When Valparaiso University football coach Dave Cecchini took over the program two seasons ago, he was told not to bother recruiting Valparaiso High School.
Valpo players did not go to the local university. Period.
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But with the announcement of the incoming recruiting class, Valpo ended its drought of hometown players. Wide receiver Chris Orlich and linebacker Dylan Johnson both committed to the Crusaders.
“I had people tell me, ‘The vision of VU football in this town is not prestigious enough and people are not going to go to a school so close to home,'” Cecchini said. “To get not one, but two really good football players out of Valpo High is a testament to the direction this program is going and how that’s being received here locally.”
The Crusaders (1-9) continue their effort to turn around a program that hasn’t had a winning record since 2003.
“I know for a fact the perception has changed since (Cecchini and his staff) have come in,” Johnson said. “For kids who play (at the high school), there’s definitely a negative perception of VU, and especially the football team and the kids who play there. With this new coaching staff, they’re a team that’s dedicated to winning, and that’s what I really like.”
Orlich and Johnson, who have played together since Pop Warner, are no strangers to Valpo turnarounds. They helped the Vikings go from 2-8 in 2014 to Duneland Athletic Conference champions in 2015.
The last Valparaiso High School grad to call Brown Field home was defensive lineman Brian Goodaker, who played in 10 games during the 2009 season. Before that, it was quarterback Justin Hamilton in 2002, who never saw game action.
VU assistant coach John Snyder, who worked with Valpo High School coach Dave Coyle for three seasons when both were assistants under Mark Hoffman, played a significant role in recruiting the duo.
“It will open the floodgates,” Coyle said. “You have two key players from our school go there, and some kids will say, ‘these guys did it, it’s not so bad; it’s an awesome opportunity.'”
Orlich’s parents, Joseph and Gina, are both former VU students and met on campus. Joseph Orlich played for the Crusaders under coach Bill Koch in the 1980s.
Chris Orlich also had an offer from Butler, Valpo’s Pioneer Football League rival.
“A lot of people ask me if my parents pushed me, but they really didn’t,” Chris Orlich said. “Wherever I wanted to go, they supported me. My dad kept double-checking to make sure this was what I really wanted to do before I committed.”
Quarterback quandary: Ryan Clarke is Valpo’s only healthy quarterback this spring, but reinforcements are on the way in incoming freshmen Chris Duncan and Jimmy Seewald.
Seewald, from Dearborn, Mich., visited 20 colleges before deciding on Valpo.
“I’m really close to my family, and when we were visiting Valpo, it was the first time I heard my mom say she felt really good about a place,” he said. “Once they earned her trust, I knew it was the place for me.”
Ground game update: Running back Brandon Hall decided to graduate and forgo his final year of eligibility. Grayson Bastin is out with a knee injury. Jarrett Morgan, who started 2015 as a wide receiver, is now playing running back. Slot receiver Elias Earley also made the transition to the backfield.
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.