By: SU Sports Information
This page will be updated frequently, beginning Feb. 3.
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team is announcing new recruits on National Signing Day (#NSD21).
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These players have signed either national letters of intent (NLIs) or institutional letters committing them to play football at Shippensburg under head coach Mark 'Mac' Maciejewski '92/'96M.
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National Signing Day (#NSD21) is the first day that Shippensburg can officially sign players. Additional recruits will be added to this list over the course of the next several months.
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| Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
High School |
| Kameron Arocha |
OL |
6-2 |
320 |
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.) |
| Brayden Basile |
P |
5-11 |
165 |
Perkiomen Valley |
| Eric Benson |
WR |
6-3 |
210 |
Pittsburgh Central Catholic |
| John "JD" Besch |
OL |
6-2 |
285 |
Bellefonte |
| Jeremiah Carothers |
DL |
6-2 |
270 |
Carlisle Area |
| Michael Fayemi |
DB |
6-1 |
195 |
South Philadelphia |
| Jamar Gainer |
DB |
5-10 |
170 |
Milford Mill Academy (Md.) |
| Jordae Grove |
OL |
6-4 |
310 |
McCaskey |
| Tanner Hess |
RB |
5-11 |
180 |
Hempfield |
| Cameron Jackson |
DB |
5-11 |
190 |
Imhotep Charter |
| Jayden Jones |
ATH |
6-0 |
185 |
Chambersburg Area |
| Davey Loyd |
WR |
6-0 |
180 |
Hershey |
| Grant McCauley |
OL |
6-3 |
315 |
Central Bucks South |
| Fabian Roberts |
DB |
5-11 |
175 |
Glen Burnie (Md.) |
| Thomas "TJ" Robinson |
DB |
5-11 |
180 |
Williamsport Area |
| Taylor Shearer |
DB |
5-11 |
180 |
Mechanicsburg Area |
| Ian Sheehan |
WR |
6-1 |
195 |
Neshaminy |
| Jackson Spradlin |
OL |
6-2 |
295 |
Central Bucks West |
| Antwan Squire |
RB |
5-9 |
195 |
Suitland (Md.) |
| Jacob Steinmetz |
DL |
6-4 |
240 |
Sun Valley |
| Tucker Strachan |
QB |
6-5 |
210 |
Bullis (Md.) |
| Sincere Strimpel |
DL |
6-4 |
225 |
Pottstown |
| Jayden Vardaro |
TE |
6-3 |
225 |
John Handley (Va.) |
Notes on each recruit are listed below based off currently available information. Full bios will be written for each player upon the publication of the 2021 roster, when that time comes in the future.
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AROCHA was a two-way lineman for the Falcons under head coach Andy Stefanelli…served as a guard on the offensive line and as a tackle on the defensive line…contributed to a team that won a 2019 WCAC Championship.
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BASILE was a three-year letter winner for the Vikings under coach Rob Heist…was 9-for-13 in field goals, including a long of 38 yards…punted more than 30 times for a total of more than 1,040 yards.
BENSON was a big target for the Vikings under coach Corey McMahon…led the Vikings in a shortened 2020 season with 24 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns…was a part of back-to-back WPIAL 6A Championship teams…named to the 6A All-State Third Team…earned a spot on the 2020 Big 56 Conference WPIAL 6A All-Conference First Team,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 6A All-Conference First Team, and Cover Three Athletic 6A All-Conference First Team.
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BESCH was a three-time letter winner for the Red Raiders under coach Shanon Manning…selected to the 4A All-State Second Team at tackle…twice named to the All-Mountain League First Team as an offensive tackle.
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CAROTHERS was a multiple letter winner for the Thundering Herd under head coach Brett Ickes…named to the All-
Carlisle Sentinel First Team as a senior…selected as a
PennLive Third Team All Star as an offensive lineman…led the team in TFLs with six in the shortened 2020 season…recorded 67 tackles, 10 TFLs and 6.5 sacks in his career.
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FAYEMI was a two-way player for the Rams, a 6A school in the Philadelphia Public League coached by Mike McKeen…played wide receiver on offense and was a member of the secondary on defense…ranked fourth among Public League defensive backs in tackles as a junior, making 33 solo tackles.
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GAINER was a two-way player for the Millers, a school in the Baltimore area coached by Reggie White…played wide receiver on offense and was a member of the secondary on defense…recorded multiple interceptions as a defensive back…functioned as a returner on special teams...senior season was canceled due to the pandemic.
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GROVE played three varsity seasons for the Red Tornado under head coach Eric Spencer…played on the junior-college circuit for Thaddeus Stevens…named to the 2019 All-Conference First Team at offensive tackle for Thaddeus Stevens.
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HESS was a force for the Black Knights under head coach Ron Zeiber…named to the PIAA '6A' All-State Team as an athlete following his senior season…won the Frantz-Rider-Yohe Section 1 award as the Most Outstanding Player of the Year as a senior…finished as a two-time All-Lancaster-Lebanon (LL) League First Team selection at running back.
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JACKSON played on both sides of the ball for the Panthers under head coach Nick Lincoln…appeared in all 13 games for the Panthers as a junior…senior season shortened due to the pandemic.
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JONES was a two-way player for the Trojans under head coach Mark Luther…played wide receiver on offense and was a member of the secondary on defense…scored six touchdowns on offense and had one interception on defense in a six-game senior season…registered six offensive touchdowns, a defensive touchdown and three interceptions as a junior…also played basketball.
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LOYD was a valuable two-way player for the Trojans under head coach Mark Painter…played wide receiver on offense and was a member of the secondary on defense…named to the All-Mid-Penn Conference Second Team as a senior wide receiver on a team that won five of its six games…totaled 50 receptions and 750 receiving yards as a junior…also played basketball and volleyball.
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McCAULEY was a varsity letter-winner for the Titans under head coach Tom Hetrick.
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ROBERTS totaled two varsity letters for the Gophers under head coach Derrick Mason…totaled more than 150 tackles as a safety…recorded four interceptions and three forced fumbles…also competed in basketball and track & field…attended community college this past fall.
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ROBINSON competed at the varsity level for the Millionaires under coach Charles Crews…named to the All-District squad as a member of the secondary…played defensive back and safety…attended Lackawanna College the last two years, playing in four games during the 2019 season for a squad that  played for the NJCAA National Championship against Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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SHEARER competed at the varsity level in football, basketball and baseball at Mechanicsburg…played running back on offense and in the secondary on defense…cited as one of the Top 10 fastest players in the Mid-Penn Conference by
PennLive.
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SHEEHAN totaled two varsity letters for the Redskins under head coach Steve Wilmont…named to the All-State '6A' First Team and was a 'Big 33' All Star as a senior…recognized as the
Bucks County Courier Times Golden Teams Player of the Year as a senior…selected to the All-Suburban One League (SOL) National Conference First Team as a senior…set single-season records with 1,307 receiving yards, 66 receptions and 15 touchdowns as a senior…also played basketball…attended Bridgton Academy, a collegiate prep school, this past fall.
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SPRADLIN was a three-year starter for the Bucks under head coach Robert Rowan…named to the All-Suburban One League (SOL) All-Star squad as both an offensive lineman and defensive lineman.
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SQUIRE was a varsity standout for the Rams at Suitland (Md.) High, totaling 2,905 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns in his final two prep seasons…ran for 1,957 yards as a senior…began his collegiate career at Shepherd University in 2018, leading the Rams in rushing as a true freshman with 485 yards…scored four rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.7 yards per carry in 2018 at Shepherd, including a season-high 174 rushing yards against West Virginia Wesleyan and three rushing touchdowns against Urbana…attended Lackawanna College the last two years.
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STEINMETZ was a three-year letter winner for the Vanguards under head coach Greg Bernhardt…named to the All-State team as a long snapper…recognized as a Ches-Mont League All-Star…played both basketball and football.
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STRACHAN totaled four varsity letters for the Bulldogs under head coach Pat Cilento…named to the All-Conference First Team and received All-Metro honorable mention as his team's Offensive MVP during his senior season…posted a 17-3 record as a two-year starter with more than 5,500 passing yards, 51 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 62.0 completion percentage…served as a the starting quarterback as a junior and senior after backing up NFL first-round pick Dwayne Haskins Jr….amassed 12 varsity letters overall spanning football, basketball and golf…began his collegiate career at Wheeling in its inaugural seasons of 2018 and 2019…started all 11 games at quarterback for Wheeling University in 2019, totaling 2,186 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns while completing 54.4 percent of his passes.
STRIMPEL was an tight end and a defensive lineman at Pottstown who earned
Pottstown Mercury All-Area Honorable Mention as a senior. He arrived in Pennsylvania as a senior after playing previously for Detroit Central High School in Michigan.
VARDARO was a dynamic wide receiver and strong safety for Handley (Va.) High School who also ranks among this school's record holders in a number of track & field events -- notably sprints, hurdles and jumps.Â
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