WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Football Recruits Sign on Dotted Line

Feb 8, 2007

The newest crop of heralded football recruits committed to North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke, Wake Forest and East Carolina on Wednesday, as part of the annual national signing day.

Here is how the 2007 recruiting class stacks up for area schools:

N.C. STATE

Tom O'Brien's inaugural recruiting class for the Wolfpack included 11 linemen to provide much-needed depth up front. The team also added at least one player at every position on offense and defense, as well as a punter.

"Our coaches have done an excellent job, especially considering we only had three weeks to put this signing class together," O'Brien said. "We followed the blueprint made by the previous staff with the commitments that were in place, and we supplemented that with players who had been on our lists and that we had known for a while and had history with. We ended up with a group of players that I believe has a great work ethic, strong character and good academic backgrounds."

He said his staff was aware that depth was needed on the offensive and defensive lines and noted that some defensive players will be able to play either on the line or at linebacker.

"The skill players we signed are very talented," O'Brien said. "Another one of our goals was to try to get as many quality in-state players as we could, and if you count three players who came in at mid-year, more than half of our signing class comes from North Carolina."

Name	Position	Ht	Wt	Hometown	High School
Thomas Barnes	DB	5-11	200	Dublin, Ga.	Dublin HS
George Bryan	TE	6-5	250	Castle Hayne	New Hanover
Justin Byers	DB	6-0	170	Charlotte	Zebulon B. Vance
Audie Cole	LB	6-5	215	Monroe, Mich.	Monroe
Wayne Crawford , Pa.	DL	6-3	290	Philadelphia	Chestnut Hill Academy
Dominique Ellis	DB	5-11	190	Wendell	East Wake
Mike Golder	OL	6-4	286	Cary	Apex
Antoine Holmes	DL	6-3	290	Williamsburg, Va.	Lackawanna Junior College
Steven Howard	WR	6-2	185	Charlotte	Olympic
Markus Kuhn	DL	6-5	175	Weinheim, Germany	Weinheim
Henry Lawson	OL	6-3	285	Charlotte	Charlotte Catholic
Kyle Linney	DL	6-2	285	Hiddenite	Alexander Central
Jeff Rieskamp	DL	6-3	235	Cincinnati	Ohio Elder
Desmond Roberts	OL	6-4	280	Henrico	Northampton West
Jeff Ruiz	P	6-2	185	Chula Vista, Calif.	Southwestern (Calif.) Junior College
Jay Smith	WR	6-2	197	Norfolk, Va.	Lake Taylor
J.R. Sweezy	DL	6-5	245	Mooresville	Mooresville
Curtis Underwood	RB	5-11	215	Lackawanna, N.Y.	Lackawanna
Jake Vermiglio	OL	6-4	297	New Berlin, N.Y.	Milford Academy
Justin Whaley	OL	6-4	270	Wilson	Wilson Hunt
Russell Wilson	QB	5-11	191	Richmond, Va.	Collegiate School

NORTH CAROLINA

Coach Butch Davis' first recruiting class includes 22 players and is almost exactly balanced between defensive and offensive needs.  On offense, the group that UNC announced late Wednesday includes Mike Paulus of Manlius, N.Y., as a quarterback and three wide receivers—Dwight Jones of Burlington, Greg Little of Durham and Rashad Mason of Nashville, Tenn.

The class also has running back Ryan Houston of Matthews, half back Zack Pianalto of Springdale, Ark., and offensive linemen Kevin Bryant of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., Carl Gaskins of Melbourne, Fla., and Mike Dykes and Cameron Holland of Pittsburgh.

The Tar Heels are bringing six defensive players from inside the state—Albert Craddock of High Point, Linwan Euwell of Pinetops and Quan Sturdivant of Oakboro as linebackers, defensive lineman Tydreke Powell of Ahoskie, defensive back Jonathan Smith of Durhamm and linebacker Quan Sturdivant of Oakboro.

Jay Wooten of Laurinburg is being added as a kicker. Four recruits have unspecified positions: Bruce Carter of Havelock, Brian Gupton of Nashville, Tenn., Matt Merletti of Cleveland and Devon Ramsay of Red Bank, N.J.

Name	Position	Ht	Wt	Hometown	High School
Marvin Austin	DL	6-3	295	Washington, D.C.	Ballou
Charles Brown	CB	5-10	190	Maple Heights, Ohio	Maple Heights
Kevin Bryant	OL	6-7	375	Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.	Anderson
Bruce Carter	ATH	6-3	210	Havelock, N.C.	Havelock
Albert Craddock	LB	6-2	200	High Point, N.C.	Southwest Guilford
Mike Dykes	OL	6-4	275	Pittsburgh, Pa	Woodland Hills
Linwan Euwell	LB	6-2	210	Pinetops, N.C.	Southwest Edgecombe
LeCount Fantroy	DB	5-11	175	Washington, D.C.	Ballou/Milford Acad.
Carl Gaskins	OL	6-5	245	Melbourne, Fla.	Palm Bay
Brian Gupton	ATH	6-3	190	Nashville, Tenn.	Pearl-Cohn
Cameron Holland	OL	6-2	275	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Perry Traditional Academy
Ryan Houston	RB	6-2	245	Matthews, N.C.	Butler
Dwight Jones	WR	6-5	210	Burlington, N.C.	Cummings
Greg Little	WR	6-3	210	Durham, N.C.	Hillside
Rashad Mason	WR	6-5	210	Nashville, Tenn.	Pearl-Cohn
Matt Merletti	ATH	5-11	185	Cleveland, Ohio	St. Ignatius
Mike Paulus	QB	6-5	220	Manlius, N.Y.	Christian Brothers Academy
Zack Pianalto	HB	6-4	215	Springdale, Ark.,	Springdale
Tydreke Powell	DL	6-3	290	Ahoskie, N.C.	Hertford County
Devon Ramsey	ATH	6-2	240	Red Bank, N.J.	Lawrenceville Prep
Da'Norris Searcy	DB	6-0	200	Decatur, Ga.	Towers
Jonathan Smith	DB	6-2	185	Durham, N.C.	Hillside
Quan Sturdivant	LB	6-3	225	Oakboro, N.C.	Scotland County
Jay Wooten	PK/P	6-3	180	Laurinburg, N.C.	Scotland County

DUKE

Duke University head coach Ted Roof announced 22 recruits, including five defensive backs, four offensive linemen, four linebackers, two defensive linemen, two wide receivers, two tight ends, one quarterback, one running back and one punter.

The offensive linemen are Kyle Hill, Bryan Morgan, Jon Needham and Chris Shannon. Hill is the 47th-best offensive tackle, as rated by Scout.com, while Morgan was a member of three state championship teams at Hoover High School in Alabama before spending the 2006 season at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. Needham and Shannon, both from Massachusetts, rank among the top 15 prospects overall from the New England region, according to Scout.com.

Mike Cappetto is the lone quarterback in the class, joining the Blue Devils following a successful career at Brother Rice High School in Michigan. Cappetto threw for 3,084 yards and 39 touchdowns in his career while helping Brother Rice to a 33-4 record and the 2005 state championship. Tight ends Danny Parker, ranked the 27th-best tight end in the country by Rivals.com, and Garrett Utt, son of former Georgia Tech and Indianapolis Colts standout Ben Utt, also join the offense.

Wide receivers Austin Kelly and Josh Trezvant signed with Duke. Kelly, who played both wide receiver and quarterback at Austell High School in Georgia, is listed as the 133rd-best receiver in the nation by ESPN.com, while Trezvant, a product of Morrilton High School in Arkansas, closed his career with 198 receptions for 3,201 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Cameron Jones, whose brother Colin also signed with the Blue Devils, is scheduled to join the Duke running backs corps after playing at Greenwich High School in Connecticut and Mercersburg Academy. Cameron Jones scored 41 touchdowns at Greenwich and helped the team to 30 wins over three seasons. A projected defensive back, Colin Jones was credited with 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and 10 pass breakups this past season at Mercersburg. The Jones twins are sons of former All-America wide receiver Cedric Jones, who enjoyed a nine-year professional career with the New England Patriots after graduating from Duke in 1982.

Joining Colin Jones in the secondary are Tony Jackson, Randez James, Eddie Morgan and Matt Pridemore. Jackson was a first team all-state selection from Bishop Kearney High School in New York in 2006, while James, a native of San Antonio, is ranked as the 45th cornerback in the nation by ESPN.com. Morgan had 86 tackles along with kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns as a senior at McKinney High School in Texas. Pridemore, originally a member of the Blue Devils’ signing class in 2006 who helped Buford High School to two Georgia state titles in 2002 and 2003, enrolled at Duke last month.

The four linebackers in the class are Adam Banks (165 tackles and 27 tackles-for-loss in 2006 at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville), Sam Poggi (a member of three conference championship squads at Gilman School in Maryland), Damian Thornton (52nd-best middle linebacker in the nation, as rated by Scout.com) and Justin Wilkerson (57th-top strongside linebacker in the country, according to Scout.com).

On the defensive front, the class includes ends Charlie Hatcher and Eriks Reks. Hatcher posted 68 tackles and 14 sacks as a senior at Hamilton High School in Ohio and is the 69th-best defensive end in the nation by ESPN.com. Reks guided Xaverian Brothers High School in Massachusetts to 26 victories over three seasons and is the 10th-best overall prospect in the New England region, according to Scout.com.

Punter Nick Maggio rounds out the class after earning three all-league citations and helping St. Thomas Aquinas High School to a 27-7 ledger with three Kansas state playoff appearances.

Name	Position	Ht	Wt	Hometown	High School
Adam Banks	LB	6-4	230	Asheville	A.C. Reynolds
Mike Cappetto	QB	6-5	200	Troy, Mich.	Brother Rice
Charlie Hatcher	DE	6-3	275	Hamilton, Ohio	Hamilton
Kyle Hill	OL	6-6	260	Orlando, Fla.	Boone
Tony Jackson	DB	5-10	185	Rochester, N.Y.	Bishop Kearney
Randez James	DB	5-11	175	San Antonio	Judson
Cameron Jones	RB	5-10	185	Greenwich, Conn.	Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy
Colin Jones	DB	5-10	185	Greenwich, Conn.	Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy
Austin Kelly	WR	6-3	195	Mableton, Ga.	South Cobb
Nick Maggio	P	6-4	190	Leawood, Kan.	Thomas Aquinas
Bryan Morgan	OL	6-3	255	Hoover, Ala.	Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy
Eddie Morgan	DB	6-0	185	McKinney, Texas	McKinney
Jon Needham	OL	6-7	305	Melrose, Mass.	Melrose
Danny Parker	TE	6-4	225	Rockville, Md.	Good Counsel
Sam Poggi	LB	6-2	220	Towson, Md.	Gilman School
Matt Pridemore	DB	5-11	185	Gainesville, Ga.	Buford
Eriks Reks	DE	6-5	225	Wrentham, Mass.	Xaverian Brothers
Chris Shannon	OL	6-5	300	Andover, Mass.	Phillips Academy
Damian Thornton	LB	6-1	235	Lenoir	Hibriten
Josh Trezvant	WR	5-11	175	Morrilton, Ark.	Morrilton
Garrett Utt	TE	6-4	220	Atlanta	Hargrave Military (Va.) Academy
Justin Wilkerson	LB	6-3	245	Oxford	Webb

EAST CAROLINA

East Carolina University coach announced a 26-member recruiting class, noting his priorities for the year were enhancing strong ties to high school programs across North Carolina and addressing skill position needs.

More than 80 percent of the Pirates' signing class played at the prep level in North Carolina, including a pair of junior college transfers from Bakersfield College in California who competed at Raleigh-area high schools.

"We all are extremely excited about this particular class," Holtz said. "We feel like we've certainly addressed our needs with not only talented football players, but with high-quality individuals as well. I'm optimistic that this group will have an opportunity to make a major contribution to our program."

Of the 26, 14 are projected to play defense while 12 will play offense.

On defense, ECU will add six secondary players, five linemen and three linebackers. Offensively, the Pirates signed five running backs, three wide receivers, two candidates for tight ends or offensive line, one quarterback and one multi-purpose athlete.

"It was a year of balance," Holtz said. "Offensively, we signed to the proportion of the skill positions, while on defense we felt our needs were addressed with the addition of strong defensive backs after playing with three seniors in the secondary last season."

The Pirates turned in their highest win total since 2000 last season with seven victories and earned the program's first bowl bid since 2001 by playing in the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala.

Name	Position	Ht	Wt	Hometown	High School
Nick Adams	WR	6-1	184	Walterboro, S.C.	Colleton County
Antonio Allison	DL	6-4	300	Statesville	West Iredell
Steven Baker	DL	6-8	315	Rocky Mount	Northern Nash
Derek Blacknall	DB	5-11	168	Greensboro	Dudley
Michael Byrd	TE	6-4	226	Thomasville	Thomasville
Julian Carter	DB	6-2	180	New Bern	New Bern
Rodney Cox	Athlete	6-6	230	Angier	Harnett Central
Emanuel Davis	DB	5-11	190	Manteo	Manteo
Darryl Freeney	WR	5-11	185	Suffolk, Va.	Nansemond River
Austin Haynes	LB	6-2	210	Jacksonville	Southwest Onslow
Ben Herlocker	FB	6-0	206	Charlotte	Charlotte Catholic
Antwan Jones	DL	6-6	320	Pinnacle	West Stokes
DeAndre' Jones	DB	6-1	180	New Bern	West Craven
Linval Joseph	DL	6-6	308	Alachua, Fla.	Santa Fe
T.J. Lee	WR	6-0	200	Raleigh	Bakersfield Junior College
D.J. McFadden	QB	6-2	210	Charlotte	Independence
DaRonte McNeil	RB	6-2	217	Elizabeth City	Northeastern
Maurice Mercer	DL	6-5	245	Nashville	Nash Central
Cliff Perryman	LB	6-1	218	Richmond, Va.	Hermitage
J.R. Rogers	RB	5-11	190	Raleigh	Bakersfield Junior College
Steve Spence	LB	6-2	221	Norfolk, Va.	Maury
Matt Thompson	DB	6-2	195	Mebane	Eastern Alamance
Will Towery	TE	6-5	255	Asheville	A.C. Reynolds
Devon Wallace	DB	6-2	195	Burlington	Southern Alamance
Jonathan Williams	RB	6-1	190	Greenville	J.H. Rose
Tyrell Worthington	RB	6-0	180	Greenville	South Central

WAKE FOREST

Twenty recruits signed letters of intent to attend Wake Forest University, head coach Jim Grobe said. The recruiting class includes 11 players on defense and nine players on offense.

The class is dominated by talent from North Carolina and Florida. Fourteen of the 20 signees come from the two states, Grobe said. Twelve of the 20 players are ranked by at least one recruiting service as one of the best players in the nation at their position.

On offense, the Demon Deacons received commitments from three offensive linemen, three wide receivers, one tight end, one quarterback and one running back. Defensively, the team picked up four linebackers, two defensive ends, two cornerbacks, two safeties and one defensive tackle.

The list of North Carolina natives includes a trio of players from Wake Forest’s backyard. Defensive standouts Kyle Jarrett and John Stamper were two highly-recruited players from West Forsyth High School in Clemmons. The Deacons also signed Josh Bush, a cornerback from Lexington, marking the fourth time in the last five years the team signed at least one player from the Piedmont Triad area.

Wake Forest inked three players from the eastern half of the state. Danny Dembry, who played quarterback at Hertford County High School in Ahoskie, will shift to wide receiver for the Deacons. Doug Weaver, a native of Roxboro, was an early verbal commitment who ranked as one of the top 50 offensive tackles nationally, according to Rivals.com. Will Wright was a two-way threat at Hoggard High School in Wilmington, where the Vikings went 14-1 last season, and will play defensive end for Wake Forest.

Tristan Dorty, a linebacker from Woodleaf’s West Rowan High School, rounds out the seven-man group of North Carolina natives.

One of the seven Floridians coming to Winston-Salem this spring is defensive tackle Uriah Grant, who played at Everglades High School in Miramar. Naples High School linebacker Gelo Orange and his teammate Junior Petit-Jean, a safety, also will join the Deacons. Both players are originally from Haiti.

Royal Palm Beach High School star running back Brandon Pendergrass rushed for 1,500 yards as a senior and was ranked as the 17th-best all-purpose back nationally by Rivals.com. Wake Forest also added wide receiver Jordan Williams from Raines High School in Jacksonville, defensive end Kyle Wilber out of Apopka High School in suburban Orlando, and Mike Williams, a cornerback from Palm Bay High School in Melbourne.

Cyhl (pronounced Kyle) Quarles played both safety and linebacker at Meadowcreek High School in Tucker, Ga. The Deacons also added a tight end from Anderson, S.C., Cameron Ford, who represented South Carolina in the Shrine Bowl.

Michael Hoag, a 6-foot-6, 290 pound offensive lineman from Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tenn., was a first team all-state selection last fall. The lone Virginia native in the class is Devon Brown out of Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, whois expected to play wide receiver for the Deacons, but rushed for 1,744 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior. He was a first-team all-state pick and was named the Offensive Player of the Year by The Washington Post.

The addition of Ryan Britt, an offensive lineman from Grapevine, Texas, means the Deacons will continue to have at least one Lone Star State native on the roster. Britt was a first team 5A all-district selection and a second team pick on the Fort Worth Star Telegram Super Team.

The class is rounded out by Middletown, Ohio, native Skylar Jones. A playmaking quarterback, Jones was ranked as the 30th-best signal caller in America and the best in Ohio by Scout.com. He threw for 1,979 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior.

Name	Position	Ht	Wt	Hometown	High School
Ryan Britt	OL	6-4	290	Grapevine, Texas	Heritage
Devon Brown	WR	5-9	183	Ashburn, Va.	Stone Bridge
Josh Bush	CB	5-11	185	Lexington	West Davidson
Danny Dembry	WR	6-2	173	Ahoskie	Hertford County
Tristan Dorty	LB	6-2	235	Woodleaf	West Rowan
Cameron Ford	TE	6-4	212	Anderson, S.C.	Hanna
Uriah Grant	DT	6-2	262	Miramar, Fla.	Everglades
Michael Hoag	OL	6-6	290	Knoxville, Tenn.	Farragut
Kyle Jarrett	LB	6-2	215	Winston-Salem	West Forsyth
Skylar Jones	QB	6-1	186	Middletown, Ohio	Middletown
Gelo Orange	LB	6-1	215	Naples, Fla.	Naples
Brandon Pendergrass	RB	5-9	196	Royal Palm Beach, Fla.	Royal Palm Beach
Junior Petit-Jean	S	6-0	190	Naples, Fla.	Naples
Cyhl Quarles	LB	6-3	215	Tucker, Ga.	Meadowcreek
John Stamper	S	6-0	185	Winston-Salem	West Forsyth
Doug Weaver	OL	6-8	290	Roxboro	Person
Kyle Wilber	DE	6-5	230	Apopka, Fla.	Apopka
Jordan Williams	WR	6-3	180	Jacksonville, Fla.	Raines
Mike Williams	CB	6-1	170	Melbourne, Fla.	Palm Bay
Will Wright	DE	6-3	220	Wilmington	Hoggard