WALTHAM, Mass. – A promising group of standout high school football players from around the country have committed to continue their careers with the Bentley University Falcons, head coach Bill Kavanaugh announced Wednesday on national signing day.

Kavanaugh, coming off his first season as the head coach at his alma mater, and his staff received 18 commitments from quality student-athletes in nine different states, ranging from California to North Carolina as well as many as a number from the Northeast.

"We are pleased with our recruiting success thus far," said Kavanaugh. We believe we are adding quality student-athletes to our football team and university.  Bentley attracts some of the best student-athletes in the country and we are excited that 18 of them have decided to enroll at Bentley. This is a great group of student-athletes to continue working towards our championship goals with."

Linemen were a major focus point for the Bentley staff and there will be eight who'll be joining the Falcons in the fall, including six on the offensive side. They are Matt Boyle (Duxbury/Duxbury HS), Ryan Finn (Melville, N.Y./St. Anthony's HS), Jack Hansbury (Chelmsford/Chelmsford HS),Travis Macko (Bolton/Nashoba Reg. HS), Brett Smith (East Longmeadow/East Longmeadow HS) and Charlie Stenhouse (Dover/Milton Academy), On the other side of the ball, defensive linemen Matthew Durocher (Emerson, N.J./Emerson HS) and Brad Greenway (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial HS) have committed to join the Falcons.

The recruiting class, to date, also includes quarterback Clayton Dale (Fallbrook, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS), wide receivers Michael Correia (Fall Rover/Durfee HS) and Andrew Mahoney (West Suffield, Conn./Suffield Academy), running back Cullen McGahan (Davidson, N.C./Davidson Day School), linebackers Andrew Carmichael (Wayland/Wayland HS) and Brian Kirby (Clarksville, Md./ River Hill HS), defensive backs Lance Bragg (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull HS), Jesse Clauss (Nashua, N.H./Nashua HS South) and Nick Athy (Holliston/Holliston HS), and kicker/punter Josh Leon (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury HS West).

"Our current team is working extremely hard and will welcome these young players with open arms," said Kavanugh.  "We are currently working with numerous other great candidates to complete our class.

The 2014 Falcons won four of their last five games to finish at 5-6 overall.

MEET THE NEWCOMERS

Nick Athy, DB, Holliston, Mass., Holliston HS, 5-11, 195
Athy was a three-year starter for Head Coach Todd Kiley and the Holliston High School Panthers, earning All-Tri Valley League honors each season, As a senior captain, Athy was named the Boston Globe Division 4 Player of the Year, All-Scholastic by the Boston Globe (player of the week 5 times) and the Boston Herald (player of the week 4 times), Tri Valley League MVP, and a member of the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association's and ESPN's All-State Team. As the state's leading scorer, he also led his team to a win in the state championship and was a contender for both Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year and ESPN Boston's Mr. Football. Off the field, Athy is also the team captain for the Panthers Basketball team, and is the Massachusetts representative for the NFL HSPD National Guard Leadership Program.

Matt Boyle, OL, Duxbury, Mass., Duxbury HS, 6-2, 270
Boyle was a key component for the Duxbury Dragons this past season, serving as the team captain.  As both a junior and a senior, he was honored as a Patriot League All-Star and was a WATD player of the week. In his senior season, Boyle was named to the Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic team and was named his team's Most Valuable Player.

Lance Bragg, DB, Trumbull, Conn., Trumbull HS, 5-9, 175
Bragg helped lead the Eagles to a winning season with performances that earned him All-Conference for his work as both a defensive back and as a wide receiver. He played under Head Coach Robery Maffei.

Andrew Carmichael, LB, Wayland, Mass., Wayland HS, 6-1, 205
Carmichael was a three-sport (football, basketball, and track) captain his senior year for the Warriors. He was named as a Dual County League All-Conference selection along with being co-defensive player of the year. Carmichael played for Head Coach Scott Parseghian.

Jesse Clauss, DB, Nashua, N.H., Nashua HS South, 6-2, 185
Clauss was not only a captain for his team at Nashua South High School, but also represented the team on their captain's council. His career at Nashua South was highly successful as a three-year starter. Clauss was a two-time first-team All-Conference selection unanimously and was named to the USA Today All-State team. His list of honors also included two-time Nashua Telegraph All-Area team, a Chad All-Star, and selection as one of the Top 50 players in New Hampshire. Clauss played under Head Coach Scott Knight, and also competed on Nashua South's basketball and lacrosse teams.

Michael Correia, WR, Fall River, Mass., Durfee, 6-3, 175)
Correia played at Durfee High School, where he was a three-time member of the Big Three All-Conference team. Correia was also a three-time Herald News All-Star, and was the named the most valuable player for Durfee in 2013. He had a strong senior year, winning the Coach's Choice Award, and was an Otto Graham Nominee. Correia played for Head Coach Lajhon Jones.

Clayton Dale, QB, Fallbrook, Calif., Cathedral Catholic HS, 6-4, 215
Dale led the Cathedral Catholic Dons to a 2014 Eastern League Championship.  He also earned 1st-team All-League Offense honors and was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player for the Dons.  During his 2013 season, the Dons went into triple overtime to win the Division I Championship for San Diego County.  Dale was also named the Player of the Game by the National Football Foundation during 2013 regular league play.  As a starter for Head Coach Sean Doyle, he led the Dons to a 21-4 record. Dale is also a member of the baseball team at Cathedral Catholic.

Matthew Durocher, DL, Emerson, N.J., Emerson HS, 6-2, 250
Durocher was team captain his senior year for the Cavaliers. Along with being the leader of his team, his performance earned him All-Conference and All-County two years in a row. Durocher played under Head Coach David Murphy.

Ryan Finn, OL, Centerport, N.Y., St. Anthony's HS, 6-4, 285
Finn was a team captain his senior year for the Friars, as well as an All-Conference player as a senior and a member of the 2013 league champion team. He was selected for the Catholic High School Football League Senior Bowl. Finn's record as a starter under Head Coach Rich Reichert was 19-5.

Brad Greenway, DL, Jackson, N.J., Jackson Memorial HS, 6-1, 282
Jackson was a three-year two-way starter at Jackson Memorial High School for coach Walt Krystopik. As a senior, his leadership and production were key factors for the Jaguars' successful season, which ended with a win in the State Championship and a #2 ranking within New Jersey, as well as the tri-state area. Greenway was very versatile and saw action at offensive tackle, offensive guard, defensive tackle, and nose guard for his team. He was honored his senior year as an All-Division defensive lineman and an All-Zone offensive lineman.

Jack Hansbury, OL, Chelmsford, Mass., Chelmsford HS, 6-3, 275
Hansbury was a two-time All-Conference selection in the Merrimack Valley as a member of the Chelmsford Lions, and was also honored as a scholar athlete his junior and senior year. He was the recipient of the Dan Gleason Award, as the team's best lineman, both as a junior and as a senior. Hansbury played for Head Coach Bruce Rich.

Brian Kirby, LB, Clarksville, Md., River Hill HS, 6-0, 210
Kirby played for Head Coach Brian Van Deusen at River Hill High School, just outside of Baltimore. He led his team to postseason play in all three seasons as a varsity player behind 350 total tackles (25 for loss), 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and four interceptions. Through his career, he received such accolades as All-County twice, All-State twice and All-Metro. Kirby was named to the 2013 Super 22 team and was one of two players at River Hill to reach the 1,000 pound club. He's currently the sixth ranked wrestler in Maryland in his weight class (220), has been on a state championship team and was the region finalist and winner of the county championship for individual completion.

Josh Leon, K/P, Yardley, Pa., Pennsbury HS West, 5-11, 175
Leon, who played at Pennsbury High School West for Head Coach Galen Snyder, was the co-leading scorer in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area his senior year with 76 points. A two-year letterwinner, he earned team MVP as a junior and the MVP award for a 39-yard field goal in the playoffs as a senior. Leon also earned the team's highest grade point average his senior year and was rewarded with the Scholastic Athletic Award. 

Travis Macko, OL, Bolton, Mass., Nashoba Regional HS, 6-6, 285
Macko was a two-year starter for Head Coach Jamie Tucker at Nashoba Regional High School, where hes won his team's outstanding lineman award as a senior. Macko is also a letterman on the Chieftain basketball team, which he was captain of, and the track team, as a shot-putter.

Drew Mahoney, WR, West Suffield, Conn., Suffield Academy, 5-11, 185
Mahoney played at Suffield Academy for Head Coach Drew Gamere. While at Suffield, he was an impact player as both a wide receiver and defensive back for the Tigers. Mahoney was named to the All-New England team as a junior and was team captain his senior year. During his time at Suffield Academy, he was on three Super Bowl Champion teams.  Mahoney has earned All-America recognition in wrestling and All-League recognition in baseball.

Cullen McGahan, RB, Davidson, N.C., Davidson Day School, 5-9, 185
McGahan played for Head Coach Chad Grier at Davidson Day School. At Davidson Day School where he was twice named the Special Teams Player of the Year and played on three State Champion teams. McGahan also was the starting running back in the McInerney All-American game in January, and was also one of the top performers at the US Army National Underclassman Combine in San Antonio, Texas.

Smith, a three-year letterwinner for Head Coach Scott Raymond as both an offensive and defensive lineman, was captain of the league champion East Longmeadow High School Spartans. As a senior, he was named All-Conference and All-District. Smith is also a letterman for the Spartan basketball and track and field teams. 

Charlie Stenhouse, OL, Dover, Mass., Milton Academy, 6-4, 280

Stenhouse played his high school football at Milton Academy for Head Coach Kevin MacDonald. He was named to the All-Independent School League team his senior season after being sidelined with an injury for his junior campaign. Stenhouse is also a member of the basketball team at Milton Academy.