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Grand Rapids, MI native John Keenoy is one of the more prized MAC recruits at this stage, having already unanimously received a 3-star rating from all three major recruiting sites Rivals.com, Scout.com, and 247sports.com.
John Keenoy
Grand Rapids, MI
Status: Verbally committed to Western Michigan
Commitment Date: April 19th, 2014
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 285 lbs.
Position(s): OG, C
High School: East Kentwood H.S.
Keenoy chose Western Michigan over offers from Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, and Toledo, and was receiving interest from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Purdue.
"I just felt like it was the perfect fit," Keenoy told Hustle Belt. "It was close to home so my family could watch me play.
"I felt like Coach Fleck wanted me the most, so that's why I felt confident in my decision."
Keenoy's former teammate, Elliot Jordan, is a member of WMU's 2014 recruiting class and is expected to be on campus soon to begin training for his freshman season this summer.
"He's a good guy," Keenoy said of Jordan. "I could go to him with any questions I had there. It wasn't a major factor, but it was nice knowing I would have a teammate there."
Jordan isn't the only connection Keenoy has to Western Michigan. Hours before speaking with Keenoy, Grand Rapids South Christian Jon Wassink gave his verbal pledge to the Broncos.
"I actually played sixth grade football with [Wassink]," said Keenoy. "It's great to have him on board and it will be great to play with him too."
"Jon was my quarterback when I played center with him," Keenoy added, perhaps foreshadowing things to come down the road for the 6-foot-3, 285 pound lineman.
"Coach McGarigle is my recruiting coach. WMU is recruiting me as a center or a guard. Coach (Bill) Kenney and Coach (Brian) Callahan talk to me a lot about playing center."
Keenoy says he's visited Western Michigan's campus a total of eight times between games last fall and other various practices.
"They've probably been the school with the most interest in me since the beginning," he said. "When they came and visited Elliot at school, they came and visited me too."
"I think Coach Fleck brings a winning persona to WMU. The class of 2014 is great and the class of 2015 is even better. Hopefully we'll be winning MAC championships and big time bowl games."
"Coach Fleck brings a lot of great quotes and togetherness. That stands out to me and my family a lot."
Keenoy says he plans to major in business and hopefully attend WMU's Haworth College of Business. His commitment to WMU sounds rock solid.
"On a scale from 1-10, I would say it's a ten. This is a good fit for me."