Eastern Michigan University football has a new commitment in Rico Small out of Northeast Cleveland. Small is a 3-star wide receiver that made his announcement on June 24 via Twitter.
"I committed to EMU because it was just something about it that made it feel like home. I loved the culture the coaches and the players had,“ he said. "They all cared about winning and making each other better and when I met the team it felt like I’ve been knowing them for years, even though I had just met them. We all clicked together.’'
Small joins a recruiting class for 2020 that includes other high school players around Michigan and out of state. He said that the journey to this point wasn’t a straight shot.
"The process went up and down,“ he said. "It was a lot of learning experiences and things I picked up along the way. The biggest key is to just stay patient and know that your time is coming.“
Small will have his senior year of high school left to improve, as he looks forward to playing for the Eagles.
“Honestly, everything has all been a dream of mine to play college ball,“ Small said. "Now that I made it, I'm going to cherish every moment and continue to work hard.“
The 6’0", 170 pound receiver is a threat with stretching the field. He commented on the parts of his game that excel, and which parts could get better.
"I feel the best part of my game would be my speed and getting open deep,“ he said. "My biggest improvements that I need to make would be working on my cuts and being able to get in and out of routes.”
Eastern Michigan was seventh in the MAC in total offense in 2018, and had the fifth best passing offense. The team had most of their offense through the air, with over 1,000 yards more than total rushing.
Senior Blake Banham led the team in 2018 in receiving. The Eagles return Arthur Jackson III and Matthew Sexton who will be seniors in 2019. Add in quarterback Mike Glass III, and EMU may continue the heavy pass offense. Recruiting receivers puts emphasis on the future after the current core of receivers move on.
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