Lock Haven lands a stellar 2025 recruiting class

Tagged under: News, Pennsylvania Colleges, pfn, Recruiting

Ryan States | February 14, 2025

Photo Taken by Mike Frame for Lock Haven Athletics.

LOCK HAVEN- National signing day is a major event for football programs across the country, and the same rings true for Lock Haven football. Off the back of another five win season and with a looming coaching change on the horizon, there was some concern on how Lock Haven would perform on signing day. 

It got off to a great start, as on Wednesday, February 5th Bald Eagle Area stars Wyatt Spackman and Carson Nagle both officially committed to The Haven. Nagle has been the apple of the Bald Eagle’s eye since he announced his intent to attend the University all the way back in August. Nagle had serious offers on the table from FCS schools like Bucknell, Lehigh, and even FBS schools like James Maddison. Meanwhile Spackman had been looked at by FCS Saint Francis University. To keep these local kids not only close to home, but also away from major college programs is a huge victory for Lock Haven. But that wouldn’t be the only win they had, as they managed to complete their class with some great talent. 

Spackman and Nagle will join their former teammates Alex Lefebvre and Kaden Burns on the LHU roster, as well as countless other names from around the Central PA area. When asked about the importance of recruiting that local talent, Lock Haven coach and recruiting coordinator Nick Voorhees wasn’t shy on just how important it is. 

“It takes a village to do something special here.” Voorhees said, “The more local guys you get, the more the community starts to wrap themselves around what we are doing and supporting us. It’s been a huge mission for us since we got here to understand the landscape and build the relationships back with those local coaches and families.”

“It is a huge goal of ours to keep the local kids home. Head Coach Joe Battaglia added. We don’t want them going hours away, we want to get the best kids from the local area.”

In the transfer portal The Haven brought in four new players, LB Kuhron Walker from Southern Connecticut University, WR Deion King from West Virginia Wesleyan College, WR Jake Roberts from Concord University, and Edge Rusher LucRichard Rameau from West Virginia State College. 

Bringing in two receivers from the portal does not come as much of a surprise, as the Bald Eagles are set to lose almost all of their top pass catchers from last season, so they desperately needed to bring in some veteran talent. And Rameau is a great name to watch as well, as he used to play D1 ball at Army and Campbell colleges.

Those who follow Lock Haven Football may be surprised at the small number of transfers, as in the recent years the Bald Eagles have been known to bring in upwards of 15-20 players in the portal, but this small number certainly won’t be the final one. Lock Haven likes to evaluate their in house talent up to their annual Spring Game, then if they find a weak spot address it in the spring transfer window. Don’t be surprised if the total transfer number reaches into the double digits in the coming months.

From the Highschool ranks Lock Haven brought in 21 total players, 13 of them from the state of Pennsylvania, three from both Maryland and New Jersey, and one each from West Virginia and Delaware.

“Just speaking of the conference we are in (PSAC) , a majority of the teams are in Pennsylvania, and we are recruiting against each other for the same prospects.” Coach Voorhees said when asked about how important it is to get top talent from PA, “ Winning those Pennsylvania battles is huge. The more local guys you get the more the community supports what we are doing and boosts us up. That has been a huge mission for us since we got here.”

Chase Balichik, DB Mount Carmel Area HS, Brayden Crisswell, DL Williams Valley HS, Tayden Mines, WR Roman Catholic HS, Greyson Seaman, OL Elizabethtown Area HS, Jay Von Tucker-Scott, WR Coatesville HS, Brodie Miller, DL Sharon HS, James Gryskewicz, OL Wilkes-Barre HS, Mason Currey, LS South Western HS, Jayden Macon, LB Freedom HS, Carson Nagle, QB Bald Eagle Area HS, Wyatt Spackman, LB Bald Eagle Area HS, Kenny Hampe, OL Muncy HS, Chalres Capers Jr, DB East Stroudsburg HS, Blake Wanless, OL Archbishop Spalding HS, Chase Gorman, RB Archbishop Spalding HS, Yamontae Shird, OL Mount St. Joseph HS, Jayden Drakeford, DL Don Bosco Prep HS, Calvin Johnson Jr, LB Eastside HS, Elijah Wilson, LB Paul VI HS, Thomas Reynolds, DL Polytech HS, and Tay’Shaun Roper, RB Jefferson HS. 

Of these recruits some big time name’s stand out, maybe most of which is West Virginia’s star back Tay’Shaun Roper. Roper was nothing but dominant his final year as Jefferson High School, racking up 1,404 rushing yards and 22 total TD’s, and being named First Team All-State. Roper deciding on Lock Haven over the PSAC school actually in West Virginia (Shepherd) is a very telling statement on where he believes Lock Haven football is going. 

Another big signing was Eastside High’s LB Calvin Johnson Jr. While unfortunately Johnson Jr. has no relation to the Hall of Fame NFL receiver whose name he shares, he is a fantastic player in his own right. Johnson Jr. formerly had offers from major FBS programs like Pittsburgh and Maryland, but unfortunately he suffered a lower body injury in his final year of high school that set him back, Despite this Lock Haven fully believed in the talent Johnson displayed, saying they are confident he will be ready by the start of the season. 

This isn’t the first time that Lock Haven nailed recruits who had other major offers, as just last season they landed WR Durell Ceaser, who had an offer from Akron and a PWO from Penn State. 

Overall with 25+ recruits so far, and more certainly on the way in the coming months this is a large class that can’t all be truly summed up and done justice in one article. But in totality this class is maybe their most impressive over the last few seasons considering all that has gone on. Coach’s Bataglia, Voorhees, and the entire Lock Haven staff did an incredible job not only recruiting talent, but keeping it during the current power shift. While many in this current class likely won’t see the field until 2026, don’t be surprised to see some of these names next season making major impacts on what is shaping up to be a big year for Lock Haven Football. 

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