Football recruiting news: Massillon coach Nate Moore hosts college showcase; latest verbal commits

Massillon head coach Nate Moore welcomed about two dozen college football coaches to the school's Paul L. David Indoor facility on Monday to showcase some of the area's top unsigned seniors. The event allowed coaches and scouts from NCAA Division II and Division III programs to watch not only Moore's Massillon players but to also get a another look at seniors from around Stark County who are making a final push in their recruitment.

“Today was a great day and our kids get to work out in front of 20-25 coaches,” Moore said. “A lot of Division II schools out here, so there are a lot of scholarships.”

Moore’s returning Massillon players also participated in the showcase with the intent of giving his underclassmen a glimpse of how college camps are run. He plans on sending his players to various camps in the coming months, starting with last weekend's Junior Day at Ohio University.

“For the underclassmen, a day like this is important because this summer, there will be going to college camps, and they are going to want to perform well,” Moore said. “This is a step in learning what a college campus is like. It’s basically the same format.”

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Fairless football's Luke Yoder keeping himself busy during offseason

Fairless senior Luke Yoder has had a busy offseason that is only becoming busier. After a record-breaking season to earn All-Ohio honors in his final year as a Falcon, Yoder was recently invited to two all-star games, including the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl on Jan. 30 in Tampa. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.

Yoder, who played both safety and wide receiver at Fairless, worked out at a Blue-Grey regional All-American combine in Cincinnati last spring. He led Fairless with a school-record 1,178 yards last season and scored 15 touchdowns.

“This last season really opened my eyes to the production I was able to do on the offensive side, and the attention that I’ve gotten, especially the invitation to that football game, was super crazy, but in the meantime just going out there and just to compete,” Yoder said.

Yoder currently holds football offers from Capital, Lake Erie and Allegheny. Also a standout sprinter in track and field, Yoder is being recruited in that sport by Duquense, which he plans on visiting in February. Yoder also plans on playing in the North-South All-Star game, which will be held April 29 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“I just want to open so more eyes just to show what I can do, and see what kind of more attention I could gain and see what else I could accomplish, and how big I can go,” Yoder said.

Two Lake players head to Ashland

Ashland head coach Doug Geiser is making daily rounds and finding local talent after adding a pair of Lake players to his recruiting class.

Offensive lineman Stiles Diesz and running back Matthew Sollberger each announced on their social media pages they are committing to Ashland. Diesz and Sollberger helped Lake win the Federal League title and reach the Division II regional finals last season.

Stiles, listed at 6-foot, 280 pounds, has been a three-year captain who started both left tackle and left guard. After a productive season, he received 11 offers from Division II and Division III programs before closing his recruiting.

Sollberger, with help from Diesz up front, led the Blue Streaks with 1,236 rushing yards, averaging 5.8 yards a carry and scoring 15 touchdowns.

Caden Edwards, Noah Harper to join Stark's Ashland football contingent

Diesz and Sollberger join a growing Stark County contingent heading to Ashland. All-Ohio quarterback-linebacker Jack Talkington of Central Catholic already announced his intention to be in Ashland’s 2023 recruiting class.

Jackson tight end-defensive end Caden Edwards and Northwest receiver-safety Noah Harper also recently announced on social media they were heading to Ashland.

Latest verbal commits in Stark County

With National Signing Day around the corner, local players are starting to make their college decisions before signing on the dotted line on Feb. 1.

Two Lake Blue Streaks, quarterback-safety Will Butler II and defensive back-receiver Ty Miller, each picked Walsh. The duo played key roles in Lake's first league championship since 1998.

Butler made 66 tackles, rushed for 772 yards and team-high 18 touchdowns, and threw for 447 yards and seven TDs. Miller broke up five passes, intercepted two and made 31 tackles.

At Hoover, lineman Bradley Kormanec announced on Twitter he has verbally committed to Gannon. Kormanec had multiple offers, including a Division I offer from Dayton. His work up front helped Hoover reach the second round of the state playoffs in Division II.

Another Federal League player who announced his college plans is McKinley running back-linebacker Treyton Mackey. He is heading to Tiffin. Mackey made four sacks this past season.

Akron football walk-on offer for Alvonte Ivory of Canton McKinley

McKinley’s senior lineman Alvonte Ivory has high hopes to get a shot to play college ball. He might get that chance in Akron. Ivory received a preferred walk-on spot with the Zips.

“Now that I have the opportunity, I’m going to push myself 10 times harder to make myself a better football player and a better person,” Ivory said to the Canton Repository. "I’m really just blessed I told myself last week that all I needed was the opportunity to prove myself."

Ivory has been in contact with Akron since the summer but recently reconnected with one of the assistants, who let him know there was a spot available. There is no timetable for when he plans on making his official visit. Ivory said other Division I schools are showing interest in him, but he declined to specify which schools.

“I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to prove myself,” Ivory said. “I know what I’m capable and I know I can be a program changer. I just have to trust the process and work as hard as possible.”

Last month, Massillon all-state defensive lineman Marcus Moore signed to play for the Zips during the NCAA's early signing period.

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Massillon football's Nolan Davenport offered by Akron

Young Massillon tight end Nolan Davenport has nothing but time before he decides his college future. But at 6-foot-7, 233 pounds, the sophomore's future should include a growing list of offers. Davenport received his second Division I offer from Akron last week. His first came from Pittsburgh in November.

Davenport emerged as a starter as a sophomore on Massillon's state semifinal team last season. He was utilized mostly as a run blocker in the Massillon's two-tight end set where he helped the Tigers rush for 2,826 yards and 44 rushing touchdowns. Senior running back Willtrell Hartson became the school's single-season rushing leader and first to surpass 2,000 yards. Hartson recently enrolled at Ohio State to be a walk-on.

Because of his height and length, Davenport is a mismatch for defenders and there were times he lined up in the slot, mainly to keep defenses guessing. Davenport caught one touchdown pass, off a 34-yard seam in Massillon's win over Warren Harding in Week 4.

Davenport will be one of the top returning starters coming back for Massillon, which went 12-2 in 2022 and lost to Hoban in a Division II state semifinal.

Massillon graduates its leading rusher (Hartson) and top receiver (Ardell Banks). It's unclear how involved Davenport will be in the passing game going forward. The Tigers return quarterback Jalen Slaughter, who threw for 23 touchdowns last season as a sophomore, and receiver Braylyn Toles, who made a number of big catches in 2022.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Massillon Tigers coach Nate Moore hosts college football showcase