UF's Keys hopes to keep the 'standard' with 2022 recruiting class

It's been a pretty successful five-year run for Rob Keys and the University of Findlay football team. The senior class amassed a 37-16 record, racked up a ton of accolades and changed the landscape of UF's program for the better. Just last season, it played a part in bringing in the Oilers' first Great Midwestern Athletic Conference title and the first conference title of any kind since 1997. "The last senior class has accomplished so much. They made it to the national playoffs twice, made it to the Sweet 16 in 2017, the worst number of wins for those guys was seven (in 2019)," Keys said. "These guys have won a lot of football games, a lot of accolades, and really the imprint they've left on the program — they've raised the standard." But those guys have graduated and it's back to the drawing board to replace those guys. The Oilers kicked off that search Wednesday on National Signing Day, where UF brought in 48 recruits to help keep expectations just as high as they've been the last half-decade. And they searched far and wide to stay at that level. "We really stretched the net out with this class. We got guys from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, West Virginia, Kentucky," he said. "With what the senior class has done, it raised the standard. We love to recruit our backyard and get the best players closest to Findlay as possible, but we're not going to take the next guy just because he's available. "If we can't find the standard, we're going to go wherever we need to find that standard." In reality, though, the process of keeping the 'standard' high started long before February 2. Keys says he couldn't have done it alone. "You start thinking about how much effort and time was put in by the assistant coaches and all of those on campus involved in recruiting," Keys said. "You can't say enough thanks to all of those people. You never know who or what's going to get that prospect to say yes to the University of Findlay, so we don't take anything for granted and I can't thank the people that recruited this class enough. "I don't think people realize how much work goes into a recruiting class. The amount of time our coaches are on the road, on the phone, face-timing these players and giving campus tours—people don't know how much we put in behind the scenes of a class of 45 players—and that's what's mind-blowing." Although UF traveled across the country to get guys that fit what they want to do, they did bring in two local talents. They played in Donnell Stadium for four years and now, they'll get to play a few more. The Oilers added Findlay High School's Sam Weihrauch and Justin Roth to this class. Weihrauch was named to First-Team All-TRAC and Second-Team All-Ohio at linebacker last season for the Trojans. He finished with a single-season record 159 tackles, had 26 tackles for loss, 6 pass breakups and 4 forced fumbles. Roth was named All-TRAC honorable mention at wide receiver and finished his senior season with 25 catches for nearly 400 yards and 7 TDs. "I've seen multiple games, our assistants have seen multiple games; so we've seen them live and that allows you to really dig deeper into those players," Keys said of the two. "It gives you a better evaluation of the Findlay High School than we would get from a Cleveland or Columbus kid, because you're not seeing them every week play live. "The thing that those two guys do that attracted me the most was their competitiveness. They're so competitive; you can see it on the film and see it on the field. They hate to lose and they play so hard. I think that was the thing that probably attracted me the most."