Sioux Center, Iowa — The Dordt Defender football program has announced its most recent commitments for 2020-21 enrollment.
The list of commitments includes 54 individuals, 21 of whom were part of an early commitment group announced in December.
“I know that every head football coach in the country is saying their signing class is tremendous; but I’d like to mention what we were looking for first, and then make comments related to each category:
Tremendous talent: 47 All League players, 29 Conference Champs, 4 conference players of the year.
In-state and regionally focused: 34 Players from Iowa or border states.
Strong academically: 3.64 GPA, 24 ACT avg., every commit over a 3.0, 17 Academic all-state honorees.
Thrivers at Dordt: No quantifiable data for this but all of these signees have a high buy in and fit for a thriving Dordt experience.
“I am thankful for our staff and all the hours of work that went into this signing class, to the admissions office for their “above and beyond” attitude in recruitment, and our campus community for being such a tremendous product to showcase to each visitor that came through this year,” said Dordt football head coach Joel Penner.
Two area athletes signed with the Defenders.
Parker Beck is a senior at Spirit Lake High School (Iowa) and is a 6-4, 280 pound offensive lineman. He was a first-team all-district selection and also earned academic all-state honors in 2019. Beck was a part of two state playoff qualifying teams and earned three football letters during the course of his career. A mult-sport athlete, Beck earned a swimming letter and track and field letter.
Matthew Van Otterloo is a senior at Western Christian High School (Iowa) and is listed 5-11, 195 pounds. Van Otterloo played running back and linebacker for the Wolfpack and ran for 356 yards on 68 carries in 2019 while catching 21 passes for 226 yards. On defense he had 41.5 tackles as a senior. In 2018 Van Otterloo had 24 tackles on defense with 10 catches. He was a second-team all-district selection and an academic all-district pick in 2019.
Adam Mohning played for Sioux Center High School (Iowa) and is listed 6-0, 230 pounds. He had 27 tackles this season with seven sacks and played defensive end and offensive guard. He’s a three-year letter winner and was a two-time all-district pick. Mohning has been invited to participate in the 2020 Iowa Shrine Bowl.
