Eastern Washington football adds 9 players to 2023 recruiting class

The Eastern Washington football team officially signed nine more members to its 2023 recruiting class on Wednesday, adding to the 19 who signed in December.

This new group includes six from Washington and one each from Idaho, California and Oregon.

It is a large group – comparable to the 27 the Eagles signed following the 2019 season – and three of the additions directly address position groups from which a starter transferred during the offseason.

One is Trevion Shadrick-Harris, a safety who most recently played at the University of Central Florida. Safety Ely Doyle, the team’s leading tackler last season, entered the transfer portal following last year’s 3-8 season.

The Eagles also signed defensive tackle Isaiah Perez, a 2020 graduate from Othello High School who spent last season, his first, at Brigham Young. Originally a three-star recruit, Eastern offered him a scholarship out of high school. EWU also signed defensive tackle Mason Ahlemeyer, a Skyline High (Sammamish, Wash.) graduate who played the past two years at Sacramento City College.

Perez and Ahlemeyer play the same position as Joshua Jerome, who started nine games last year but transferred to Hawaii during the offseason.

The class also includes offensive linemen Kevin Eldredge, a transfer from Idaho; Dane Gatterman, who played at Lynden (Wash.) High last year; Gabe Rhue, a three-star recruit from Sandy High in Oregon; and Gabe Rzany, from Graham-Kapowsin High School in Graham, Wash.

Rounding out the group are Mt. Tahoma (Tacoma) High safety JoJo Maxey-Johnson and tight end Keagan Rongen, who played at A.G. West Black Hills High in Tumwater, Wash.

Two other former Eastern Washington players recently announced their transfer destinations: Freddie Roberson, the team’s leading receiver last year with 797 yards, is going to Mississippi State; cornerback Tre Weed, who co-led the team with three interceptions, is headed to Nevada.

Eastern’s spring football camp will begin April 7 and end April 28. The Eagles open their 2023 season on Sept. 2 against North Dakota State at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Mason Ahlemeyer

Position: Defensive line

Previous school: Sacramento City College; Skyline High School (Sammamish, Wash.)

Height/weight: 6-3/270

Head coach Aaron Best: “Ahlemeyer fits a need we have at defensive tackle. … We’re looking for him to compete right away.”

Kevin Eldredge

Position: Offensive line

Previous school: University of Idaho; Meridian (Idaho) High School

Height/weight: 6-5/290

Best: “(He) has the potential to play both inside or outside on the offensive line.”

Dane Gatterman

Position: Offensive line

Previous school: Lynden (Wash.) High School

Height/weight: 6-2/295

Best: “(He) was a multiyear camp attendee and state champion. He is a hard-nosed, tough, physical player who will be a future interior lineman here at Eastern.”

JoJo Maxey-Johnson

Position: Safety

Previous school: Mt. Tahoma (Tacoma) High School

Height/weight: 6-2/175

Best: “… another multisport athlete who can play multiple spots on the back end. He started his football journey later than most, but his best football years are ahead of him.”

Isaiah Perez

Position: Defensive line

Previous school: BYU; Othello (Wash.) High School

Height/weight: 6-2/280

Best: “He’s a Washington product. We are looking for him to thrive at defensive tackle here at EWU.”

Gabe Rhue

Position: Offensive line

Previous school: Sandy High School ( Oregon)

Height/weight: 6-4/300

Best: “(He) has a big frame and moves the line of scrimmage. … He plays with nastiness.”

Keagan Rongen

Position: Tight end