Virginia State Football Announces 2018 National Signing Class

ETTRICK, Viginia -- The Virginia State University Department of Athletics, under the helm of second year head football coach Reggie Barlow, has announced the signing of 12 student-athletes to the binding National Letter of Intent.

"We're excited with this young group of talent joining the Trojans football program," said Barlow. "Recruiting season is a fun time to bring potential students on campus, introduce them to the athletic program and team. With the program losing some key players, the group that we are bringing in will help set the foundation needed to move the program forward for the upcoming years."

Of the 12 new Trojans, nine are native to the state of Virginia. Two are products of North Carolina. One is from Washington, D.C.

 Here is a list of the currently committed signees.

Num	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt	Hometown/High School
VSU	Braxton, Dontez	DB	5-10	175	Chesterfield, VA / Meadowbrook High School
VSU	Brown, Quentin	OL	6-3	260	Washington, D.C. / Friendship Collegiate Academy
VSU	Burks, Javon	OL	6-4	250	Suffolk, VA / Nansemond River High School
VSU	Close, John	OL/DL	6-1	280	Stafford, VA / North Stafford High School
VSU	Davis, Jordan	QB/FS	5-11	190	Woodbridge, VA / C.D. Hylton High School
VSU	Evans, Miles	QB/ATH	5-9	185	Midlothian, VA / Clover Hill High School
VSU	Gholson, Shamon	OL	6-2	280	North Dinwiddie, VA / Dinwiddie High School
VSU	Latta, Joshua	OL	6-3	260	Clayton, N.C. / Clayton High School
VSU	Manuel, Merlys	QB	6-2	210	Richmond, VA / Huguenot High School
VSU	Stallings, Jameson	OL	6-4	290	Gatesville, N.C. / Gates County Senior High School
VSU	St. Louis, Halen	OL	6-3	300	Suffolk, VA / Nansemond River High School
VSU	Thomas, Brennan	OL	6-5	310	Richmond, VA / Huguenot High School

The national letter-of-intent signing period for football began on Wednesday, Feb. 7, and concludes on Sunday, April 1.

For more information on VSU football, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, or call 804-524-5030.

Morgan State Announces 20 on 2018 NLI Signing Day

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Morgan State University interim head coach Ernest T. Jones and his staff capped the 2018 national letter of intent signing day with a class of 20 new Bears. A pair of these young men are already enrolled at Morgan State and taking course work with 18 new Bears officially joining the recruiting class on Wednesday by signing their national letters of intent.

The class will be considered among the top classes in the Bears have had in recent years, highlighted by the signing of local Dunbar standout quarterback Jared Lewis. Lewis (6-3, 220), had a sensational senior season in which he threw for over 2,500 yards, helped lead Dunbar to the Maryland 1A Championship and was named the Baltimore Player of the Year. 

"It's a new day, the rebirth of Bears pride," Jones said. "We understand what's out there in front of us, but I have a plan to move us forward. We're not thinking about what happened last year, or two years ago. We're going to put a team out there that will give us an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter."

"This is an explosive, dynamic class of guys who are going to make an impact on the program right now."

Some quick notes on this signing day class:

• It is the first class of recruits signed by coach Ernest T. Jones as Morgan State interim head coach.
• Six of the new Bears are from the state of Maryland with three players from the state of Virginia.
• A total of seven states are represented in this class with Florida and Michigan the other two states with multiple prep stars signing with Morgan State.
• The class includes four wide receivers, four defensive backs, three defensive linemen, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two offensive linemen, and one linebacker, one long snapper and one kicker.
• The group will join up with their teammates on campus in June and in time for the start of summer workouts.

Morgan State loses 11 starters -- five on offense, three on defense and three on special teams -- off its 2017 team that went 1-10.

Up next: Spring drills, which will kick off March 16.
 

2018 Morgan State Recruiting Class

NAME	POS	HT	WT	HOMETOWN	HIGH SCHOOL
Marcus Parker Jr.	DB	5-10	180	Wilson, N.C.	Beddingfield HS
Bryan Giron	DT	6-2	265	Annandale, Va.	Falls Church HS
Detrick Washington	LB	5-11	220	Largo, Md.	DeMatha Catholic HS
Tyler Holley	QB	6-4	180	Nottingham, Md.	Perry Hall HS
Jordan Presley	DB	6-3	200	St. Petersburg, Fla.	Clearwater Central Catholic
Zachary Castano	LS	6-0	205	Miami, Fla.	Christopher Columbus HS
Nicholas O'Shea	K/P	5-9	165	Detroit, Mich.	West Bloomfield HS
Jalen Jackson	RB	5-9	210	Detroit, Mich.	Detroit MLK HS
Jordan Riggins	RB	6-0	200	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	Cardinal Gibbons HS
Saleem Lockett	DL	6-3	295	Chester, Pa.	The Hill School/Imhotep Charter
Marvin Francois	DT	6-3	290	North Miami, Fla.	North Miami Beach Sr.
Jordan Cofield	RS/WR	5-8	145	Owings Mill, Md.	New Town HS
Eric Roy	DB	5-11	180	Woodbridge, Va.	C.D. Hylton HS
Tariq Irving	DB	6-1	190	New Carrollton, Md.	West Hill College Coalinga
Jared Lewis	QB	6-3	220	Baltimore, Md.	Dunbar HS
*Cory Holmes	WR	6-2	185	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	University of Notre Dame
*Brendan Easley	WR	6-5	190	Orlando, Fla.	East River HS
Xavier Gravette	WR	6-4	190	Nottingham, Md.	Calvert Hall HS
Tarik Johnson	OL	6-4	300	Liberty, N.Y.	Liberty HS
Dallas Caporaletti	OL	6-4	280	Catlett, Va.	C.D. Hylton HS

  

* early enrollees

2018 Morgan State Signing Day Bios

Marcus Parker Jr. | Defensive Back | 5-10 | 180 | Wilson, N.C.  |  Beddingfield HS | Watch
Marcus Parker Jr. played well for Beddingfield High ... All-Conference ... earned Iron Man Award (Best Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year) ... All-Conference Track & Field performer ... loves contact ... son of Marcus Parker Sr.

Detrick Washington | Linebacker | 5-11 | 220 | Largo, Md. | DeMatha Catholic HS | Watch 
Detrick Washington played at DeMatha Catholic High under coach Elijah Brooks... All-Conference ... son of Teresa Washington and Detrick Sr.

Bryan Giron | Defensive Tackle | 6-2 | 265 | Annandale, Va. | Falls Church HS | Watch 
Bryan Giron was a big strong and athletic standout at Falls Church High where he was coached by Said Aziz ... Two-time First Team-All Conference ... Two-time First Team All-Region ... First Team All-State ... Conference Player of the Year ... son of Delfino Giron and Guadalupe Loiero.

Tyler Holley | Quarterback | 6-4 | 180 | Baltimore, Md. | Perry Hall HS | Watch 
Tyler Holley was a two-sport prep standout at Perry Hall High ... dual threat QB ... was selected Baltimore County Player of the Year ... Holds All Passing Records for Perry Hall ... was an All-State and All-Region Basketball selection and helped his team to a State Championship Title ... son of Lashonda Joyner and Lamark Holley.

Jordan Presley | Defensive Back | 6-3 | 200 | St. Petersburg, Fla. | Clearwater Central Catholic HS | Watch 
Jordan Presley was an All-Conference performer at Clearwater Central Catholic HS under coach Chris Harvey ... can play free or strong safety ... solid tackler ... son of Safrone and Earl Presley.

Nicholas O'Shea | Kicker/Punter | 5-9 | 165 | Detroit, Mich. | West Bloomfield HS | Watch
Nicholas O'Shea was an All-League performer at West Bloomfield HS under coach Ron Bellamy ... All County ... All Region ... All State ... Ranked Top 40 in the nation for kicking and punting ... expected to change field position for the Bears ... son of Lisa O'Shea.

Zachary Castano | Long-Snapper | 6-0 | 205 | Miami, Fla. | Christopher Columbus HS | Watch
Zachary Castano was a 5-star long-snapper at Columbus HS under coach Chris Merritt ... ranked 4th in the country by Kornblue ... son of Amy and Fernando Castano.

Jalen Jackson | Running Back | 5-9 | 210 | Detroit, Mich. | Detroit MLK HS | Watch
Jalen Jackson was named First Team All-City at Detroit MLK HS under coach Ty Spencer ... electric running back ... great vision ... very elusive ... son of Andrea and Jerome Jackson.

Jordan Riggins | Running Back | 6-0 | 200 | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | Cardinal Gibbons HS | Watch
Jordan Riggins was an All-Conference performer at Cardinal Gibbons HS under coach Matt Dubuc ... son of Ericka Williams and Joe Riggins.

Saleem Lockett | Defensive Line | 6-3 | 295 | Chester, Pa. | The Hilll School | Imhotep Charter | Watch
Saleem Lockett was coached by Jeff Holloway and Albie Crosby ... physical and changes the line of scrimmage ... can get off blocks ... son of Kimberly Payne and Jesse Lockett.

Jordan Cofield | Returner/Wide Receiver | 5-8 | 145 | Owings Mill, Md. | New Town HS | Watch
Jordan Cofield was a two-sport athlete at New Town High ... as a track standout he was a two-time 200m and 100m state champion ... he was also a three-time 60m champion.

Eric Roy | Defensive Back | 5-11 | 180 | Woodbridge, Va. | C.D. Hylton HS | Watch
Eric Roy was a standout prep athlete at C.D. Hylton HS under coach Tony Lilly ... excelled in pass coverage and against the run ... playmaker ... First Team Conference ... First Team Region ... Second Team All-State ... son of Ann-Maria Gutierrez.

Jared Lewis | Quarterback | 6-3 | 220 | Baltimore, Md. | Dunbar HS | Watch
Jared Lewis was selected the Baltimore Player of the Year after ... as a senior he threw for over 2,500 yards and helped lead Dunbar to Maryland 1A Championship ... As a 3-year year varsity starter his statistics were as follows: 431 completions out of 684 attempts ... 63% completion rate ... 7,649 passing yards with 66 tds ... 1,130 rushing yards with 9 rushing tds.

Tariq Irving | Defensive Back | 6-1 | 190 | New Carrollton, Md. | West Hills College | Watch
Tariq Irving transfers to the Bears as a JUCO transfer from West Hill College in Coalinga (Calif) under coach Justin Berna ... plays with leverage ... big and strong ... was an academic All-American ... son of Juleen Rowe.

Corey Holmes | Wide Receiver | 6-2 | 185 | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |  University of Notre Dame | St. Thomas Aquinas HS | Watch 
Corey Holmes joins the Bears as a transfer from Notre Dame ... played wide receiver at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ... Ranked as 94th best player nationally by ESPN, 200th by Scout.com and 224th by Rivals.com ... honorable mention all-Broward County selection for Classes 8A-7A-6A by South Florida Sun-Sentinel ... ... helped team to 10-3 mark as a senior in 2013, catching 24 passes for 432 yards and four TDs ... was coahed by NFL Hall of Famer Chris Carter ... son of Carolyn and David Holmes.

Brendan Easley | Wide Receiver | 6-5 | 190 | Orlando, Fla. | East River HS | Watch 
Brenden Easley played at East River HS under coach Tony Piccalo ... was a 2-Star Athlete ... 3rd Ranked Prep School Player in the Country ... son of Megan and David Easley.

Tarik Johnson | Offensive Line | 6-4 | 300 | Liberty, N.Y. | Liberty HS | Watch
Tarik Johnson played at Liberty High where he was a First Team All-American selection ...  Honorable Mention All-America ... son of Eva and Stephen Johnson.

Xavier Gravette | Wide Receiver |  6-4 | 190 | Nottingham, Md. | Calvert Hall HS | Watch
Xavier Gravette played at Calvert Hall High where he was an All-MIAA and All-Metro selection ... finished his prep career with 27 catches for 296 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns … as a junior he had 16 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns … caught a game winning touchdown in overtime during his senior year against Gilman high school  ... was a member of the Chest Club and Year Book Club ... son of Erica and Demetrius Gravette.

Dallas Caporaletti | Offensive Line | 6-4 | 280 | Catlett, Va. | C.D Hylton HS | Watch
Dallas Caporaletti played at C.D Hylton under coach Tony Lilly where he was a First Team All-State selection ... First Team All-Region ... First Team All-Conference ... fierce competitor ... son of Debbie Caporaletti. 

Marvin Francois | Defensive Line | 6-3 | 290 | North Miami, Fla. | North Miami HS | Watch
Marvin Francois is an athletic lineman from North Miami HS ... coached by Jeff Bertani … 2017 Defensive Lineman of the Year ... son of Charmoune Eliezer.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
 

ABOUT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is celebrating its 150th year of excellence in higher education. A Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution, Morgan offers more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

Texas Southern Tigers Addresses Key Needs in Signing Day Class

2018 Signing Class       2018 Schedule       Signing Day Central

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