Grand Valley State coaches are no strangers to the backyards that are Oakland County football programs, and they’re loading up on its players again for the Class of 2027.

Nearly two handfuls of players from the area have given their verbal commitment now to the Lakers, who already have nearly 20 footballers from the county.

Brother Rice offensive lineman Donovan Fuller tweeted his commitment to GVSU just Wednesday. Detroit Catholic Central linebacker Jalen Montlouis made his pledge on Thursday, just a few days after his teammate, receiver and defensive back Aiden Kersey, announced his.

Other WR/DBs who have recently committed include Walled Lake Western’s Timon Dogan, Waterford Mott’s Eric McFarland Jr. and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Caden Blankenburg.

Additionally, more recent commits to GVSU are Lake Orion quarterback Anderson Adams, Clarkston long snapper Brooks Kosin, and WL Western running back Michael Walker Jr.

Several former players from around the county made their mark on the defensive side of the ball for the Lakers last season when they finished 7-3. Torian Wyatt (Ferndale) finished with 46 tackles, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Khamani Potts (Rochester) ended the season with 28 tackles and three sacks, while Deonte Pippen (West Bloomfield) accumulated 26 tackles and 3.5 tackles for losses. Former Groves standout Chris Little accrued three interceptions as a freshman as well. On the other side of the ball, Kenneth Jones (West Bloomfield) had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Lakers.

As far as GVSU coaches with ties to the area, defensive assistant Stephen Roncelli, an alumni there, was All-State at Rochester Adams, where he was a contributor as an underclassman. Before his decade-plus tenure at Wayne State University, Lakers head coach Scott Wooster was an offensive coordinator at Warren Mott.

Eaglets find landing spots

One of the biggest commitments out of the county this month was from an Orchard Lake St. Mary’s senior who already appeared headed to Cincinnati.

Instead, 3-star receiver Chad Willis flipped on July 1 to North Carolina and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Willis Also one of the state’s preeminent track athletes, finished with nearly 700 receiving yards and six TDs while making his mark defensively also this past season for the D2 state champs.

Also from OLSM, senior defensive lineman Treighjan Gibson announced on social media that he would be headed to UConn, picking the Huskies over others that included Ohio, Bowling Green, Central Michigan and UMass.

Another OLSM senior, BJ Adams Jr., who finished the year with nearly 500 yards and six receiving TDs, picked Central Michigan in June.

St. Mary’s senior QB Jabin Gonzales, who racked up nearly 3,00 total yards and over 30 TDs in spite of missing several games last season, also picked up a recent offer from Grand Valley.

More commits

Several West Bloomfield seniors were among those who announced commitments recently. Quarterback Jaxson Carver opted for Davenport, while defensive back Bryce Tillman-Jones picked Ferris State.

On Friday afternoon, Muhammad El-Mubarak, a multi-year starter at QB for Oak Park, announced he was heading to Lawrence Tech.

Also in recent weeks, South Lyon East’s Chase Hamilton committed to Northern Michigan, as did Milford’s Hudson Smith, and Clarkston WR/DB Ty Duffy announced he was heading to Hillsdale.