Delaware State Strikes "Lucky 13" with Football Recruits

Delaware State University Head Football Coach Al Lavan (R) on the sidelines at Michigan.

Dover, DE -- Delaware State University has announced that 13 football recruits have accepted offers to attend the university and compete for the Hornets next season. DSU head coach Al Lavan has also announced the addition of two major college transfers who are enrolled at the university, and expect to participate in the upcoming spring camp. The signees include six defensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive backs, a wide receiver, offensive lineman and tight end.

"I am pleased with the quality athletes we have signed so far," said Delaware State head coach Al Lavan, who is 38-28 in six seasons as head coach of the Hornets. "We graduated some top players on our defense, so our focus was filling needs on that side of the ball, in addition to improving our overall strength and speed. We are off to a good start, and expect to announce more signings in the days ahead."

The Delaware State defensive line will be bolstered the addition of Josh Alaeze (fr. 6-1/240), Darian Scott (fr. 6-4, 210), Lafeit Frierson (fr. 6-2/240), Craig Woodus (fr. 6-5/265), Darrel Brown (jr. 6-2/285), and Rodney Gunter (fr. 6-4, 240). Alaeze and Scott were teammates at Dunbar High School in Baltimore. They helped lead the Poets to an 11-2 record and state playoff berth in 2009. Alaeze was a Maryland All-State First Team and All-Baltimore Metro First Team selection. He ranked 24th among Maryland high school prospects, according to 3-Star Rivals. Scott was a 2009 Maryland All-State Second Team and All-Baltimore Metro selection. He ranked in the top five in the state in sacks last season.

Frierson was a two-time All-Passaic County defensive end at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, N.J. He recorded 50 tackles, including 10 sacks as a senior year in 2009. Woodus was an All-Southeastern Virginia and All-Tidewater First Team selection as a defensive lineman and offensive lineman at Lakeland High School in Suffolk, Va. Brown joins the Hornets after two seasons at Hudson Valley Community College, where he helped lead the team to a 7-3 record last season. Prior to attending Hudson Valley, he was a standout at Pennwood High School in Philadelphia.

The Hornets have also inked offensive lineman Trevor Sales (fr. 6-2/285) of La Porte, Indiana. Sales was an All-Indiana First Team and all-conference selection at La Porte High School. In addition, he was a "National Underclassman Strong Man" award recipient. According to ESPN.com, Sales "is a fundamentally sound offensive lineman." Delaware State has added helped in the defensive backfield with the signing of Jermond Colston (fr. 5-11/175) of Norfolk, Va., and Joe Boyd from Fort Washington, Md. Colston was a 2009 All-Tidewater (Va.) selection, and is the school record holder in the 55-meter dash.

Bo Cerravolo (fr. 6-1/190), a standout wide receiver from Venice, Fla., will join the Hornets this year. Last season, the Florida high school all-star had 48 catches and helped lead Venice High to a No. 48 USA Today ranking. Tight end Nick Brackett (fr. 6-4/235) of Lawrenceville, N.J. has also signed to attend DSU. The Hornets have also welcomed University of Maryland transfer Dominique Herald (DB) and former Rutgers defensive lineman Wayne Thomas to the team. Herald competed in 14 games at Maryland. As a senior at Pennington School in New Jersey, he was one of the top defensive backs in the nation, ranking No. 6 nationally among safeties by Scouts, Inc. In addition, he was the 16th-ranked prospect in the state of New Jersey by Rivals.com. Thomas signed with Rutgers as the No. 11 prospect in New Jersey as a senior at Nottingham High School.

Delaware State Football 2010 newcomers

Josh Alaeze FR DE 6-1/240 Baltimore, Md./Dunbar HS
Joe Boyd FR DB 6-0/180 Ft. Washington, Md./Friendly HS
Nick Brackett FR TE 6-4/235 Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrenceville HS
Bo Cerravolo FR WR 6-1/190 Venice, Fla./Venice HS
Jermond Colston FR DB 5-11/175 Norfolk, Va./Booker T. Washington
Lafeit Frierson FR DE 6-2/240 Paterson, N.J./John F. Kennedy
Rodney Gunter FR DL 6-4/240 Haines City, Fla./Haines City HS
Kennedy Ogbonna FR LB 6-1/215 Wash., D.C./Friendship Academy
Trevor Sales FR OL 6-3/285 La Porte, Ind./La Porte HS
Darian Scott FR DE 6-4/210 Baltimore, Md./Dunbar HS
Dominic Shepard FR LB 6-1/200 Hyattsville, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt
Craig Woodus FR DL 6-5/265 Suffolk, Va./Lakeland HS

Transfers
Darrel Brown JR DL 6-2/285 Phila., Pa./Hudson Valley CC/Pennwood
Dominique Herald JR DB 5-11/195 Newark, N.J./Maryland/Pennington
Wayne Thomas SO DL 6-5/285 Nottingham, N.J./Rutgers/Nottingham HS

Courtesy: DSU Athletic Media Relations, Release: 2/4/2010