The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football program, which is led by 17^th-year head coach Joe King, has recruited an outstanding class of student-athletes who will help make up the Institute’s Class of 2009.  Among those who have decided to play for the Engineers beginning this fall are three student-athletes from Brooklyn Tech, including two who will play in the prestigious Empire Challenge, and numerous All-League selections.

Eren Savasli, a 6-3, 190-pound wide receiver, was twice named All-New York City as a wideout and as a defensive back while at Brooklyn Tech and teammate Jasmin Ibric, who is 6-4, 265 pounds, was named an All-NYC offensive lineman as a senior.  They will both participate in the Empire Challenge, an all-star game between the All-New York City and All-Long Island selections.  Matthew Bourneau, a running back, is also coming to Troy from Brooklyn Tech.

Additional high school standouts who will wear the cherry and white of Rensselaer include Jonathan Knaust from CBA in Syracuse and Jimmy Robertson from Iona Prep.  A 6-3, 240-pound offensive lineman, Knaust was All-Central New York while leading his team to the 2004 State Championship and Robertson, a quarterback, was All-League, All-Conference and All-State after setting numerous school passing records.  Michael Giacoia, a 5-10, 200-pound running back, was All-League and All-Conference in both football and baseball at Marlborough High School.

Other talented recruits on the offensive side of the ball include Kevin Avery, an All-League quarterback from White Plains High School, William Conboy, an All-League wide receiver from Our Lady of Lourdes, Rob Farruggia, an All-League tight end/wide receiver from Riverhead High School, Billy Thomas, an All-League quarterback from Panama High, and Kyle Wonderly, an All-League tight end from John Jay High School.

Rensselaer also has a bevy of defensive talent on its list, including three All-League defensive ends, three All-League linebackers and three All-League defensive backs.  From the defensive line is James Hadfield from New York Mills High School, James McLaughlin from Foxboro High School in Massachusetts and Khaly Merot from White Plains High.

The linebackers include Wilfredo Acevedo from Holy Cross High School, Alex Kelsen from Skaneateles High and Chris Ossont from Westmoreland High School.  From the defensive secondary are Sean McDaniel from Rome Free Academy, Peter Rankins from Acton-Boxborough High School in Massachusetts and Mark Sangiorgi from Ramapo in New Jersey.

Rensselaer, which has played in the post-season in four of the past six seasons, finished the 2004 campaign with a 5-4 overall record and a 4-3 Liberty League mark.

Below is an alphabetical list of Rensselaer football’s top recruits:

Name       Pos.            Ht. Wt.            Hometown/High School/Previous School

Wilfredo Acevedo      LB            5-10            185            Queens, NY/Holy Cross

Matthew Augen  OL 6-2            255            Queens, NY/Stuyvesant

Kevin Avery            QB 6-2            195            White Plains, NY/White Plains

Timothy Bennett TE 5-11            220            Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa

Jared Blais WR            5-9 160            Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute/Nichols College

Matthew Bourneau     RB            5-9 185            New York, NY/Brooklyn Tech

Terrence Bynum  OL 6-0            265            Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln/HVCC

Anthony Casale            DB   5-10        160            Wynantskill, NY/LaSalle Institute

William Conboy  WR/P            6-0 190            Wappingers Falls, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes

Rob Farruggia            TE/WR            6-0 195            Riverhead, NY/Riverhead

Edward Gavin            WR 6-1            180            Latham, NY/Catholic Central

Michael Giacoia RB    5-10        200            Marlborough, MA/Marlborough

Koby Greene            LB    5-11        205            Granville, NY/Granville

James Hadfield            DE  6-0            240            Yorkville, NY/New York Mills

Curtis Hannah            LB    5-10        170            Schenectady, NY/Bishop Gibbons

William Hussey            DB   5-10        160            Wynantskill, NY/LaSalle Institute

Jasmin Ibric OL            6-4 265            New York, NY/Brooklyn Tech

Alex Kelsen LB            6-0 205            Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles

Jonathan Knaust OL 6-3            240            North Syracuse, NY/CBA

Ben Lasky            WR/DB          5-9 160            Fonda, NY/Fonda

Sean McDaniel            DB 5-8            170            Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy

Nick McFeeters   DE            6-0 230            Watervliet, NY/Watervliet/HVCC

James McLaughlin DE            6-2 220            Foxboro, MA/Foxboro

Khaly Merot            DE  6-1            230            White Plains, NY/White Plains

Chris Ossont            LB  5-7            180            Rome, NY/Westmoreland

Sean Piela   OL            5-11            230            East Greenbush, NY/Columbia

Richard Ramdeo      OL            6-3 230            Queens, NY/Holy Cross

Peter Rankins            DB   5-11        180            Acton, MA/Acton-Boxborough

Gordon Reynolds     DE            6-0 210            Rensselaer, NY/Rensselaer

Jimmy Robertson   QB            6-1 190            Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep

Darnell Rochard      RB            5-7 165            Brooklyn, NY/Lafayette

Mark Sangiorgi            DB 5-8            170            Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo

Eren Savasli            WR 6-3            190            Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Tech

Ben St. Andrews     DE            6-2 215            Queensbury, NY/Queensbury

Billy Thomas            QB   5-11        185            Ashville, NY/Panama

Mike Van Deusen       6-0            220            Windsor, MA/St. Joe Central

Ben Williams            RB  6-0            225            Clifton Park, NY/Albany Academy/HVCC

Isaac Williams            RB  6-1            215            Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa

Kyle Wonderly            TE 5-11            190            Fishkill, NY/John Jay