewsbury)

Sean Ragan (left) signed with Boston College Wednesday, alongside best friend Tim Cassidy (right), who signed with Bentley University.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Long-time teammates and best friends Sean Ragan and Tim Cassidy each capped National Signing Day Wednesday by signing their National Letters of Intent together.

Ragan will head to Boston College, while Cassidy is off to Bentley University in Waltham. For a complete story of signing day at St. John's (Shrewsbury), head over to ESPN Boston, and check out video of the two signees below.

Massachusetts 2016 Football National Signing Day Database

Marshfield's Danny Dalton is already on campus at Penn State, but he's still one of the headliners of the 2016 Massachusetts football recruiting class.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's National Signing Day, and that means that all across the country high school players are making their college sports plans final.

Here in Massachusetts, there are plenty of high school football players set to take their games to the next level. Here is our list of those players, by school, and as always, feel free to Tweet me @HerewegoJoe if I have left somebody out. Or, simply email me at jparello86@gmail.com if you're not a Tweeter.

Finally, I have to give a big shootout to all the coaches that helped me compile this list, and several players in Central Mass that were instrumental in making this list as comprehensive as it is. Ryan Morgera of Shrewsbury may have a career in recruiting coverage ahead of him, and Mike Curtin of Nashoba, along with Sean Ragan of St. John's (Shrewsbury) were also massively helpful.

Thanks guys!

Now, without further ado, here are your 2016 college football signees from the state of Massachusetts.

Two Central Mass Seans Prepare for Major College Football

Shepherd Hill's Sean McKeon (86) and St. John's (Shrewsbury)'s Sean Ragan (77) will each take their games to college football's highest level next season.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On the eve of National Signing Day, a pair of Seans from the Heart of the Commonwealth each have plans to play college football at the major-conference level next season.

Sean McKeon, an athletic tight end and defensive end, has already begun his journey. The former Shepherd Hill star enrolled mid-year at the University of Michigan, and is currently getting settled academically and athletically in Ann Arbor.

"So far it's been a great experience," McKeon said of his time on campus so far. "It was a little rough getting used to my class schedule and workouts, but once I got settled in everything was fine. Class is a lot of work, but there is a lot of academic support here for me. The workouts are hard but, obviously, that's expected at one of the best football schools in the country."

Sean Ragan, a versatile and bruising offensive lineman, will officially end his recruitment tomorrow when he signs his National Letter of Intent to play football for Boston College.

Massachusetts 2015 Football National Signing Day Database

Xaverian running back Noah Sorrento (#4) and defensive end Joe Gaziano (#97) will both be continuing their football careers at the next level.  Photo courtesy of Brendan C. Hall and ESPN Boston High Schools.

 By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's National Signing Day, and that means that all across the country high school players are making their college sports plans final. Here in Massachusetts, there are plenty of high school football players sets to take their games to the next level. Here is our list of those players, by school, along with some quick notes about their potential at the college level.

As always, feel free to Tweet me @HerewegoJoe if I have left somebody out, or feel free to email me at jparello86@gmail.com if you're not a Tweeter.

Studs and Duds: A Big Week for D-Bag QBs

By Jeremy Conlin and Joe Parello

Studs and Duds is a weekly feature on Suite Sports. Who had a good week? Who had a bad week?

Studs:

Hugh Freeze

On Signing Day 2007, Freeze was an assistant on then-Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron's staff when the Rebel coaches received the bad news that the nation's top prospect, Joe McKnight, was committing to USC instead of Ole Miss.

At the time, it was considered a minor miracle that McKnight was even considering the hapless Rebels, and Orgeron was considered to be the nation's best salesmen in the recruiting game.

Well, the student became the master on Signing Day 2013, as Freeze did was his mentor could not: close the deal on the best high school football player in the country. When Robert Nkemdiche committed to the Rebels, it not only gave some much needed punch to their pass rush, it legitimized Oxford as a Blue Chip destination once again.

The fact that Ole Miss would also add five star Florida offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil on Signing Day and already had five star receiver Laquon Treadwell "in the boat," led to the Rebels earning a consensus top-10 recruiting ranking.

It also led to speculation that they had to be cheating. Heck, even I labeled them as "The Program that Has No Business Recruiting this Well." It's also amusing, because back in late 2006, Orgeron joked that if McKnight committed to the Rebels, they would be investigated by the NCAA.

But Freeze, who prior to Wednesday was best known for being Michael Oher's high school coach in The Blind Side, claims this class is full of natural "ins" with recruits and kids really recruiting for the program. We'll see how it works out when they get on campus, but on the recruiting trail, Freeze is the top stud in the country.

-JP

10 Things to Watch for on National Signing Day

It's all about which stud recruits are wearing your favorite team's hat on NSD.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Just when you thought football season was over…

National Signing Day, the day the country's top high school football players (well, also athletes from many other sports, but nobody really cares about them) choose the school they will represent on the gridiron for the next 3-5 years.

If you think the NFL Draft matters, consider this:

An average NFL team will add 7 players throughout the three day NFL Draft, and two of them will either not make the team or be demoted to the practice squad. Two years later and you are thrilled if as many as three of the players you drafted are still with your team and contributing, let alone starting.