Thursday, February 2, 2017

Tennessee State Completes Signing Day

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- National Signing Day 2017 has arrived and Tennessee State University is proud to announce the latest additions to the Tigers football team.

This year’s class is led by mid-year enrollee’s quarterback Treon Harris (Florida), offensive lineman Chidi Okeke (LSU) and cornerback Neiman Armstrong (Cisco College).

Follow along as we post our most recent National Letter of Intent confirmations here. Click on the players name to see video displaying their abilities.

We will have live updates all day via our social media pages (Twitter - @TSU_Tigers and Facebook.com/TSUTigers).

The Signing Day Celebration with Coach Rod Reed and the TSU coaching staff will be held at the Indoor Football Facility at 6:00 p.m.

LaRonzo Davis – DE, 6-5, 220 Memphis, Tenn. (Los Angeles Valley College)


Davis was rated as a 3-Star prospect out of Melrose High School by 247Sports… recorded 60 tackles, 48 solo, seven sacks and 10 quarterback hurries… received offers from Ball State, Arkansas State, Southern and Charleston Southern… drew interest from Louisville, Memphis, Kentucky, San Diego State, Arizona State, California, UTEP, Western Kentucky, UTSA, Kansas State, Fresno State, Southern Miss, Mississippi State

Reed’s Take:“He is a Memphis kid who went out to California and is coming back home. He is explosive off the edge and gives you another alternative opposite of Ebo (Ogundeko) with a good pass rush skill set. We hope he can help cause some teams problems with their protection, We know Ebo is going to draw some attention and we felt we needed another rusher to help cause some havoc in our pass rush game.”

Anthony Geter – FB, 5-11, 258 Memphis, Tenn. (Whitehaven HS)

Geter played both ways in the trenches, mainly at tackle on the offensive line… helped Whitehaven claim the Class 6A State Championship… will move to fullback at TSU.

Reed’s Take:
“He played on the offensive line in high school. He is one of the nastiest kids on tape that you will ever want to see. But we are going to take him and try him at the fullback position. He is a little vertically challenged to play on the offensive line, but push comes to shove you could probably put him at center and he would fight with the best of them. We just feel he can help us at fullback.”

Antowan Malone - LB, 5-11, 225 Nashville, Tenn. (Pearl-Cohn)

Sat out his senior season due to injury… as a junior, was named the 2015 Region 5-4A Defensive MVP after registering 84 tackles, 12 for loss, eight sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery as PCHS finished as the Class 4A runner-up.

Reed's Take:
“He missed his whole senior year due to an injury, but we feel like he is going to come back and be as strong as ever. He puts in the mindset of a Chris Collins at the linebacker spot.”

Vincent Sellers – CB, 6-1, 180 Sarasota, Fla. (Riverview)


Helped Riverview HS to a 9-2 record and the second round of the Class 8A Regional Semifinal… registered 23 tackles, 16 solo, and one interception as a senior

Reed’s Take:
“He is another explosive guy in the secondary. He has the ability to play at corner or safety, and he has the ability to help in the return game. I believe he returned four or five interceptions for touchdowns, as well as some punts and kicks for scores. He is a rangy kid at 6-1.”

Moris Lugo - LB, 6-0, 210 Opa Locka, Fla. (Miami Carol City HS)

Rated as a 2-Star prospect by 247Sports… ranked as the 95th inside linebacker… guided Miami Carol City to an 11-3 record and a Class 6A State Championship… recorded over 60 tackles with six for loss as a senior… was named First Team All-Dade County by the Miami Herald for 8A-6A… as a junior in 2015, collected 100 tackles and five sacks… received offers from Akron, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Toledo and UAB

Reed’s Take:
“We feel we have two exceptional linebackers from that area with Lugo and James Green. They both had FBS offers and chose to come here instead. So we are really excited about the possibilities of those guys coming to join our senior corps of Justin North and Chris Collins, and of course Blair Edwards who is now a junior. The excitement is there thinking about them being the future of your linebacker unit with the ability to play right away.”

Ray Coggins – CB, 5-11, 185 Lebanon, Tenn. (Wilson Central)
Rated a 3-Star athlete by 247Sports… tallied 22 tackles and an interception as a senior… led Wilson Central HS to an 8-3 record; their best regular-season finish since 2011… selected TSU over several Ohio Valley Conference opponents… also received interest from Southern Miss, Memphis and Vanderbilt

Reed’s Take:
“He’s a hard hitter. Watching his type, you see guys disappear off the tape when he hits them. He is someone you really want back there in the secondary.”

Joshua Trueheart - QB, 6-5, 220 Nashville, Tenn. (Stratford Comprehensive)

Threw for just under 3,000 yards during his career tossing for 31 touchdowns… on the ground, ran for another 754 yards and 14 scores… started eight games as a senior, leading Stratford to an 8-0 record in those games… completed 65 of 123 passes for 807 yards and 10 touchdowns… rushed for 275 yards and five touchdowns… also played Baseball and Basketball for Stratford HS

Reed’s Take:
“Played quarterback at Stratford. Did some amazing things for Stratford and has a big strong arm. He’s a big kid who has played multiple positions. We are really excited to have him a part of our team.”

James Green - LB, 6-1, 205 Orlando, Fla. (Olympia)

Green is rated as a 3-Star prospect by 247Sports… ranked 97th in the Sentinel’s Florida Top 100… moved to linebacker as a senior after playing safety as a junior… averaged eight tackles per game as a senior and had 11 tackles for loss and two sacks… known as a hard-hitting FBS type player who had committed to Akron… also had offers from Buffalo, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, UMass, Ohio, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Western Michigan, Florida A&M, McNeese State, South Dakota and 2016 FCS champions, James Madison… also garnered interest from Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Purdue and UCF… played at Dr. Phillips HS before transferring to Olympia HS for senior season.

Reed’s Take:“He played safety as a junior and linebacker as a senior and is another with tremendous upside. He can come in a have an impact immediately, especially on special teams and could possibly be vying for a starting position by the end of camp.”

Al-Malik Moore - WR 6-0, 170 Miami, Fla. (Northwestern HS)

Helped Northwestern HS to an 11-2 record and the second round of the Class 6A State Championships… eliminated by TSU signee Moris Lugo and eventual Champions Carol City… been referred to as “Glue Hands” for his catching abilities… received offers from East Carolina and North Carolina State.

Reed’s Take:
“He is Steven Newbold 2.0. He is very explosive and he knows what to do with the football when he gets his hands on it. He runs great routes and gets great releases off the line of scrimmage and tracks the ball well in the air.”

Lawrence Segree II - WR 6-1, 180 Nashville, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)

Named a 2-Star prospect by 247Sports… helped BA to back-to-back Division II Class AA State Championships... as a senior, caught five passes for 76 yards in the title game, scoring two touchdowns including a 49-yarder and a six yard score just before halftime… was a member of the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association All-Star – West Squad… was on the receiving end of a Hail-Mary batted 57-yard touchdown versus Montgomery Bell Academy which was #1 on Sportscenter’s Top 10.

Reed’s Take:“He is a local kid with ties to TSU. His father played wide receiver for the Tigers and is probably in the record books. He has a huge upside and I feel a few people may have missed on him, but we are very fortunate to get him… He comes from a good local program and he will bring depth to our receiving corps.

Vincent Thomas - WR, 6-0, 178 Orlando, Fla. (Jones)

Helped lead Jones HS to a 10-2 mark as a senior and a spot in the Class 4A Regional finals… as a senior, Thomas hauled in 50 passes for 1,029 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Reed’s Take:“We got on him late, he had some offers from some FBS schools, but we were fortunate to land him. He has excellent speed and hands. He was nominated for the Offensive Player of the Year down in the Orlando area. He is the type of kid that blow the top off of a defense with his speed.”

Mid-Year Enrollees
Treon Harris – QB, 5-11, 195 Miami, Fla. (Florida)

At Florida, Harris played in 21 games, starting 15, completing 174-of-346 passes for 2,695 yards, 10 interceptions and 18 touchdowns… added 570 yards on the ground, carrying 171 times and reached the end zone on three occasions… As a sophomore, started the final eight games of the season, including the 2015 SEC Championship game… As a true freshman, started the final six games of the season, including an upset win over No. 9 Georgia in his first career start… was named to SEC All-Freshman Team after throwing for 1,019 yards with nine touchdowns… named team’s Offensive Player of the Game against Vanderbilt… led UF to a nine-point comeback win at Tennessee, engineering two scoring drives in the fourth quarter…. guided Tim Harris’ Booker T. Washington squad to Class 4A state championships in 2012 and 2013 and a runner-up finish in 2011… was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl… ranked as a 4-Star prospect and the No. 7 Athlete according to ESPN300.

Reed’s Take:
“He’s an exceptional player. His athletic ability is phenomenal and there are a lot of exciting things he can do in this offense.  He will get a bulk of the snaps in the spring with O’Shay (Ackerman-Carter) coming off an injury, but the two should battle it out in the fall.”

Chidi Okeke  – OL, 6-6, 312 Anambra, Nigeria (LSU)

Played in 11 games during his LSU career, seeing most of his action on special teams… played a career-high nine snaps in win over Jacksonville State… played seven offensive snaps in wins over Missouri and Southern Miss and tallied five plays vs. Arkansas… had two knockdowns versus Jacksonville State… rated as a five-star prospect by 247 Sports while ESPN and Scout give him four stars... ranked as high as the No. 2 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 22 overall prospect regardless of position by 247 Sports... participated in the US Army All-American Game... coached by Larry Wiley… played at Champagnat Catholic in Palm Bay, Fla., before transferring to Faith Baptist in Georgia as a senior… didn’t play football until her arrived in the United States in 2013

Reed’s Take:
“Chidi fills a need we feel we had to address at the midterm. He was a top recruit coming out of high school that played some at LSU. He was looking for a little more playing time and we welcomed him with open arms. He is a huge kid that moves well on the offensive line.”

Neiman Armstrong – CB, 6-1, 185 Dallas, Texas (Cisco College)

Played in eight games at Cisco College… recorded 12 tackles in eight games… recorded a fumble recovery and four pass breakups… coming out of DeSoto HS, was ranked a 3-Star by 247Sports and 2-Stars by Rivals… accepted offer from Texas Tech before attending Cisco College… had an offer from Tulsa and drew interest from Texas, TCU and Baylor

Reed’s Take:
“He’s a cover kid. We felt we needed to get some length in the secondary and he is a good sized kid. He is a kid who covers and flips his hips really well and we feel that he will help fortify our secondary.”

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

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