Butler senior Charlie Kreinbucher, seated at center, signs a letter of intent to continue his academic and football career at Bucknell University. He is flanked by his mother Kathy, and sister, Allie. Standing, from left, are his brother Michael , father Chuck and Butler head football coach Eric Christy (standing right). Derek Pyda/Butler Eagle

Charlie Kreinbucher saw the writing on the wall.

The position room he was set to join at Akron was already jam-packed and, after a defeat to Ball State in early November, head coach Tom Arth was relieved of his duties. The rest of the staff that courted Kreinbucher was left to face an uncertain future.

Based on the Zips’ gridiron struggles, the Butler senior sensed the changes were coming. Once they happened, he wasn’t entirely sure of what it meant for him.

It was obvious that the incoming regime would more than likely prefer its own batch of handpicked recruits, though. Kreinbucher decommitted without waiting to see if a scholarship would remain and, as it ended up, new Zips coach Joe Moorhead didn’t ever reach out.

“A losing program in the MAC conference, most likely, is going to go to the transfer portal, especially at this time,” Kreinbucher said. “As (the staff shakeup) did happen, they recruited heavily through there. There’s only a handful of dudes out of the 2022 class that they actually recruited again.”

Even though a lot of schools had filled their recruiting classes by that point in the season, Kreinbucher again explored his postsecondary options, mainly through Twitter.

“I went through all the contacts (and) I had my (Butler) coaches reach out to their contacts to my past scholarships and see if they were still open,” Kreinbucher said.

Kreinbucher talked to Kent State, which didn’t have a free spot but told him they’d let him know if one opened. Bucknell, an FCS school that was high on his list before Akron came calling, was still interested. The Bison picked up the phone almost right away when they heard he was again looking for a home.

Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini first took notice of Kreinbucher through his junior season highlights before getting a look at him in person at a camp held by the University of Pittsburgh last June.

“I remember watching him perform at that camp and that’s what really sold me on him,” Cecchini said. “To see him up close doing the drills that he was doing … I knew that he would be a perfect fit in what we’re trying to accomplish here with our offensive scheme.”

Cecchini uses the tight end position as a jack-of-all-trades. At some times, they line up attached to the offensive tackle. Others, they motion or set up as a receiver. Kreinbucher proved his worth as a pass-catcher with the Golden Tornado, notching 26 receptions for 429 yards and a pair of scores in the last two seasons.

“When you look at what he did at (Butler), he’s very comfortable in all of those roles,” Cecchini said of Kreinbucher. “He’s a guy who has the height and the length to be a guy that you want. A big target in the pass game, he has the athletic ability and the route-running ability to get open.”

Sold on the program and the school’s academic reputation, Kreinbucher committed to play for the Bison and took an official visit to the school in Lewisburg shortly thereafter.

“Meeting the guys and meeting the coaches, it was just something I want to be a part of,” Kreinbucher said.

He figures to have an easier time stepping on the turf with the Bison than he’d have had on a depth chart with 11 other tight ends at Akron.

“He’s going to get an opportunity right away,” Cecchini said. “Our roster size is much smaller than FBS programs’. With us, he’ll be one of six tight ends, most likely … The philosophy we have is the best players play. Charlie is a guy who certainly has that talent.”

Bucknell finished with a 1-10 mark this past campaign. The Bison limped to the checkered line, dropping their last seven games, with all but one of those defeats by 23 points or more. Kreinbucher will be a piece of the puzzle in the crew’s improvement.

“He’s going to be a huge asset to our program,” Cecchini said.