History was made at Kennesaw State on Wednesday as the first signing class for the football team was announced by head coach Brian Bohannon. Since last year, the coaching staff has been working hard to get the right players that fit into the system on offense and defense, and they ended the recruiting season with 29 players from Georgia and all over the southeast.
“This is a monumental day for Kennesaw State University,” Bohannon said during his press conference. “This is another huge step in the process of building the football program and brings us one step closer to getting out onto the field and preparing for that first game in 2015.
The signing class includes eight defensive linemen, six defensive backs, five offensive linemen, three quarterbacks, three running backs, two wide receivers and two linebackers.
Leading the recruiting class is quarterback Jaquez parks from Griffin. He was the Atlanta Journal Constitution All-Classification Player of the Year in 2013 and lead Griffin High School to a state title.
The Owls also added Kell defensive back Taylor Henkle. With 104 tackles and four interceptions last season, Henkle was named to the All-State team by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is only one of three players to have his jersey retired. The other two players are Jonathan Dwyer and Brian Randolph.
“We are extremely excited about the group of players who have signed and made the commitment to become the foundation of the program and make history,” Bohannon said. “We accomplished a lot with this class and are looking forward to getting them on campus and start working with them.
The first signee was quarterback Chandler Parks from South Paulding. Parks was also the Owls’ first verbal commit back in June.
Here’s a look at all 29 signees that will start working together in the fall.
Chandler Burks QB 5-10 175 Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS)
Jae Bowen RB 5-11 190 Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS)
Will Cape DB 5-10 180 Gainesville, Ga. (North Hall HS)
Taylor Henkle DB 5-11 185 Marietta, Ga. (Kell HS)
Lorenzo Adger OL 6-2 290 Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS)
Luther Jones DL 6-0 285 Blairsville, Ga. (Union County HS)
D’Vontae Bedford DL 6-1 265 Darien, Ga. (McIntish County Academy)
Joseph Alexander DL 6-4 300 East Point, Ga. (Tri Cities HS)
Braylon Young DL 5-11 265 Alcoa, Tenn. (Alcoa HS)
Dez Billingslea LB 6-2 205 Covington, Ga. (Newton HS)
Marcus Thurman DB 5-11 165 Bowdon, Ga. (Bowdon HS)
Anthony Gore LB 6-0 215 Statesboro, Ga. (Statesboro HS)
Jake McKenzie QB 6-0 190 Monroeville, Ala. (Monroe Academy)
Trey Chivers RB 5-11 195 Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton HS)
Auzoyah Alufohai DL 6-3 310 Alpharetta, Ga. (Alpharetta HS)
Austin Byrd DL 6-3 230 Calhoun, Ga. (Calhoun HS) Watch
Corey Thomas OL 6-2 290 Covington, Ga. (Newton HS)
Melvin Hill RB 5-8 175 Sandersville, Ga. (Washington County HS)
Cymeon Burden DB 6-2 180 McDonough, Ga. (Eagles Landing HS)
Chiaza Nwadike OL 6-2 290 Riverdale, Ga. (Charles Drew HS)
Xavier Harper WR 6-0 185 Hoschton, Ga. (Jackson County HS)
McKenzie Billingslea DL 6-4 240 Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern HS)
Jace White DB 6-1 185 Dallas, Ga. (North Paulding HS)
Devin Pughsley DL 6-1 215 Hoover, Ala. (Spain Park HS)
Jaquez Parks QB 6-1 205 Griffin, Ga. (Griffin HS)
Ryan Warrior OL 6-3 260 Fayetteville, Ga. (Sandy Creek HS)
Justin Sumpter WR 6-3 200 Tyrone, Ga. (Sandy Creek HS)
Akebren Ralls DB 5-10 170 Forsyth, Ga. (Mary Persons HS)
Brandon Sutton OL 6-0 250 LaGrange, Ga. (Callaway HS)
Loading ...
