Mercyhurst Is All Alone in Cincinnati

It is true- there are no lakes in Cincinnati. Just the Ohio River. But while there’s no lakes, there’s been plenty of Lakers.

Mercyhurst is making a strong play for Cincinnati-area talent, focusing on Class of 2026 prospects roughly 345 miles from their Erie, PA campus. The Lakers have extended offers to several players from the region, including Reid Baker (Inside Linebacker), Kemaury Tye (DB), Andre Underwood (ATH), Grant Hester (OT/OG), and most recently, Brady Kuhn (OLB), all hailing from Cincinnati, OH. They’ve also been active in suburbs like Springboro, OH, where they have an offer out to OLB/TE Evan Weinberg.

It’s actually been a working strategy already for Mercyhurst. They snagged WR Trace Jallick from Cincinnati in the 2025 class. He was listed as a 3 star on 247, and was the National High School offensive player of the year. Statistically, Jallick was 4th in the nation in receiving yards. Mercyhurst may have had a unique pitch and definitely had offensive firepower that Akron and Kent State couldn’t match, as he committed to the Lakers. Jallick figures to be one of the key additions from the Mercyhurst 2025 high school class and a player who could see the field as a freshman.

Interestingly, Mercyhurst seems to have this recruiting territory largely to themselves among NEC teams. Other conference programs haven’t shown significant activity in the Cincinnati area based on our current recruiting trackers. Even RMU, who historically recruits Ohio very strongly, hasn’t gone this deep into the Buckeye state. This strategic focus could give Mercyhurst an edge in building their roster with some overlooked Ohio talent as they continue their transition to Division I in the NEC.