Five recently graduated Loyola football players will suit up for college programs in the fall, Dons coach Brian Abbott said last week.
Quarterback Connor Bruns, who moved to Baltimore from North Dakota before his junior season, will play for St. John's, a Division III power in Minnesota.
"He's had several family members go to the school," Abbott said. "They've got a rich football tradition. When he didn't land a DI scholarship, that's basically where he wanted to go."
Ben Cranston, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound center, placed a heavy emphasis on academics when it came to his college choice, selecting Division III Amherst of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
"He was looking at Georgetown, schools like that," Abbott said. "But he really fell in love with Amherst. He'll go there and be one of their big-time players."Running back Vince Snarski will stay close to home for college. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound athlete will play for McDaniel in the fall.
"He looked at a lot of different schools and possibilities," Abbott said. "He just knows that he has the ability to play as a freshman, and that kind of outweighs going to a [Football Championship Subdivision] school and waiting to play."
Linebacker Matt Hnatiuk, meanwhile, is headed to Albright College in Reading, Pa., and defensive end Julius Charles will play at Kean College of New Jersey.
Abbott said Luke Ilardo, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound offensive lineman, is probably the Dons' top prospect for the 2011 class.
"He's had contact basically with all the major DI schools, and he's got some camps to go to," Abbott said. "He's going to have to ultimately decide if DI is the right approach for him. He can definitely play at that level. His father played at Maryland and he had a brother that played at William & Mary. Really, for him, it's going to be about finding the right fit and the right environment."
Baltimore Sun photo of Connor Bruns by Jed Kirschbaum / Nov. 26, 2009