Texas Southern Tigers Addresses Key Needs in Signing Day Class

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HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern Tigers Football announced the addition of 11 student-athletes for the 2018 football campaign.

Headlining this years' class is quarterback Glen Cuiellette (Tulane), running back Kevin Dove (UTEP), wide receiver Gary Haynes (ULL), tight end Chris Long (Itwamba CC), defensive end Erick Garcia (Chaffey College), and offensive guard Drake Centers (Tatum HS).

Texas Southern Tigers head coach Michael Haywood enters his third season at the helm of the Tigers program and he feels this years' class will help elevate TSU's program in all three phases of the game.



Coming off of a 2-9 campaign last season the Tigers looked to add experience and size with this years' class as they specifically focused on beefing up the Tigers' offensive and defensive lines.

Centers, who will arrive to TSU from Tatum High School in Tatum, Texas undoubtedly fits the mold of what the Tigers want to look like up front. The 6-3 295-pound student-athlete will add a new layer of size, athleticism and physicality to a TSU football team that likes to run the ball.

A complete list of the student-athletes that will be joining TSU's football program next season can be found by clicking the link above.

Haywood on adding several student-athletes in this year's class with size:

"We wanted to add several big, physical football players to our football program. Last year we struggled to match up physically with several of the teams that we faced in and out of conference play and it was clear that we had to address that issue with this years' class."

Haywood on signing several Division I and JUCO transfers:

"We purposely went out and recruited student-athletes that could add experience to our team because last season we were such a young football team. One of the things I felt we needed was to bring in some more mature guys, who could come in and lead."

Haywood on addressing his teams' needs on the defensive and offensive line:

"I feel like we've addressed our needs on the defensive line. On the offensive line I don't feel like we've fully addressed all our current needs but we will look to continue to do so moving forward."

Haywood's overall thoughts on this year's signing class:

"We're excited about the direction of our football program. Last season we traveled 24 freshmen for road games with many of them contributing in positive ways for our football team. We feel with the growth those guys will make during the offseason along with the experience and talent we've signed with this class we should be able to make significant improvements in all three facets of the game next season."

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS