The De Smet football program has had a good offseason.
The Spartans already have had four players who are entering their senior seasons make verbal commitments to continue playing football at Division I schools.
Offensive lineman Andy Bauer pledged to Mississippi in March. Offensive lineman Mitch Palmer made a commitment to Miami-Ohio in early July. Then, recently, defensive backs Wilbert Vails Jr. and Dedrick Cromartie made commitments to a pair of Mid-American Conference schools.
Cromartie, a 5-foot-10, 185-pounder, pledged to Ball State after also considering Illinois State and SIU Carbondale.
?When I went up to Muncie, when I talked with and met all the coaches, there was something about the coaching staff that I didn?t see in other schools,? he said. ?I feel like we bonded really well. I feel like I can fit in with them and the program. I just think it?s the perfect fit for me.?
Vails, a 6-1, 185-pounder, committed to Miami-Ohio.
?I like the coaching staff,? he said. ?I love the coaching staff. Then, when I went down there for my unofficial visit, I loved it, like the whole family. That?s our football motto for this year at De Smet: ?Only the Family.? I thought this was a family environment.?
Cromartie had a breakthrough junior season for De Smet.
Playing linebacker and then moving to safety after an injury to a teammate, Cromartie racked up a team-high 71 tackles (12 for loss) and six interceptions to go along with five sacks and one fumble recovery.
Cromartie showed his explosiveness during a three-game stretch in the 2012 playoffs when he grabbed four interceptions and returned three for touchdowns. He returned an interception 25 yards for a score against Pattonville. He had a 70-yard interception return in the fourth quarter of a 40-30 win at Hazelwood Central. He had two interceptions during a 56-35 win at CBC, including a 15-yard interception return for a score.
Cromartie said he will play safety this fall for the Spartans but that he was recruited by Ball State to play a nickel back-cornerback position.
?I?ve been working real hard, because actually a lot of the schools that were looking at me, a lot of the bigger schools, were looking at me to play corner actually,? he said. ?So I?ve been working real hard at playing corner and trying to get better.?
Vails, who had 64 tackles (9 for loss), eight sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery as a junior, also will be changing positions at the next level.
?I played linebacker for De Smet last year, outside linebacker, and (Miami-Ohio) recruited me to play anything in the secondary, more than likely safety, but if they need me at corner they?ll put me at corner,? he said.
Vails became the area?s third player from his graduating class to pledge to Miami-Ohio, following Parkway Central linebacker Trey Knes and his De Smet teammate, Palmer.
?It?s nice to know I?m going somewhere with him,? Vails said of Palmer. ?I get to play against Dedrick (Cromartie), and I?ll be able to play against KeVonn (Mabon), people I?ve played with.?
Mabon, who graduated from De Smet in 2012, is heading into his sophomore season as a wide receiver at Ball State. He had 23 catches for 335 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman a year ago.
The De Smet football program will send at least one more senior player to a Division I program in 2014, as running back Marcus Jester has offers from Wyoming and Illinois State .
?We?ve got more to come,? Cromartie said. ?Marcus. We have a couple other linemen that are going to be on the radar after this year. Our quarterback (Scott Sinovich) is really, really good this year. He?s totally off the radar, but he?s really good.?
?I think it might be three more,? Vails said. ?Everybody knows about Marcus, but we?ve got Trey Weaver, another one of our corner-receivers. We?ve got another corner named Adrian Bowman, and he?s a really good corner. I think we?ve got three more who could possibly go D-I.?
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