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gr8ness97
February 5th, 2009, 12:15 PM
Winston-Salem State: 20 Signees

http://wssurams.cstv.com/sports/m-fo...020409aab.html

Winston-Salem State Football Signs 20 To National Letters Of Intent
Recruiting class highlighted by local talent from high school football hotbeds


Feb. 4, 2009



WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Winston-Salem State University head football coach Kermit Blount may not admit it, but he and his coaching staff have capped a rigorous off-season by signing what very well may be the best recruiting class in the history of Rams’ football. With 20 talented student-athletes inked to NCAA National Letters of Intent, the Rams have bolstered an already formidable lineup with young talent that will look to make an immediate impact on the field in the fall of 2009.



The Rams widened their recruiting base as they signed student-athletes as far north as Connecticut and as far south as Gainesville, Georgia, but the Rams also did not stray far from home as they picked up five local talents from WSSU’s own backyard as they won the I-40 recruiting battle and competed with regional North Carolina football powers Appalachian State, East Carolina, North Carolina State and Western Carolina.




One of the Rams’ prized recruits is John Harris a 5-10, 190-pound running back from Patrick County high school in Stuart, Va. A talented speedster who runs the 40 in 4.42 seconds, he rushed for 6,585 yards in his high school career with Patrick County HS, finishing ninth best in Virginia High School Athletic Association History. A Rivals.com two-star recruit with a rating of 5.3, Harris turned down offers from VMI and Liberty and had extensive contact with Georgia Tech, Delaware and Middle Tennessee State University during the recruiting process. He finished his senior campaign with 2,627 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns. He was a 4-year starter who averaged 12.1 yards per carry and totaled at least 1,200 yards rushing in each of his four seasons with the Cougars.

Deylan Buntyn a 6-4, 290-pound offensive lineman from Havelock high school in Havelock, N.C. Turned down offers from TN-Chattanooga, N.C. State and N.C. Central before committing with the Rams. Deylan’s final college selection came down to a decision between signing with the Wolfpack or Winston-Salem State. His senior season he totaled 78 tackles, 11 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 12 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and a blocked punt. A Rivals.com two star recruit with a 5.4 rating

Jordan Carter, a 6-2, 200-pound running back from Eastern Alamance high school in Burlington, N.C. An athletic marvel that can play at several positions including wide receiver and defensive back Jordan drew recruiting interest from North Carolina, and N.C. State and he turned down offers from ECU and James Madison to sign with the Rams.

Jonathan Crawley a 6-7, 320-pound offensive lineman from Hugenot high school in Richmond, Va. He received attention from over a dozen schools and went on recruiting visits to Delaware, Penn State and West Virginia and turned down a scholarship offer to Liberty before signing with the Rams. Also a starter on Hugenot high school’s basketball team, Crawley is an athletic marvel with very quick feet who ran the 40 in 4.9 seconds.

Xavier Earvin a 6-1, 190-pound defensive back from Gainesville high school in Gainesville, Ga. An All-Conference selection and an Honorable Mention All-Region selection for the Red Elephants his senior season in high school. Led Gainesville HS in interceptions his senior season with five picks, he turned down scholarship offers from Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois and Valdosta State (Ga.).

Carlos Fields a 6-2, 215-pound linebacker from Northern Vance high school in Henderson, N.C. Led Northern Vance HS to the Mid-State Conference Championship and was selected as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Collected over 100 tackles his senior season and was a two-sport star who was named All-Conference in basketball. Turned down an offer from North Carolina A&T and drew recruiting interest from James Madison.

Brennen Glover a 6-4, 270-pound defensive lineman from Audrey Kell high school in Charlotte, N.C. An All-Conference selection who played for coach Marty Woolbright, Glover is a two-sport star who also played basketball at Audrey Kell. A raw athletic talent, he will be looked to for production as a true freshman.

Charles Goodwin a 6-6, 260-pound defensive lineman from Andrews high school in High Point, N.C. A great athlete with quick feet, Goodwin ran the 40 in 4.89 seconds. A two-sport star who also plays basketball for High Point Andrews, Goodwin will make a bid to compete for playing time in the fall of 2009. An All-Conference selection, Goodwin was a highly sought-after recruit in the state of North Carolina who spurned offers from James Madison, Western Carolina, North Carolina A&T and drew recruiting interest from three-time National Champion Appalachian State. The Rams also signed Goodwin’s high school teammate and starting quarterback Jordan Reid.

Ron Hall a 6-5, 260-pound offensive lineman from Alpharetta high school in Alpharetta, Ga.
A very athletic offensive lineman who was an All-Conference selection his senior season, Hall will be expected to make an immediate contribution for the Rams as a true freshman.

Austin Higgins a 6-3, 260-pound tight end from Atkins high school in Winston-Salem, N.C. A two-sport star for the Camels, he is also a member of the Atkins HS basketball team. A big, strong, fast athlete, Higgins will provide the Rams with a talent at the tight end position who can not only use his size to block but can provide the Rams with a pass-catching threat in a dynamic offensive system.


Marcus Lawrence a 6-4, 290-pound offensive lineman from Harding University high school in Charlotte, N.C. A two-sport star who also plays basketball at Harding HS, he was an All-Conference selection in both his junior and senior seasons. Lawrence will rejoin former high school teammate and current WSSU offensive lineman Terrance Thomas.

James Pegues a 6-3, 225-pound linebacker from Southeast Guilford high school in Greensboro, N.C. He drew recruiting interest from Hampton and North Carolina A&T before signing with the Rams. A Second-Team All-Area selection his junior season and a First-Team All-Area selection his senior season, Pegues will be expected to step in immediately for the Rams.


Jordan Reid a 6-2, 190-pound quarterback from Andrews high school in High Point, N.C. Jordan is pocket passer who has a cannon for an arm. Last year he dominated his competition and was named the MVP of the North Carolina State University football camp. A three-year starter at High Point Andrews who threw for over 2,500 yards in his high school career, his senior season was cut short due to injury but he threw for 500 yards and six touchdowns in the two games in which he played. Chose WSSU over Western Carolina, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central. .


Khendra Reid a 6-1, 205-pound linebacker from C.B. Aycock high school in Pikeville, N.C. An All-Conference selection in football and basketball in both his junior and senior seasons, he is a speedster for his size who will be looked to perform as a true freshman for the Rams.

Malcome Rowe, a 6-2, 200-pound defensive back from Douglas Byrd high school in Fayetteville, N.C. A two-sport athlete in high school, Rowe also played basketball at Douglas Byrd. Received offers from North Carolina A&T and Hampton, Rowe helped to lead the Eagles to a state runner-up finish his senior season.

Ricky Rozier a 6-2, 230-pound linebacker from Jonathan Law high school in Milford, Conn. Ricky was an All-Conference and All-Region selection in football and is ranked in the top 10 in the state of Connecticut in heavyweight wrestling competition. Turned down offers from Monmouth and Stony Brook he is a muscular physical specimen with a great work ethic both on the playing field and in the weight room.


Landon Thayer a 5-10, 185-pound kicker from West Forsyth high school in Clemmons, N.C. Thayer will provide the Rams with a dual-threat as he is both a placekicker and a punter. An accurate and strong-legged kicker who is accurate from beyond the 45-yard line, he will be looked to to step in immediately for the Rams.

Chase Tripp a 6-2, 245-pound defensive lineman from Washington high school in Chocowinity, N.C. A speedster, he ran the 40 in 4.7 seconds and benched 325 in pre-season camps. An All-Area First-Team selection in both his junior and senior seasons he is a strong and mobile defensive end who led Washington HS in sacks for the second consecutive season and was once again one of the team leaders in tackles and tackles for loss.

Kenny Uqdah a 6-2, 260-pound defensive lineman from Carver high school in Winston-Salem, N.C. Led the Yellow Jackets to the Piedmont Triad 3A Conference Championship and was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Led the State of North Carolina with 29 sacks he is a two-sport star who also plays basketball for the Yellow Jackets.

Jarrin Wooten a 6-5, 190-pound wide receiver from Pinecrest high school in Southern Pines, N.C. A two-sport standout in high school who also played basketball, Wooten may play basketball for the Rams. An All-Conference selection in basketball as a junior, Wooten is a late-bloomer who started for the first time as a wide receiver his senior season he finished with 27 catches for 501 yards and five touchdowns. At 6-5, he will be the tallest wide receiver on the Rams’ roster and he picked WSSU over a number of other schools who made offers including the U.S. Naval Academy, Holy Cross, Liberty, Colgate, Lehigh, Lafayette and N.C. Central.

gr8ness97
February 5th, 2009, 12:18 PM
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/05/wssus-recruiting-class-features-local-standouts/sports-college-team-pages-winstonsalem-state/

WSSU's recruiting class features local standouts

By John Dell

JOURNAL REPORTER

Published: February 5, 2009

Winston-Salem State and Coach Kermit Blount put the finishing touches yesterday on a football recruiting class that has a little bit of everything.

But the player that might be the most important for next season is kicker Landon Thayer, a talented player from West Forsyth. The Rams signed 21 players for this fall.

Since Chad Oakley, who was a graduate assistant for the Rams last season, exhausted his eligibility after the 2005 season, the Rams' kicking game has been an adventure from game to game. Two signees -- Marvin Umanzor and Matt Mitchell -- each lasted about one semester and struggled when they did get on the field. Umanzor, in fact, left midway through the 2006 season never to be heard from again.

Last season, the Rams counted heavily on Adnan Kljajic, a junior-college transfer from Arizona. But Kljajic, from Serbia, was injured in the preseason and was never 100 percent. That forced Blount to take more chances on fourth down when the Rams were inside the opponents' 35-yard line. Kljajic was just 2 of 6 on field-goal attempts and 17 of 22 on point-after attempts.

"From what I've been told by high-school coaches and friends of mine, it's rare for kickers to get full scholarships so I was thrilled when the Winston-Salem State coaches were singing my praises and wanted me to come there," Thayer said.

Thayer also had a partial scholarship offer from Elon, but chose the Rams because he'll likely make an impact right away.

"I realize they haven't had much success with kickers since Mr. Oakley was there," Thayer said. "So I'm just hoping to show what I can do and I certainly want to help as much as I can."

Thayer also loves the fact that his family and friends can see him play next year.

"That was a big thing too, so I'm grateful for that," Thayer said.

Thayer, 6-feet and 210 pounds, isn't a soccer player who just happened to stumble into football. While Thayer dabbled in soccer a little bit when he and his family lived in Iowa, it wasn't until they moved to North Carolina in 2000 that Thayer stuck with football.

"There really weren't any Pop Warner football leagues in Iowa," said Thayer's father, Scott. "And he got into that and just kind of stuck around in football and loved it."

Thayer also brings versatility to the Rams. They lost their punter, Jermaine Mack, who exhausted his eligibility and Thayer can both place-kick and punt.

Thayer was a two-time All-Central Piedmont 4-A selection and the All-Northwest punter last season after averaging nearly 40 yards a punt. He was 5 for 9 on field-goal attempts with a long kick of 47 yards.

Among the others who signed with the Rams were quarterback Jordan Reid of High Point Andrews and defensive lineman Justin Wilkerson, a transfer from Duke. Wilkerson (6-3, 230 pounds) enrolled at WSSU for spring semester and is eligible to play spring football.

Tight end Austin Higgins, 6-4, 240, who played at Glenn and Atkins, also signed.

The Rams added defensive end Charles Goodwin, a teammate of Reid's at High Point Andrews. Goodwin (6-7, 260) had offers from N.C. A&T, James Madison and High Point recruited him to play basketball.

In recent seasons, the Rams have signed few local players as they expanded their recruiting base. But this year the Rams had a heavy emphasis on local players, including defensive end Kenny Uqdah of Carver. Uqdah (6-3, 270) had his most productive season for the Yellowjackets last fall with several sacks.

"We really wanted to go after some of the local players and I'm happy with how that end of it went," Blount said.

One problem that the Rams had to overcome during the recruiting process was the loss of assistant Keith Gaither, who left in December to join the staff at Elon, his alma mater. Gaither was the recruiting coordinator, but fellow assistant Kevin Downing of the Rams assumed those duties.

Said Blount: "This is probably one of the largest classes that I have ever signed here. That is certainly a credit to my coaching staff, being able to go out and find the kind of talent that we think can help us to get to the next level. I am truly pleased that we are able to do the things that we have been able to accomplish in the recruiting circles."

■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at [email protected]

HIU 93
February 5th, 2009, 12:57 PM
Damn. that's a hell of a class.