STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook University football head coach Chuck Priore has announced the signings of 12 student-athletes on Wednesday's early National Signing Day. All 12 student-athletes signed their National Letter of Intent (NLI) and are set to join the Seawolves' roster for the 2022 season.
 
"We are really excited about our 2022 signing class. The class is a good mix of incoming freshmen and transfers that will have an immediate impact within our program. It's a well-rounded group. We certainly have some needs that we will look to fill by the next signing date, but this group collectively represents what we are looking to do at Stony Brook academically, socially, and athletically," said coach Priore.
 

Name	Position	Hometown	High School / Prev. School
Taylor Bolesta	DL	Dallas, Pa.	Dallas / LIU
De'Aundre Cruz	LB	Merizo, Guam	Father Duenas Memorial / College of San Mateo
Rah'Khem El	WR	Syracuse, N.Y.	East Syracuse Minoa
Anthony Ferrelli	LB	Carlsbad, Calif.	Carlsbad
Cashton Haffery	DB	Clarksville, Tenn.	Northeast / Moorpark
Sam Howson	OL	Sparta, N.J.	Pope John XXIII / Rutgers / LIU
Shamel Lazarus	DB	Queens, N.Y.	Erasmus Hall / UConn
Charlie McKee	QB	Oceanside, Long Island	Oceanside
Willensky Nicolas	DB	Brooklyn, N.Y.	James Madison
Noah Rodriguez	DB	Milpitas, Calif.	Milpitas / College of San Mateo
Vincent Rotelli	DL	Commack, Long Island	Commack
Clayton Taylor	P	Melbourne, Australia	Haileybury College (Prokick Australia)

 
Taylor Bolesta | Defensive Lineman | Dallas, Pa.
Bolesta is a 6-foot-2, defensive lineman from Dallas, Pa. He comes to Stony Brook after playing the last two seasons at LIU. Bolesta concluded the 2021 season with 26 tackles (12 solo, 14 assists), 7.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. His 3.5 sacks led the Sharks this past season. Over his career at LIU, he totaled 43 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and one forced fumble. Before his collegiate career began, Bolesta had a decorated career at Dallas High School. While at Dallas, he was named All-State twice (2019, 2020), All-District three times (2018, 2019, 2020), and All-Conference four times (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
 
De'Aundre Cruz | Linebacker | Merizo, Guam
Cruz is a 6-foot-1, linebacker from Merizo, Guam. He comes to Stony Brook after spending time at the College of San Mateo where he made 35 tackles in five games. Cruz had a standout high school career at Father Duenas Memorial School where he participated in football, basketball, volleyball, and track & field. He helped his high school football team to a 34-2 record over his four years and three first-place finishes in-state (2015, 2016, 2017). Cruz was named the All-Island Offensive MVP in 2016, was tabbed to the All-Island First Team in 2014 and 2017, and was an All-Island Second Team selection in 2015. In the classroom, he was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with honors. He is the first student-athlete to hail from Guam to become a member of the Stony Brook football program.
 
Rah'Khem El | Wide Receiver | Syracuse, N.Y.
El is a 5-foot-9, wide receiver that hails from Syracuse, N.Y. He attends East Syracuse Minoa High School where he is a member of the football and track and field teams. Over the course of his high school career, he was named the Syracuse Senior All-Star Game Offensive MVP, was a Next Gen Champion, Section 3 Champion, and was a four-time All-League Selection. In the classroom he was named to the honor roll.
 
Anthony Ferrelli | Linebacker | Carlsbad, Calif.
Ferrelli is a 6-foot-0, linebacker from Carlsbad, Calif. He was a four-year member of the Carlsbad High School football team where he played both sides of the ball. Over the course of his high school career, the Lancers put together a 35-3 record and went 11-1 this past season. Ferrelli and Carlsbad were ranked No. 6 in the state in 2021. He led the team in both tackles and sacks in each of the last two seasons. Ferrelli was tabbed the San Diego County Two-Way Player of the Year in 2021, earned All-District honors twice (2020, 2021), and was tabbed to the All-League Team in back-to-back years (2020, 2021). In the classroom, Ferrelli was named to the Honor Roll in each of his four years of high school.
 
Cashton Haffery | Defensive Back | Clarksville, Tenn.
Haffery is a 5-foot-11, defensive back from Clarksville, Tenn. He attended Northeast High School where he was a member of the football team and was appointed a team captain in 2019. Haffery comes to Stony Brook from Moorpark College where he was a two-year member of the football team. At Moorpark, he recorded 40 tackles, three interceptions, and 12 pass breakups. In 2019, he earned the Fastest Man award and in 2021, he was an All-Conference First Team selection, and an All-State nominee.
 
Sam Howson | Offensive Lineman | Sparta, N.J.
Howson is a 6-foot-4, offensive lineman from Sparta, N.J. Howson comes to Stony Brook as a transfer from LIU (appeared in two games) after starting his collegiate career at Rutgers (appeared in four games). Before his collegiate career began, he attended Pope John XXIII High School where he helped his team to a 33-11 record over four years. In 2015, he was named to the All-Non-Public First Team and All-State Second Team. He also served as a captain of his high school team. In addition to playing football in high school, he was a member of the swimming team and lacrosse team.
 
Shamel Lazarus | Defensive Back | Queens, N.Y.
Lazarus is a 6-foot-2, defensive back from Queens, N.Y. He comes to Stony Brook as a transfer from UConn where he was a member of the football team for three years. Before his collegiate career began he spent his senior season at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn. He helped Erasmus Hall to a 10-1 record in 2017 and an appearance in the PSAL City Championship game. Lazarus also played in the 2017 New York vs. New England All-Star game.
 
Charlie McKee | Quarterback | Oceanside, Long Island
McKee is a 6-foot-1, quarterback from Oceanside, Long Island and will stay on the Island to attend Stony Brook following a decorated career at Oceanside High School. McKee was recently named the Gatorade New York Football Player of the Year, an award that is presented to the best high school football player in the state of New York. He also claimed the Don Snyder award for the second year in a row. The Snyder award recognizes the best quarterback in Nassau County.
 
As a junior in 2020, McKee was the Thorp Award winner for being the best player in Nassau County. The quarterback is a four-time All-State, All-Long Island, and All-County selection, and a two-time Conference Player of the Year (2020, 2021). He helped his team to a 9-2 record in 2021 as he tallied 2,183 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes. McKee, a dual threat quarterback ran for 781 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. He set the all-time Nassau County career mark with 8,930 passing yards and registered 94 touchdown passes. In the classroom, he was named to the Honor Roll each year of his high school career.
 
Willensky Nicolas | Defensive Back | Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nicolas is a 6-foot-2, defensive back from Brooklyn, N.Y. and played football at James Madison High School where he was a team captain. Nicolas and the Knights went 31-2 over three seasons and posted a perfect 11-0 record in 2021. As a senior, he recorded 26 tackles, two interceptions for touchdowns, one sack, and one fumble recovery. On the offensive side of the ball, he notched 12 catches for 341 yards and eight touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2019, he was named the Rookie of the Year.
 
Noah Rodriguez | Defensive Back | Milpitas, Calif.
Rodriguez is a 6-foot-1, defensive back from Milpitas, Calif., and comes to Stony Brook after spending the past two years of his collegiate career at the College of San Mateo. At the College of San Mateo, Rodriguez recorded 32 solo tackles, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. Before his collegiate career began, Rodriguez attended Milpitas High School where he played football. As a senior in 2019, he was elected a team captain. Rodriguez earned All-League First Team honors three times (2017, 2018, 2019), and was named the League Defensive MVP in 2019. He helped guide his team to a State Championship in 2017 and an overall record of 30-10, while he was a member of the program.
 
Vincent Rotelli | Defensive Lineman | Commack, Long Island
Rotelli is a 6-foot-5, defensive lineman from Commack, Long Island and will stay on the Island after wrapping up a successful career at Commack High School. Rotelli has played four years of football at Commack and is a two-time All-League selection (2019, 2021). The defensive lineman helped Commack to a 20-11 record over his four years as a member of the team and they went 6-2 this past season. Rotelli was tabbed to the All-Conference Academic Team following the 2021 season.
 
Clayton Taylor | Punter | Melbourne, Australia
Taylor is a 6-foot-2, punter from Melbourne, Australia. He comes to Stony Brook from Haileybury College in Australia where he spent six years and played Australian Rules Football (AFL). Taylor joins the Seawolves via Prokick Australia, the same kicking academy that brought punter Mitchell Wright to Stony Brook.
 
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