Norfolk State Football Gets Jump on 2018 Recruiting Class, Signs 5 in Early Period

EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: DEC 20-22, 2017

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The NCAA added  a new mid-year signing day for football recruits for 2017-18. Norfolk State head football coach Latrell Scott and the Spartans took advantage of the early start to their signing class by adding five new recruits Wednesday, three of whom will enroll at the University in January for the spring semester.

"We're very fortunate to be able to add five high-caliber student-athletes in our first early signing period," Scott said. "Our coaching staff deserves a tremendous amount of credit for identifying talented players early in the process who wanted to be at NSU and were willing to commit to us early."

The Spartans received national letters of intent Wednesday from three players who will transfer to NSU mid-year: junior college running back Cameryn Brent (Atlanta, Ga./Holmes Community College), junior college linebacker Levi Shockley (Salem, N.J./Monroe College) and prep school quarterback D'Andre Thomas (Washington, D.C./Fork Union Military Academy). Also signing Wednesday were two standout prep seniors who will join the program next summer after graduating high school: linebacker Allen Boykins (Portsmouth, Va./Norcom HS) and defensive back Brandon Savage (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill Academy).

2018 NSU Early Football Signees

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown / Previous School	Highlights
Allen Boykins	LB	6-1	200	Portsmouth, Va. / I.C. Norcom HS	Click Here
Cameryn Brent	RB	5-9	205	Atlanta, Ga. / Holmes (Miss.) Community College	Click Here
Levi Shockley	LB	6-2	210	Salem, N.J. / Monroe (N.Y.) College	Click Here
Brandon Savage	DB	5-10	170	Baltimore, Md. / Milford Mill Academy	Click Here
D'Andre Thomas	QB	6-4	210	Washington, D.C. / Fork Union Military Academy	Click Here

Brent was the leading junior college rusher in the nation this past fall, averaging 152.6 yards per game. His nine-game total of 1,373 yards ranked him third nationally in total yardage. He scored 15 touchdowns en route to first-team Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) honors. Brent has two years of eligibility remaining and will enroll mid-year at NSU.

"Cameryn is a big-time player who should make an immediate impact at running back," Scott said. "In addition to leading the nation in rushing as a JC player, he also comes from a great high school program in the Atlanta area (Grayson). He is a welcome addition to our skill group."

Shockley was a first-team All-Northeast Football Conference selection as a sophomore at Monroe. He made 30 tackles, three for loss, and broke up for passes. As a freshman, Shockley earned second-team all-conference honors. Shockley was also a two-time first-team all-conference selection at Salem High School. He will also enroll at NSU next semester and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"Levi is a big-play outside linebacker who runs well," Scott said. "We also liked how physical he is and feel like he should also make an immediate impact for us."

Thomas accounted for 20 touchdowns (12 passing, eight rushing) this past fall during his post-graduate year at Fork Union Military Academy. Thomas was named his conference's Offensive MVP as a junior at Briar Woods High in Northern Virginia before graduating from Ballou High in Washington, D.C. Thomas joins nine other current Spartans who played at Fork Union.

"D'Andre is an incredible athlete at the quarterback position," Scott said. "We look for him to come in and compete for playing time and make us that much stronger at that position."

Boykins was a first-team all-district and all-region performer as a senior at Norcom, the same school that produced two-time All-MEAC linebacker and graduating senior Kyle Archie. Boykins was in on 96 tackles, 21 for a loss last season. He also notched six sacks, six fumble recoveries and four pass deflections on defense and scored twice on offense (once rushing, once receiving).

"Allen played multiple positions in high school and is very athletic. He's also a two-sport athlete," Scott said. "We feel he will grow into a strong inside linebacker in our defense."

Savage was a Super 22 selection as a defensive back as a senior who was selected to play in the Crab Bowl and Baltimore Touchdown Club all-star games. In addition to cornerback, he also played quarterback, receiver and punt returner for state runner-up Milford Mill, scoring 28 total touchdowns. Defensively, he intercepted seven passes and broke up 14 others. He is the younger brother of Spartan running back Aaron Savage.

"Brandon is a shut-down cornerback who has a nose for the ball," Scott said. "He's also extremely athletic and was a great two-way player in high school."

This group of five is just the beginning of NSU's 2018 recruiting class, which figures to focus more on quality than quantity. The Spartans lost just 14 seniors from last year's team.

Added Scott: "Over the next few week weeks, we'll continue to identify players who fit our needs and look forward to more additions on the next signing day in February."

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION