CALGARY – Blake Nill unveiled the bulk of his 2012 recruiting class Friday afternoon, and there's a distinctly Calgary flavour to the list.

Of the 23 players introduced, 15 come from the Calgary area as the four-time defending Canada West champion University of Calgary Dinos loaded up on local talent for their drive for a fifth consecutive conference title in the fall of 2012.

“This is a program that, going forward, will be 70 to 80 per cent Calgary athletes,” said Nill, who will patrol the Dinos' sidelines for a seventh season in 2012. “It's a testament to our outstanding bantam, midget, and high school coaches that this city continues to develop so many high-quality players. We're fortunate to have this development system in our back yard, and we were able to commit to virtually every local player we went after.

“I think we have one of the best overall recruiting classes in the country this year, and that's in large part due to the Calgary players we were able to attract to this program.”

St. Francis High School, long a supplier of talent to the Dinos, leads the way with five players: RB Jansher Hundal, R Denzel Radford, OL Ben Prcic, DB Carson Stambene, and LB Maddix Fabien – younger brother of offensive lineman Kirby Fabien. The Browns are followed closely by Notre Dame, which placed three players on the recruiting list, including R Coel Bazinet, OL Tyler Shabits, and LB Emilio Gallotta.

Two of the top graduating players in the city hail from Henry Wise Wood, and both DB Hunter Turnbull and OL Troy Richardson could step in and contribute to the Dinos immediately this fall. Bishop Grandin will also send two players to the Dinos in DE Jevon Westerbeek and LB Dan Zalucky.

OL Jacob Mickelson (Bowness), DL Cory Robinson (George McDougall, Airdrie), and DB Kellen Forrest (Cochrane) round out the Calgary-area high school players set to attend the University of Calgary in September.

A pair of offensive players will join the Dinos from the junior Calgary Colts program this fall. RB Cuong Thai Lieu, redshirted with the Dinos in 2007 and 2008, and racked up 715 rushing yards and six touchdowns last year with the Colts. A 2011 Prairie Football Conference all-star, Lieu will augment a strong returning backfield led by fourth-year returnee Steven Lumbala.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Mac Sarro, meanwhile, is a graduate of Notre Dame High School and was a key force in the receiving game for the Colts last season, racking up five TDs and 352 receiving yards on just 19 catches – a whopping 18.5 yards-per-catch average.

The Dinos' spring camp continues through the weekend at McMahon Stadium, with the Red-White scrimmage set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

Fall camp opens on Saturday, Aug. 18, and the Dinos will open the season with back-to-back home games Saturday, Sept. 1 vs. Regina and Friday, Sept. 7 vs. Alberta. Dinos season tickets are included with all 2012 Calgary Stampeders season tickets, and they can be purchased by visiting www.stampeders.com or by calling (403) 289-0258.

2012 DINOS FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
*denotes 2012 Alberta Senior Bowl selection

Pos    Player    Hometown    Last team                                                
RB    Jansher Hundal    Calgary, Alta.    St. Francis HS
RB    Cuong Thai Lieu    Nanaimo, B.C.    Calgary Colts
RB    Mercer Timmis    Burlington, Ont.    Canisius HS (Buffalo, N.Y.)

R    *Coel Bazinet    Calgary, Alta.    Notre Dame HS
R    Brett Blaszko    Burlington, Ont.    Corpus Christi HS
R    Elie Bouka    Laval, Que.    Cégep Montmorency
R    Spencer Duff    St. Albert, Alta.    St. Albert HS
R    Denzel Radford    Calgary, Alta.    St. Francis HS
R    Mac Sarro    Cochrane, Alta.    Calgary Colts

OL    Jordan Filippelli    Edmonton, Alta.    Salisbury HS
OL    *Jacob Mickelson    Calgary, Alta.    Bowness HS
OL    *Ben Prcic    Calgary, Alta.    St. Francis HS
OL    *Troy Richardson    Calgary, Alta.    Henry Wise Wood HS
OL    *Tyler Shabits    Calgary, Alta.    Notre Dame HS

DL    Cory Robinson    Airdrie, Alta.    George McDougall HS
DL    *Jevon Westerbeek    Calgary, Alta.    Bishop Grandin HS

LB    Maddix Fabien    Calgary, Alta.    St. Francis HS
LB    *Emilio Gallotta    Calgary, Alta.    Notre Dame HS
LB    *Dan Zalucky    Calgary, Alta.    Bishop Grandin HS

DB    *Kellen Forrest    Cochrane, Alta.    Cochrane HS
DB    Nathan Mitchell    St. Albert, Alta.    St. Albert HS
DB    Carson Stambene    Calgary, Alta.    St. Francis HS
DB    *Hunter Turnbull    Calgary, Alta.    Henry Wise Wood HS

-UC-