LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Lakota East senior running back Ryder Hooks said he's always felt at home with Eastern Kentucky University.

That’s why even as other college football programs entered his recruiting journey after the Thunderhawks’ season, the Ohio Mr. Football finalist went with a program that fit the best.

There were times when Hooks said his phone was non-stop with other college coaches inviting him on game-day visits.

However, Hooks said he felt most comfortable with the Colonels at the end of the day.

He signed with EKU on Wednesday as the NCAA’s first day of the college football signing period opened.

“It was like waking up on Christmas morning,” Hooks said. “EKU made me feel like home, like a priority.”

Hooks and Moeller senior quarterback Matt Ponatoski, a University

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