SEWARD, Neb. – In conjunction with the arrival of National Signing Day 2021 (Feb. 3), the Concordia University Football program has announced an initial 2021 class of 36 recruits. To this point, Head Coach Patrick Daberkow and his staff have pulled from the states of Nebraska, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. That list of incoming Bulldogs includes 23 Cornhusker State natives.
Daberkow says his staff has continued to focus on familiar recruiting grounds, with a particular focus on the four-hour drive time radius that surrounds Seward. One tweak to recruiting was the elimination of large-scale recruit days. There’s been an increased emphasis on putting a personal touch on the recruiting process.
“We’ve changed how we recruit a little bit to stay away from large weekend visits with 20-plus kids,” Daberkow said. “Because we don’t feel like we get enough quality time with each individual. When we used to do those big weekend visits it was a little like speed dating. We just want to slow the process down – and it works better to get kids here during the week so they can get a feel for campus life. It’s been really good moving towards a weekday visit model so we can get to know them better and they can get to know us better.”
Concordia is coming off a 4-4 record in 2020. The Bulldogs were led by a group of five first team All-GPAC selections: receiver Korrell Koehlmoos, linebacker Lane Napier, tight end Garrett Schardt, sophomore Christian Schlepp and running back Jonah Weyand.
Daberkow and his staff hope they have honed in on the next core of players that will form the backbone of winning football teams. Said Daberkow, “It’s been a good solid class. We feel like every year we’ve been together as a staff we’ve been able to hone in on what we’re looking for and identify recruits earlier with some of our offers. It’s been a lot better as far as getting to know some of them before signing day.”
The class includes Lane Napier’s younger brother Kyle and another name that may be familiar to fans of the Bulldogs – Qyalan Clay, who has returned to Concordia. Clay ran for 101 yards during the 2015 season. Like most years, the Bulldogs have also added to the program from their own backyard. Two more Seward High School Bluejays are set to wear navy and white.
Daberkow sees the incoming recruits as a compliment to the existing student-athletes on the roster. Improvement for the 2021 season starts with the weight room. Said Daberkow, “Signing Day is always fun because it’s exciting to bring in new young men who are going to come in and work. We also have that same energy in the weight room with our guys who are now in week four of the offseason. That’s equally as exciting. We expect to see that translate to wins on Saturdays. We’re trying to raise the bar every year. Our guys have really embraced the challenge.”
Concordia Football recruiting class of 2021
*As of Feb. 3, 2021
Ausaru Allah | La Marque, Texas | Dickinson HS
Robert Alston | Palestine, Texas | Palestine HS
Jackson Anderson | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Valor Christian HS
Ty Bartholomew | York, Neb. | York HS
Zackary Burke | Sidney, Neb. | Sidney HS
Qyalan Clay | Houston, Texas | Alvin HS
Cole Coffey | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln North Star HS
Omar Contreras | Tracy, Calif. | Tracy HS
Kyle Culbert | Garden Grove, Calif. | Rancho Alamitos HS
Zachary Downs | Montgomery, Texas | Lake Creek HS
Boone Duncan | Staplehurst, Neb. | Seward HS
Noah Fisher | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln East HS
Jack Freeman | Palm Coast, Fla. | Flagler Palm Coast HS
Jamori Gardner | Spring, Texas | Spring HS
Joseph Kahrs | Naponee, Neb. | Franklin Public School
Ayden King | Doniphan, Neb. | Doniphan Trumbull HS
Reid Korth | Wayne, Neb. | Wayne HS
Lane Lieb | Wilcox, Neb. | Wilcox-Hildreth HS
Reed McFadden | Purdum, Neb. | Sandhills HS
David McGarvie Jr. | Valparaiso, Neb. | Lincoln North Star HS
Joseph McQueen | Millsap, Texas | Brock HS
Nathan Miller | Seward, Neb. | Seward HS
Seth Moore | Kearney, Neb. | Kearney Catholic HS
Kyle Napier | Bruno, Neb. | David City Aquinas HS
Justin Ningen | Chappell, Neb. | Creek Valley HS
Anthony “Devon” Polley Jr. | Edmond, Okla. | Edmond Memorial HS
Dominic Philippi | Bruning, Neb. | Bruning Davenport Unified HS
Robert “Tanner” Sanchez | Laredo, Texas | United HS
Noah Schaedel | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran HS
Blake Schlegel | Bruning, Neb. | Shickley Public School
Dylan Smith | Denton, Neb. | Lincoln HS
Dylan Smith | Emporia, Kan. | Emporia Senior HS
Kyle Sterup | Osceola, Neb. | Osceola HS
Konnor Tannahill | Holton, Kan. | Holton HS
Parker Vyhlidal | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln HS
Carson Watts | Osceola, Neb. | Osceola HS