SAGINAW, MI -- For the players, the official recruiting weekend was the final visit before signing Wednesday to play college football.

For the fathers, it was a trip down memory lane, recalling games, plays and other teammates who took the field together more than two decades ago.

The past and present came together Wednesday when high school football players took the first opportunity to sign NCAA Letters of Intent to play college football.

Saginaw High's NeVen Simington, Saline's C.J. Gildersleeve and Delton Kellogg's Tyden Ferris signed Wednesday to play for Central Michigan University, adding another layer to the Chippewas' football legacy.

"When we went for our official visits this last weekend, it was almost like a CMU reunion," Saginaw High coach Nate Simington said. "Those guys were my teammates. It was a great time, catching up with those guys."

If the names of the newest Chippewas sound familiar, it's because of the older Chippewas. Cory Gildersleeve (linebacker), Nate Simington (linebacker) and Rollie Ferris (offensive line) left their marks on the CMU program from 1992 through 1997.

"We were all on the 1994 (Las Vegas) bowl team, so it was fun and exciting to spend the weekend meeting up with those guys and their families," Cory Gildersleeve said. "My first coach, Herb Deromedi, was there, and we talked for about half an hour. I thanked him for everything he did for me."

The three players grew up in maroon-and-gold families, but maybe none moreso than NeVen Simington. His grandparents, Dennis and Pam Iacco, worked at CMU.

"I remember when I was a little kid, I would start trick-or-treating in the afternoon, going to my grandparents at work and going through the offices at Central," NeVen Simington said. "I grew up a CMU kid, but that's not why I chose CMU. I chose CMU because I visited and fell in love with it all over again."

Simington, the school's valedictorian, finished his senior season with 76 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and six sacks. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound linebacker is expected to move to defensive end for the Chippewas.

"It's unique and interesting that our sons all committed to play for CMU on the same day after we were all teammates," Nate Simington said. "But it's something that's stressed at Central. We are family.

"I'm proud of all of them. I've always said that NeVen was born at CMU and made in Saginaw. Now he gets to go back to CMU."

NeVen Simington runs the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds, while C.J. Gildersleeve runs it in 4.65 seconds. Gildersleeve is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker at Saline. His father, Cory Gildersleeve, played for CMU from 1993 through 1995.

"C.J. spent a lot of time in Mount Pleasant growing up," Cory Gildersleeve said. "It just feels like home for him. He had a great bond and good connection with CMU.

"I'm happy if he's happy, and this makes Dad happy. We visited a lot of schools, but we didn't try to influence him in any way. I'm super happy. I'm excited. He's better than his dad. He's bigger than me, stronger than I was, faster than I was."

Tyden Ferris, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman from Delton Kellogg, is the son of Rollie Ferris, who anchored the CMU offensive line in 1996 and 1997.

"To have three legacy kids all signing on the same day with their dads all teammates ... it's special," Cory Gildersleeve said. "I'm very proud."

Other early CMU signees include defensive back Montrae Braswell (Avon Park, Florida), defensive lineman Tico Brown (Kokomo, Indiana), linebacker Carlton Cleophat (Pompano Beach, Florida), offensive lineman Nolan Eike (Batavia, Illinois), defensive back Randall Harris (Walled Lake Western), receiver Keonta Nixon (Roselle, Illinois), quarterback George Pearson (Matawan, New Jersey), receiver Tyrone Scott (Savannah, Georgia) and defensive lineman Romello Tarver (Delray Beach, Florida).