Chargers bring in big Signing Day class for Nate Shreffler's first as head coach

Heading into his first season at the helm of the Hillsdale College football program, head coach Nate Shreffler and his staff hit the recruiting trail hard over the last few months to bring in a talented crop of new faces to reinforce Team 132 this fall.

That effort paid off on Signing Day on Feb. 7, as the Chargers added 39 total players -- three transfers and 36 freshmen, who put pen to paper and officially became a part of the Hillsdale football brootherhood. The Chargers also aren't done on that front -- with more players likely to join the class in the coming days. This story will be updated with those additions as more letters of intent arrive.

It's a class that will further the high academic standards Hillsdale has for its players, with a 3.95 average high school GPA for the 35 incoming freshmen, but also one with outstanding athletic potential that fills several needs for the team, both for the upcoming season and seasons to come. You can see the full class at the bottom of the page.

"First and foremost, our staff did a great job identifying athletes who can play at a high level and also are a great fit for Hillsdale from an academic perspective in this class," Shreffler said. "The academic record of this group speaks for itself and is one of the best we've ever had for a signing class, and it's matched by the level of character these guys display on and off the field.

"We're blessed that in addition to their academic reputation and high character, these guys can really play. We're excited about what all of our additions bring to the table, but I want to highlight our secondary class, our defensive line class and our wide receiver class, which are all areas in particular where we feel like we brought in great athletes and great talent that are going to make a big difference for us, both immediately and in the future."

One area where this class stands out is in the geographic variety it represents for the Chargers. While Hillsdale was thorough in identifying and acquiring talent in its traditional Midwestern recruiting base, with 24 players from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, the Chargers also made an effort to evaluate and attract talent from all across the country -- bringing in players from 15 different states, including athletes from Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Florida and Missouri, among others.

"We put together a plan as a staff in November shortly after I took the job to expand our national recruiting," Shreffler said. "I'm really proud of our staff for putting in the work to identify players across the country who are exceptional student-athletes and who fit the type of player we want at Hillsdale, without sacrificing the effort we've always put in to make sure we're identifying and pulling in the recruits that fit at Hillsdale in our own backyard and in neighboring states.

"I think the approach we took this year as a huge success, and it was an approach we only started three months ago. Based on the results we got in just three months, I'm really excited to see what we can do in future years with being able to work with this approach year round."

In addition to the freshman, Hillsdale also welcomes three transfers who could play a big role right away for the Chargers in 2024 -- quarterback Cole Canter from Wayne State, offensive lineman Hudson Jones from Western Carolina, and defensive back Jonah Jensen from the Air Force Academy. All three players are already enrolled at Hillsdale College and will go through practices with the Chargers this spring.

Along with academic rigor and high character, the Hillsdale College football program has long cultivated a family atmosphere, and family ties play an important part in this year's class as well. Three signees have brothers who played for Hillsdale College -- linebacker Luke Penola, who follows in the footsteps of his older brother Scotty, who was Hillsdale's 2016 linebacker of the year; tailback Stephen Petersen, whose brothers Martin and Shannon played for the Chargers in recent yars and whose father, Aaron, was a tight end at Hillsdale in the 90s, and defensive back Ryin Ruddy, whose older brother, Shea, is a sophomore wide receiver on the 2024 team. Offensive line signee Harrison Stofer also has a family legacy at Hillsdale, as his father, Bill, played with Shreffler on Hillsdale's offensive line in the early 90s.

The 2024 class also comes to Hillsdale with a notable winning pedigree. Signees in the 2024 class combined to win nine high school state titles, recorded seven additional state runner-up finishes, and reached at least the semifinal round of the playoffs in their high school's state and classification a total of 20 times.

Hillsdale enters the 2024 campaign this fall with momentum after going 6-1 in their final seven games in 2023 to overcome a slow start and finish with a winning record. While Hillsdale is graduating a large senior class this spring, the Chargers still return a solid nucelus for Shreffler's first season as head coach and will look to their three transfers and this year's freshman class to make an immediate impact on the field as Hillsdale seeks to seriously compete for the G-MAC Championship this fall.

2024 Charger Football Freshman Recruiting Class

2024 Charger Football Transfer Class