The Valparaiso University football program has announced the addition of 28 players who signed Letters of Agreement to play for the Crusaders as part of Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

Valpo will round out its recruiting class with an additional five to seven players, to be announced at a later date.

The Crusaders continued to recruit nationwide, as the 28 players hail from nine states – Florida, California, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

While continuing to go all over the country for players, the Crusaders have also recruited close to home. Among Wednesday’s signees are a trio of locals – defensive lineman Adrian Guzman (Valpo), safety Michael Scarsella (Valpo) and running back Anthony Maceo (Portage).

“Guzman and Scarsella are both great prospects with great potential,” Valpo head coach Dave Cecchini said. “Both have tremendous upside in terms of their size. Guzman was a wide receiver a few years ago and now he’s playing defensive tackle. Maceo is a tremendous athlete who will play running back for us after playing quarterback in high school. He’s a dynamic player who is athletic and quick with great acceleration.”

Another player who won’t have to go far to begin his college career at Valpo is Mishawaka Marian senior Atanasio Sete, who is described as a “big, strong run-stopping defensive lineman.”

Defensively, Valpo put an emphasis on recruiting linebackers to add depth at that position. Running back and offensive line were the staff’s focuses on offense.

“The nice thing with this class is that we’re at the point where we’re bringing in players who should be able to redshirt,” Cecchini said. “This past year we were able to redshirt the majority of the freshman class, and we should be able to do even more of that this coming year because of the deep, veteran group that we have. With only five starters graduating, the majority of our true freshmen will get to spend a year in the weight room, adding muscle and adjusting to the speed of the college game.”

2018 Valpo Football National Signing Day Signees

Riley Allison               St. Thomas Aquinas HS (Fla.)            Running Back

Tanner Allton              Licking Heights HS (Ohio)                 Tight End

Aaron Antoniou          Hinsdale HS (Ill.)                                Linebacker

Aaron Byrd                 Bourbonnais HS (Ill.)                          Offensive Lineman

Peyton Breese             Christian Hills (Ohio)                          Offensive Lineman

Fletcher Christian        Helix HS (Calif.)                                 Defensive End

David Drs                   Schaumberg HS (Ill.)                          Offensive Lineman

Adrian Guzman          Valparaiso HS (Ind.)                           Defensive Lineman

Justin Helm                 North Central HS (Ind.)                     Linebacker

Anthony Lullo            Lincoln Way West (Ill.)                      Defensive Back

Anthony Maceo          Portage (Ind.)                                      Running Back

Jacob Marinelli            Avon Lake HS (Ohio)                        Linebacker

Kellan McKeag           Apple Valley HS (Minn.)                    Linebacker

Adam Meyer             Murrieta Valley HS (Calif.)                Offensive Tackle

Benjamin Nimz           Catholic Memorial HS (Wis.)             Quarterback

Liam O’Connell          Stevenson HS (Ill.)                             Defensive End

Brendan O’Doherty    Bay HS (Ohio)                                    Offensive Lineman

Jaxon Peifer                Normal Community HS (Ill.)              Linebacker

Trey Psota                   Bay HS (Ohio)                                    Linebacker

Cameron Raupach       Neuqua Valley (Ill.)                            Running Back

Ollie Reese                  Battle Ground HS (Tenn.)                  Wide Receiver

Braden Russell            Greenville HS (Ohio)                          Offensive Lineman

Michael Scarsella        Valparaiso HS (Ind.)                           Safety

Atanasio Sete              Mishawaka Marian (Ind.)                   Defensive Lineman

Kohlton Sherman        Millington HS (Mich.)          Defensive Back

Jake Sommers             Avon Lake HS (Ohio)                        Defensive Back

Payton Voitik              Morris HS (Ill.)                                   Defensive Back

Riley Edgerton            Martinsville HS (Ind.)                         Offensive Lineman