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Eastern Washington University Football

Eastern Washington brings in 14 players during early signing period

Eastern Washington head coach Aaron Best walks the sideline during a Big Sky Conference game against Idaho on Oct. 18 at Roos Field in Cheney. (James Snook/The Spokesman-Review)
By Dan Thompson The Spokesman-Review

After graduating 20 players off of its 2025 roster, the Eastern Washington football program signed 14 players – all but one of them high school seniors – on the first day of the December signing period on Wednesday.

It’s eight fewer than the Eagles signed at this point last year, and the team could sign more players in February, after the transfer portal’s consolidated two-week window in January.

Headlining the class is wide receiver Giulio Banchero, an O’Dea High School senior and the younger brother of Paolo Banchero, an NBA star with the Orlando Magic. Giulio Banchero was the third-highest ranked recruit in this EWU class, according to 247sports.com.

Ahead of him in those rankings are Devin Chapple-Love, a defensive end from Rancho Cucamonga, California, and Zamarie Tellez, a cornerback from Federal Way High School. That’s the same high school attended by two current Eagles players: safety Jaylon Jenkins and defensive end Tylin Jackson.

The Eagles also signed safety Jayden Woodland, a senior at Puyallup High School, another familiar recruiting spot for Eastern. It’s where safety Josiah Goode and quarterback Kaden Rolfsness played.

Israel Nabors, a cornerback from Sumner High School, and Ted Kuhrau, an offensive lineman from Lake Stevens, round out the group of five in-state recruits. Current Eagles safeties Drew Carter and Isaac Redford are Lake Stevens High School graduates.

Eastern also signed wide receiver Oliver Luebkert, a wide receiver from Beaverton, Oregon; Blake Speer, an offensive lineman from Chandler, Arizona; and Kamden Segall, a tight end from Liberty High School in Peoria, Arizona.

The other five recruits are from California, including running back Jaxon Bell, the younger brother of current EWU quarterback Nate Bell. As a senior at Liberty High School in Brentwood California, this season, Jaxon Bell has 2,279 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns on 238 touches.

The other four players from California are running back DeMarkus Barnes (Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth), offensive lineman Nate Cervantes (Chino Hills), defensive tackle Ben Tameifuna (Corona) and tight end Will McKissick, who is the Eagles’ only JUCO signing. He played last season at Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach.