MARQUETTE – The 2014 season was a frustrating one for the Northern Michigan University football team.

But on Wednesday, the school announced a 2015 recruiting class with players the Wildcats hope can get them to the next level.

“We’re excited for this process to come to an end,” NMU head coach Chris Ostrowsky said. “It’s been a really good two months for us. Our staff has done an amazing job of putting together a phenomenal recruiting board.

“We were able to really hit some unbelievable landmarks.

We wanted to sign 35 football players and we committed 38, ” he added.

The Wildcats recruited a number of players from successful programs, seven of whom were members of state championship teams.

“These guys understand the commitment it takes to play for a winner and they’ve done a lot of winning over the course of their careers,” Ostrowsky said.

Six Upper Peninsula players are included in this group, two each from Munising, Marquette and Menominee.

Munising’s Garrett Blank and Andy Cooper didn’t win a state title, but did make it to the MHSAA Division 8 championship game in November, a first for the school in more than three decades.

Blank, at 6-foot and 208 pounds, was a workhorse running back for the Mustangs and was named to the All-Mid-Eastern Football Conference team, an All-Upper Peninsula all-class selection, and was a Division 7-8 all-state honorable mention.

Cooper, 6-foot-3, 180, is a wide receiver and was named to All-U.P. and all-state teams.

He also was named all-conference as a punter and kicker and All-U.P. for his kicking.

“Obviously, with Munising having the season they had and marching straight down to Ford Field and playing for a state championship, those kids were really attractive,” Ostrowsky said. “We felt like Garrett and Andy both were really special football players.”

“Blank was a young man who when you watched him play on film, they were going to hand him the ball and he was going to get it and he was going to get it again and … again.

“Because of that, I thought he was a guy that we needed to bring up for a visit.

“Andy, when you watch him on film, he’s fluid and he does all the things that you want,” Ostrowsky added.

From Marquette, quarterback Brett Place, at 6-1 and 198 pounds, earned All-U.P. and All-Great Northern Conference recognition.

Redmen offensive lineman Holt Richards, 6-3 and 295, was named GNC Offensive Lineman of the Year and was an All-U.P. all-class pick.

“In terms of Marquette, Place is probably as good of a quarterback as Marquette (Senior) High School has had in a long time,” Ostrowsky said. “We’re excited about his athleticism.

“Quarterback is a different animal. There will be a little bit of a learning curve. The good thing is that he’s got time. He’s got time to progress and learn.

“He’s not in a situation where ‘You’re the quarterback now, get ready.’ He’s going to have time to grow.

“Holt Richards is a big-framed offensive lineman,” he added.

“Tough kid … our offensive line coach has had the opportunity to coach him in our O-line camps and things of that nature.”

Also, two more GNC players join the Wildcats from Menominee.

Justin Brilinski, at 5-11 and 185 pounds, was a run-first quarterback who rushed for more than 1,200 yards. He was named GNC Player of the Year and was All-U.P. all-class at QB.

Aeron Forsberg, standing 5-8 and 155 pounds, is a wide receiver who joined his teammate on the GNC First Team while also earning All-U.P. all-class along with all-state honors.

“We were able to get Aeron, who is a slot receiver who really does some things in space that I think that if you’ve seen us play offensively … he fits our system,” Ostrowsky said.

“We have one of the premier, if not the premier player in Justin Brilinski (from) the Upper Peninsula.”

Ostrowsky and his staff also picked up recruits from the Lower Peninsula, Illinois and Wisconsin.

In Illinois, the focus was on the Chicago area.

The Wildcats enticed players from as far away as New Jersey, southern Florida and Alabama.

Tamaine Boyd comes from Union City, New Jersey, where he was an all-state first teamer.

Zyggy Arledge hails from Hoover, Alabama, where he won three state championships and was a first team all-stater.

Ostrowsky also felt strongly about the abilities of some Florida recruits.

“Everybody is recruiting South Florida,” he said. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of success drawing what we feel are those borderline FCS players, bringing them here and explaining our goal and our focus to graduate, do really great things in the classroom and win championships.

“This year, we had three visit from South Florida and all three committed. Enrique Carabello is a big offensive lineman, Rochelin Romain is a big offensive lineman as well and (wide receiver) Jon Washington (is) from Cardinal Gibbons.

“I think all three are pedigree-type kids,” Ostrowsky said.

Ostrowsky likes having recruits who want to help take the program to a new level.

“It’s real easy to commit to a champion,” he said. “What’s hard is to commit to a place that you believe can be a champion.

“We’ve got 38 football players, all really heavily recruited by other places that want to be Wildcats because they believe in the vision of the program.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246.