John Carroll football gets influx of Mentor players, led by QB transfer Jake Floriea

When Rick Finotti took over as John Carroll football coach in 2017, his first incoming class had 40 freshmen.

A year later, Finotti’s next class ballooned to 85.

One of the biggest influx of 2018 talent is courtesy of Coach Steve Trivisonno’s football program. Mentor will send seven freshmen off its Division I state runner-up team to the University Heights campus, where Finotti looks to build off JCU’s 6-4 mark a year ago.

The Cardinals who report when the Blue Streaks open camp in August will be:

• Receivers Logan Shea and Steven Baird

• Offensive linemen Charlie Call and John Kidner

• Defensive players Dan Garcar (lineman), Mike Brey (linebacker) and Will Laganke (cornerback)

The seven freshmen aren’t the only former Cardinals players headed to JCU. Two transfers — one already enrolled and another on the way — could make an impact. Manning Trubisky, who spent his freshman season at Ohio University but did not play football, will be back playing in the fall. His best friend Jake Floriea is probably the most intriguing Mentor prospect heading to JCU.

Floriea is already enrolled and participated in the team’s spring drills. He transferred to JCU at the start of 2018 for the spring semester. His journey to the Division III ranks has been a bit of whirlwind since he graduated from Mentor in 2015 and headed to the University of Pennsylvania to play football.

“It’s nice to find a home, absolutely,” Floriea said. “It’s great to be close to home, but it’s been a wild ride.

He didn’t know it at the time, but Floriea’s trek to JCU began when he transferred from Lake Catholic to Mentor before his junior season, In his first year there, Floriea was a receiver, and his position coach was assistant Nick Alexander, who last season left Mentor to join Finotti’s staff at JCU as QB coach.

When Floriea was a senior for the Cardinals, he switched to quarterback and had a solid season. He helped lead Mentor to the D-I regional semifinal round, and passed for 2,669 yards and 23 touchdowns. As a runner, he gained 626 yards and scored 13 TDs.

Floriea stayed at Penn for one year — “It wasn’t the right spot for me socially, and academically,” he said — before a transfer to Toledo, where he spent three semesters, and two seasons with the Rockets.

Looking for playing time, Floriea was locked in on Sacred Heart, an FBS school in Connecticut. But the NCAA would not clear him for a scholarship, citing a third transfer as the reason.

“That was tough to take at the time,” Floriea said.

Frustrated, Floriea and his family seemed out of football options, but his father emailed Alexander to inquire about Finotti and the program’s interest in his son, who had already been given his release by Toledo.

“I actually taught Jake in a class at Mentor,” Alexander said. “He and I built a good relationship. I wrote a letter of recommendation for him to Penn.

“When I got the email from his dad, I let him know if Jake wants to come home, John Carroll is a great fit. So we planted that seed right away.”

Another factor that likely helped Floriea’s path to Mentor is first-year JCU offensive coordinator Jeff Fink held that role at Mentor during Floriea’s two years there. Fink spent the last three seasons as Brush’s head coach, before becoming JCU’s offensive coordinator in February.

When Floriea got word the Blue Streaks were interested, he was at John Carroll “about 12 hours later,” starting the process of enrolling. Because he was transferring to D-III, Floriea was cleared by the NCAA to play immediately. Alexander said Floriea has three years of eligibility at JCU.

Where Floriea fits with JCU position-wise is still being debated among the coaching staff, Alexander said. The Blue Streaks’ QB situation is in good hands with two-year starter Anthony Moeglin back for his junior season, as well as talented backup Riley Larkin.

At 6-foot and 215 pounds with speed and athleticism, Floriea could play a number of positions. First, though, he’s hoping for a shot to compete for snaps at QB.

“You got that right,” Floriea said. “I’ve been dying to get some meaningful snaps.”

If he’s not a QB in 2018, Alexander said, Floriea’s skill set could warrant him snaps as a receiver, and perhaps even at running back.

“Jake’s very heady, quick on his feet, and poised beyond his playing experience,” Alexander said. “He’s been an awesome fit. When he came here, he shut up, and went out and practiced hard. He didn’t ask be to moved up the depth chart. He listened. And the rest of the guys gravitated to him. He’s awesome for our guys in the quarterback room.”

Regardless of how it plays out, Floriea is glad to be at JCU, and pumped to be reunited with his best friend Trubisky, who as a high school senior in 2016 had 42 catches for 702 yards and 10 touchdowns. To prepare for the start of camp in August, Floriea and Trubisky are working out and throwing just about every day.

“I hope I earned the players’ respect,” Floriea said about spring practice. “I think this program is awesome, and Coach Finotti is great. And as for Coach Alexander, he’s always been in my corner. I asked if he can help me out one last time.”

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