A total of 26 high school seniors, including ten players listed on the Seattle Times' White Chip prospect list, have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their football careers at Central Washington University beginning the fall of 2010.

Meanwhile, Western Oregon signed 19 players on the first day schools are allowed to ink football players for their 2010 recruiting class.

The Wildcats' 2010 signing class, which is the second-largest in the program's history, features a balance of offensive and defensive players. All but one of the 26 signees hails from the state of Washington, as the lone out-of-state signee is wide receiver Blaine John (B.J.) Bennett , the son of CWU head coach Blaine Bennett .

B.J. Bennett (5-9, 175) prepped at William Henry Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Ind., for the past three seasons and will join the rest of his family in Ellensburg later this year.

"We feel that this is the best recruiting class (talent-wise) that we have had in our three years here as a staff," Blaine Bennett said. "We think that every player we signed has a chance to be a starter and an impact player here at Central Washington University."

The position that Bennett is most enthused about is the quarterback position, where the Wildcats signed three in-state standouts. Among those three quarterbacks are Austin Dodge (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS), local product Ethan Sterkel (Ellensburg, Wash.), and J.R. Grosshans (Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula HS).

Sterkel led Ellensburg High School to a number one state ranking in Class 2A and helped the Bulldogs to the WIAA semifinals this past season. Sterkel (6-3, 205), the Central Washington Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for nearly 3,700 yards with 38 touchdowns and just five interceptions, is also expected to compete in baseball at CWU and gives the Wildcats a local flavor.

"We are excited to get a dual-sport athlete from Ellensburg who can help both the football and baseball programs," Bennett said of Sterkel.

Another local product to sign with the Wildcats on Wednesday is running back Joe Fuerst from Eisenhower High School in Yakima. Fuerst (5-11, 195) was named the co-Most Valuable Player of the Columbia Basin Big Nine Cascade Division this past fall, helping lead the Cadets to the Class 4A state quarterfinals. Fuerst ran for more than 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior for Ike.

"The best part of this signing class is the quarterback position," said Bennett, himself a former college quarterback. "We are very excited about the quarterbacks we signed. We try to get the best players available at all positions, and the top three quarterbacks we had rated all signed [NLIs] with us.

"We were also extremely pleased to get our top choices at almost every position on the board. We signed several athletes who could play either running back or linebacker for us. We signed several key wide receivers as well, and I think we added some speed in the secondary. As a whole, at every position, we signed players who can come in and compete for a championship."

Dodge and Fuerst were just two of the 10 White Chip prospects that signed with the Wildcats. White Chip prospects are defined by the Seattle Times to be among the top 100 prep football players in the state of Washington.

Also earning White Chip status were wide receiver Jason Bates (Spokane, Wash./Joel E. Ferris HS), defensive back Sean Coley (Bellevue, Wash.), running back Teddy Cotton (Fort Lewis, Wash./Lakes HS), linebacker Anthony DeMatteo (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline HS), linebacker David Eargle (McChord A.F.B., Wash./Clover Park HS), defensive back Cole Graves (Kirkland, Wash./Juanita HS), defensive lineman Martin Smitherman (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes HS), and wide receiver Christian Wesley (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS).

"I feel that our staff did a good job evaluating the entire state, and didn't try to focus on big schools or small schools," Bennett explained. "We wanted to shoot for between 25 and 27 signees, and we are very happy to sign 25 players from the state of Washington."

All 25 signees who played high school football in the Evergreen State prepped at schools classified with class 2A, 3A, or 4A in the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association.

More than half of Central's signees hail from either Pierce or King County, with nine coming from Pierce County and five more from King County. Lakes High School in Lakewood had three players sign with the Wildcats, while Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor was the only other school with multiple signees.

Wide Receiviers, Defensive Backs Among Wolf Recruits

Western Oregon football program signed 19 players today to National Letters of Intent. The announcement was made by head coach Arne Ferguson on the first day that recruits can sign, per NCAA rules. 

The Wolves received commitments from a multitude of wide receivers and defensive backs during the first hours of the signing period, along with two quarterbacks, four linemen and a linebacker. They have also signed native Oregonians to 15 of the 19 National Letters of Intent.

"Our goal is to recruit the best athletes in Oregon, especially in the valley," said Ferguson. "We want to bring in the best Division II student-athletes who will compete and fit into our system."

After focusing on linemen during last season's recruiting process, coach Ferguson and his staff turned their attention towards signing more players at the outside 'skill' positions.

"I feel good about the size and speed we are brining in at receiver and at defensive back," explained Ferguson. "Many of the players be signed are very versatile and can play both sides of the ball."

Although not the point of emphasis this recruiting period, the Wolves did receive commitments from one of their most talented linemen recruiting classes. Leading the way is 6-2, 330 lbs., lineman Mike Bishop (Crater). Bishop was named the Southern Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-state (5A). Wolves will also be bringing in three linemen on the other side of the ball with Bill Ellington (Gilchrist), Trent Gallegos (West Salem) and Matt Gillette (Sprague).

"I expect great things from our four linemen early," Ferguson noted. "These linemen move much better than our previous recruiting classes."

Western Oregon also inked two out of state quarterbacks, Trey Shimabukuro (Kauai) and Ryan Bergman (Issaquah).

"We got two really good athletes at quarterback," said Ferguson. "Both have good arm strength and the ability to make plays which will expand our offense in the future."

All 19 of the Wolves' signees were freshman, and all but one received some form of all-league or all-state recognition.

"I feel the quality of this recruiting class is the best we have ever had. We got bigger and faster student-athletes which all have the ability to change directions," continued Ferguson. "With the depth of our existing team I expect these players to come in and an impact because of the skill sets of these student-athletes."

Ferguson and his staff have more verbal commitments in addition to the names listed below, but the school is not allowed to announce those names until the National Letter of Intent form is returned. In addition, there will be more signings in the next week or so.

Ferguson, who is heading into his sixth season at WOU, has a career mark of 32-21. The Wolves were 5-5 last season and finished 7-4 in 2008. They competed in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference for the second consecutive season and posted a 3-3 league record. Ferguson has also led WOU to four consecutive seasons with a .500 or better record, a feat which had not been accomplished since Bill McArthur's squad did it from 1975-81.