They came from faraway places such as Mobile, Ala., and Pawtucket, R.I., and from down the road in State College.
After successful high school careers, they came to a Bucknell program that had reached rock bottom.
But, still, they came.
The Bison have 29 sophomores on their roster who committed to the school after a 1-10 record in 2005.
Many of them are now contributors in coach Tim Landis’ program that appears ready to turn another corner.
It is surprising that Landis’ best recruiting class to date came after the worst season in Bucknell annals.
Funny how things have a way of working out.
For some, it was about playing right away.
For others, it was because family said so.
For whatever the reason, players such as Rashod Bumpers and A.J. Kizekai have come to Bucknell from afar to join relative local Josh Eden in what has become a growing youth movement.
“We all came here to help turn it around,” Bumpers, the lone Alabama resident on the Bison roster, said. “I don’t think most of us had any hesitation (about coming to Bucknell).”
Bumpers and Kizekai, who came from Rhode Island, are part of a formidable backfield that makes the triple option offense potentially explosive. They have speed, toughness and a desire to work hard.
The desire to work hard is, perhaps, the most common thread among the many sophomores and freshmen getting regular reps for Bucknell, which rebounded from 2005 to finish 6-5 a year ago and start ‘07 at 1-1 entering Saturday’s game at Cornell.
Landis and his staff didn’t guarantee playing time to any recent recruits. Just that chance.
For many, that was enough.
“They told us last year that if anyone proved they could play, they would find a position for us to get on the field,” Eden, a starting defensive end, said.
Before this year’s sophomores even made it to campus, they were promising each other to bring a dedication and work ethic to the program.
“I talked to (sophomore starting quarterback Marcello) Trigg a lot the spring after I committed,” Kizekai said. “We pretty much said we were coming here to make an impact right away.”
For Kizekai, he got to that point by using trust and pleading ignorance. The halfback left one of life’s biggest decisions up to his mother, Yassah.
“Before I committed, I didn’t know that (Bucknell) was 1-10,” he admitted. “I just wanted a place where I felt comfortable and my mom liked coach (Landis) a lot.”
So far, the sophomore class has established a high bar for the freshman class — and others that follow — to reach.
Kizekai is averaging 255.5 all-purpose yards per game. Trigg is averaging 150.0 yards per game of total offense. And four of the top eight tacklers are sophomores.
Those contributors are things that make Landis feel that the hard work is paying off on the coaching staff’s end, too.
“A lot of kids coming out of high school are intrigued about being able to play early,” he said. “We took some chances on some kids and we got some that other (coaches) didn’t think were I-AA players.
“We made some good decisions and went with our instincts.”
Bumpers and safety Brigham Farrand, who broke into the starting lineup at this time last season as a freshman, are two from the sophomore class who Landis was particularly surprised to get.
There are several first-year players in 2007 who are following the sophomores’ lead, beating out upperclassmen for playing time.
Linebacker Travis Nissley leads the Bison in tackles with 12. Hesham Abdelaal is going to be a force on the offensive line for years to come and Josh Lovett has gotten touches as a rusher, receiver and punt returner.
Bucknell has taken strides to recover from a 1-10 debacle. It proved it can win again.
The next step is to become Patriot League contenders.
Though that may be the most challenging step, it appears Landis has the right players in the program to do just that.
The one question that remains is when?
n Sports editor Tom Housenick covers college football for The Daily Item. E-mail comments to thousenick@dailyitem.com.
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