BURNABY, BC --- On Wednesday, Simon Fraser Head Football Coach Thomas Ford announced the signing of 27 new recruits to the program. Going into the 2020 recruiting season, the Simon Fraser coaching staff placed a large focus on reinforcing the team's Offensive and Defensive lines, as well as Secondary. Ford, who enters his third year at the helm of the SFU Football Team, expressed his excitement over signing many of their top prospects in each positional category: 

"Every single one of our players in this class was near the top of our board in their respective positions. Trying to highlight a few guys in a class this talented was next to impossible which is a really good problem to have. This class is full of hard working, high character guys that are as serious about their academics as they are about helping us build a Championship level program. I'm tremendously proud of the hard work our coaching staff has put into this class, and am equally as proud of the relationships we've been able to build with our commits" said Ford. 

On the defensive side of the ball, headlining the 2020 class are two big recruits from Ontario, Defensive End Nate Gonzalez and Corner Back Johari Hastings. Both hailing from Chaminade College in Toronto, the pair were OFSAA Metro Bowl Champions last year, with Gonzalez earning himself the 2019-20 lineman of the year award and Hastings picking up the Metro Bowl MVP honour.

"Nate is one of the most versatile DE's we evaluated in the entire 2020 class. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. Another big time Ontario recruit who will have a tremendous career at SFU" said Ford. "Johari is also an incredibly talented DB. He is an extremely physical player that is an absolute ball hawk. He definitely rises up to match even the best of competitors. Both of these guys have great burst and play with a high motor, they are definitely going to come in ready to compete this fall." 

From the state of Oregon, another player to watch is Keoni Hepa. Hepa is a 6'2 285lb Defensive Tackle from Lakeridge HS in Lake Oswego, and as a two-time All-League 2nd Team D-lineman, there is no doubt Hepa will bring some strength to the D-line this Fall. "Keoni is an absolute mauler on the interior DL. He has great size and plays with a nasty streak on the field. He'll be a problem in the middle of the field for years to come." said Ford. 

Defensive Back Kimo Hiu, also from the state of Oregon, hails from from Central Catholic HS in Portland. Showcasing his versatility, Hiu was a 2nd Team All-League defensive back, an All-League Honorable Mention as a wide receiver and an All-State Honorable Mention as a defensive back.  "He is great in his transitions, very speedy, and attacks the ball well in the air" explained Ford. "He not only plays with finesse but also isn't afraid to put his facemask on you." 

Joining the Offensive Line for Simon Fraser (also from Oregon) are Gustavo Mendez and Izaya Shabazz. Mendez is a 6'2, 290lb freshman who has racked up quite the list of accolades for himself in the last couple years. The 2019 1st Team All-League Offensive Linemen selection and Offensive Player of The Year is credited as the most physical of the O-lineman that Ford is bringing into the 2020 class. Equally, Shabazz was a 2019 Mt. Hood Conference Champion, and a 2019 6A OSAA State Champion. "Izaya might just be the biggest steal of our 2020 class!" Ford exclaimed. "He is one of the most athletic tackle types we've recruited in the last 3 years." Other offensive signees from Oregon include 6'1 versatile Tight-End Ethan Flynn, and 255lb four-year starting O-Lineman Kai Tinker.

Simon Fraser's sole Quarterback recruit comes from Fullerton, California. Luke Duxbury is a 6'0, 175lb dual-citizen, who was an All-CIF QB last year, and was a two-time 1st Team All-Freeway League selection, as well as a CIF champion. Duxbury currently holds 4 school records as a QB at Sunny Hills HS. "This kid can really spin it. He is capable of making every throw in our offense. Add up his ability to not only extend plays, but also carry the football and you have a complete QB."

Joining SFU from Vancouver Island, and Mount Douglass Secondary School in Victoria, is 6'0 170lb Wide Receiver Joseph Lucas. Lucas was the Rams most outstanding player in the 2019 season, and was also named a BCHSFB Western Conference All Star. Coach Ford explained the versatile traits which Lucas will add to the Wide Reciever group at SFU: "Joe is easily one of the most explosive players in the province. He has great length, speed, and excellent ball skills which will translate well into our receiving corps. Joe also has great football IQ and is one of the grittiest players we watched this season." 

Two more Offensive Line recruits for SFU come from just south of the border, in the state of Washington. Jacob Anderson is a 6'4" 270lb linemen from Snohomish's Glacier Peak HS and was a 1st Team All WESCO Linemen in his senior season. "Jacob is an incredibly athletic tackle type out of WA that could play any position on the o-line." said Ford "I like to call him the "dancing bear." He is going to bring size, athleticism, and football IQ to the o-line group this fall for sure." Brandon Gimse, meanwhile, is a 6'5" 290lb linemen hailing from Bellingham's Squalicum HS. The imposing physical presence was a 1st Team All Wesco player in 2019, his team's most valuable player in his senior season, as well as an All-State Team Honorable Mention. "Brandon is an incredibly physical and big o-lineman, that just plays mean. These are exactly the type of players we want to bring in every year at his position. He is athletic, gritty, and flat out loves playing the game," said Coach Ford. 

Also coming to Simon Fraser from the state of Washington is 6'6" 200lb Wide Receiver Carson Everhart. "Carson is a physical freak," explained Coach Ford. "At 6'6 this guy will be a match up nightmare for teams the next 4 years. He was a High School QB who came to our camp to workout at WR. The guy had never played WR before that day and was absolutely dominant when the ball was in the air. We've had a good track record with tall WR's and Carson is definitely a guy that has all the ability to be the next great one." As mentioned, Everhart played Quarterback at Eastmont HS in Wenatchee, and was an Honorable Mention Big 9 Quarterback in his Senior year.

Back on the Defensive side of the ball, Simon Fraser added two more local recruits through Linebacker Ian Marin, as well as Defensive Back Jaden Severy. Marin, a 6'1" 220lb player from Vancouver's Notre Dame Secondary, was named defensive player of the year in his junior season at Notre Dame, and is renowned for his physical play: "Ian is one of the most physical Linebackers in the country." said Coach Ford "He showed great versatility as a senior at Notre Dame this season and was not only a great run stopper, but also became much more dynamic against the pass in coverage. Ian is also a nice fit in pressure schemes and he will get after the QB. He was definitely one of the 'had to have' BC recruits this year."

Jaden Severy, a 6'1" 180lb Defensive Back out of Terry Fox Secondary, has been a Team BC selection in both Rugby and Football, and was selected as a 2018 AAA Provincial All Star DB in BC. Severy was also recognized as Terry Fox's MVP in the 2018 season. "Jaden is a 2019 Terry Fox grad who we have built a great relationship with over the past 2 years." said Ford "He is an incredible athlete with great length, ball skills, and football IQ. His speed and physicality fits right into what we look for on the island, and I have no doubt that Jaden will come in and compete at a high level as soon as he steps on campus."

Rounding out the 2020 recruiting class are six more players from the state of Washington (5 Defensive,1 Offensive), and six players from British Columbia (4 Defensive, 2 Offensive). A full list of Simon Fraser Football's 2020 recruiting class is included below: 


 

Name	HS	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.
Jaden Severy	Terry Fox	CB	6'1	185
Johari Hastings	Chaminade College School	CB	5'10	165
Haydn Stomperud	Lord Tweedsmuir	DB	5'9	160
Morgan Cavalier	Bellingham	DB	6'2	170
Kyle Huish	Terry Fox	DB	5'9	165
Adam McCluskey	Squalicum	DE	6'3	225
Malachi Ledbetter	Ferndale	DE	6'3	225
Nate Gonzalez	Chaminade College School	DL	6'3	225
Keoni Hepa	Lakeridge	DT	6'2	285
Gustavo Mendez	Sunset	OL	6'2	290
Teagun Lawrence	Franklin Pierce	OL	6'3	260
Kai Tinker	Lakeridge	OL	6'1	255
Jacob Anderson	Glacier Peak	OT	6'4	270
Brandon Gimse	Squalicum	OT	6'5	290
Izaya Shabazz	Central Catholic	OT	6'5	290
Luke Duxbury	Sunny Hills	QB	6'0	175
Ian Marin	Notre Dame	LB	6'1	220
Caleb Hoey	Notre Dame	LB	6'1	200
TJ Fujimura	Holy Cross	WR	6'0	175
Joseph Lucas	Mount Douglas	WR	6'0	160
Carson Everhart	Eastmont	WR	6'6	195
Luca Iallonardo	St. Thomas More	DL	6'3	260
Ishmael Togi	Highline	DL	5'11	255
Kimo Hiu	Central Catholic	CB	5'10	180
Brandon Johnson	Seaquam	TE	6'1	190
Talataina Tevaga	Bothell	LB	5'10	205
Ethan Flynn	Central Catholic	TE	6'1	195