ROCHESTER, Mich. – Seeing the Rocket League and Smash Bros. teams capture the first two NACE Varsity Premier Conference Championships in program history this spring, Oakland Golden Grizzlies Esports has continued to add elite talent to their roster as they prepare to begin the Fall 2023 slate of action.
Representing three different game titles, Oakland is adding nine new student-athletes to their roster this fall, with Smash Bros. leading the way with five signees, including two of
Michigan Smash Ultimate's top-dozen players in the state in No. 3 Anthony "Anthony Isnt Cool" Codd and No. 12 Robert "Rob" Rabinowitz.
Highlighted by the program's first professional signee in the game title in Domenic "Krawi" Akrawi of the LA VALIANT, Overwatch 2 is up next with three new incoming players, and while Rocket League will only have one new Golden Grizzly, Nicholas "Peep" Stief, he has already contributed to the success of the program by winning the Great Lakes College Rocket League (GLCRL) Invitational this summer.
Stief's GLCRL triumph represents one of the beneficial caveats that makes collegiate Esports unique, as incoming players can begin competing in the summer, instead of having to wait for the semester to start in the fall, and graduating seniors can continue playing through the summer, despite having completed their academic responsibilities.
"This is the most exciting recruiting class in our program's history," said Oakland head coach Carl Leone, who has been at the helm of the program since it was introduced in March 2020.
"We are adding known stars across multiple games and there is so much potential in each of these young players. Our aim this year is to continue to raise the bar and reach new heights on the national stage."
Set to begin their fall season later in August, a full list of all nine incoming Golden Grizzlies is included below:
| Name |
Tag |
Game |
Hometown |
| Pablo Avila |
Avien |
Smash Bros. |
Rochester Hills, MI |
| Anthony Codd |
Anthony Isnt Cool |
Smash Bros. |
Allen Park, MI |
| Lucas Fehn |
NAD |
Smash Bros. |
Shelby Township, MI |
| Robert Rabinowitz |
Rob |
Smash Bros. |
West Bloomfield, MI |
| Ian Sellman |
Spectre |
Smash Bros. |
Rochester Hills, MI |
| Domenic Akrawi |
Krawi |
Overwatch 2 |
Sterling Heights, MI |
| Charlie Borgmann |
Ctberk |
Overwatch 2 |
Rockford, MI |
| Alex Littell |
Plscat |
Overwatch 2 |
Waterford, MI |
| Nicholas Stief |
Peep |
Rocket League |
Macomb, MI |
