JONESBORO (2/4/09) - Arkansas State Head Football Coach Steve Roberts has announced the Red Wolves 2009 signing class, which is made up of 19 high school and two junior-college standouts from eight different states, including five from Arkansas, that signed National Letters of Intent to play for ASU next season.
“I am thrilled about today's events, the culmination of a year's worth of work in signing this class,” said Roberts. “I am very appreciative to our staff for the hard work and long hours they put in to signing this class. I am excited about the young men that will continue both their academic and football careers here at Arkansas State.
“We had 13 scholarship seniors that departed from our football program and have replaced them with 21 young men that will be joining our football program, three that have already enrolled at Arkansas State and 18 more that will enroll in the fall of 2009. I am excited about that exchange.”
The Red Wolves signed nine offensive players, including five linemen, three wide receivers and one quarterback. ASU also inked 10 defensive players, expecting four to play in the secondary, four on the line and two at the linebacker position. The Red Wolves added two players that could play on either side of the ball, one listed as a lineman and the other as an athlete.
“We had an emphasis on a couple of positions, one of which was the offensive line where we lost four scholarship players to graduation,” said Roberts. “We replaced those young men with six signees on the line. Another area of concern was the wide receiver position, where we didn't have a lot of losses this year but have four upcoming seniors in 2009. So it was critical for us to get some players at that position and we signed three wide receivers. We are very balanced at the other positions with this class.”
In addition to the five signees from the state of Arkansas, ASU also landed five players from Tennessee, four from Alabama, two from both Louisiana and Texas and one from California, Florida and Illinois. ASU's five signees from its home state are from Lake Hamilton, DeWitt, Little Rock, Springdale and Bentonville.
“I'm excited about where these young men come from,” said Roberts. “The majority of our class comes from the state of Arkansas or just a few miles down the road in western Tennessee. I'm pleased with the proximity to ASU we were able to recruit. We always start at home and then move as far as we have to outside this region to fulfill the needs of our program.”
2009 ARKANSAS STATE FOOTBALL SIGNING CLASS
1. LaAngelo Albright: 5-11, 195, LB, Prattville, Ala. (Prattville High School)
2. Byron Blake: 6-2, 205, DB, Belle Glade, Fla. (Glades Central High School)
3. Phillip Butterfield: 6-2, 205, QB, Lake Hamilton, Ark. (Lake Hamilton High School)
4. Jake Campbell: 6-6, 310, OL, Belleville, Ill. (Belleville East High School)
5. Justin Carney: 6-6, 290, OL, DeWitt, Ark. (DeWitt High School)
6. Ryan Carrethers: 6-0, 300, DL, Nashville, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)
7. Darius Dunaway: 6-5, 220, DE, Monroe, La. (Carroll High School)
8. Sifa Etu: 6-1, 305, Jr., OL, Hayward, Calif. (Chabot (CA) Junior College)**
9. Demetrius Harris: 6-5, 210, ATH, Little Rock, Ark. (Jacksonville High School)
10. Lucious Henderson: 5-11, 185, Jr., WR, Austin, Texas (Navarro (TX) Junior College)**
11. Tausean Holmes: 5-9, 175, DB, Millington, Tenn. (Millington High School)
12. Julian Jones: 5-11, 175, DB, Germantown, Tenn. (Germantown High School)
13. Carlos McCants: 5-11, 175, WR, Mobile, Ala. (LeFlore High School)
14. Cliff Mitchell: 6-4, 270, OL, Jasper, Texas (Jasper High School)
15. Allen Muse: 6-4, 205, WR, Leesville, La. (Leesville High School)*
16. Nick Nelms: 5-11, 215, LB, Germantown, Tenn. (Houston High School)
17. Nick O'Quinn: 6-2, 265, OL/DL, Springdale, Ark. (Shiloh Christian High School)
18. Tim Pruitt: 6-2, 228, DE, Huntsville, Ala. (Madison High School)
19. Chaz Scales: 5-8, 160, DB, Franklin, Tenn. (Centennial High School)
20. Austin Taylor: 6-3, 270, DL, Bentonville, Ark. (Bentonville High School)
21. Chris Tolbert: 6-5, 280, OL, Birmingham, Ala. (Erwin High School)
* Player originally signed with ASU in 2008, but didn't enroll at ASU for medical reasons. Available for spring practice.
**Junior College Midterm Signee and is available for spring practice.
BY STATE
Arkansas (5): Phillip Butterfield (QB), Justin Carney (OL), Demetrius Harris (ATH), Nick O'Quinn (OL/DL), Austin Taylor (DL)
Alabama (4): LaAngelo Albright (LB), Carlos McCants (WR), Tim Pruitt (DE), Chris Tolbert (OL)
California (1): Sifa Etu (OL)
Florida (1): Byron Blake (DB)
Illinois (1): Jake Campbell (OL)
Louisiana (2): Darius Dunaway (DE), Allen Muse (WR)
Tennessee (5): Ryan Carrethers (DL), Tausean Holmes (DB), Julian Jones (DB), Nick Nelms (LB), Chaz Scales (DB)
Texas (2): Lucious Henderson (WR), Cliff Mitchell (OL)
BY POSITION
Athlete (1): Demetrius Harris
Offensive Line (6): Jake Campbell, Justin Carney, Sifa Etu, Cliff Mitchell, Nick O'Quinn (OL/DL) Chris Tolbert
Quarterback (1): Phillip Butterfield
Wide Receiver (3): Lucious Henderson, Carlos McCants, Allen Muse
Defensive Back (4): Byron Blake, Tausean Holmes, Julian Jones, Chaz Scales
Defensive End (2): Darius Dunaway, Tim Pruitt
Defensive Line (3): Ryan Carrethers, Nick O'Quinn (OL/DL), Austin Taylor
Linebacker (2): LaAngelo Albright, Nick Nelms
CLICK ON THE PLAYER'S NAME TO VIEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHT
LaAngelo Albright: 5-11, 195, LB, Prattville, Ala. (Prattville HS)
Started for three Class 6A state championship Prattville High School teams . . . Named First Team All-State as a junior and senior by the Alabama Sports Writers Association . . . Recorded 277 tackles from his middle linebacker position over his last two seasons with the Lions, posting 124 stops (83 solo), including 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery as a senior . . . Tallied 153 tackles (89 solo) and three sacks as a junior in 2007 . . . Also recruited by Auburn . . . Posted 109 tackles as a sophomore in 2006, and also finished with 4.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries . . . Also played varsity basketball at Prattville High School . . . Current ASU defensive tackle Greg McCall, who signed with ASU in 2008, also played at Prattville High School.
Byron Blake: 6-2, 205, DB, Belle Glade, Fla. (Glades Central High School)
Three-year varsity football letterman . . . posted 76 tackles, three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and three forced fumbles as a senior . . . Also competed in track and field . . . Also recruited by LSU, Georgia, UL Lafayette and Marshall
Phillip Butterfield: 6-2, 205, Lake Hamilton, Ark. (Lake Hamilton HS)
Arkansas Associated Press Super Team selection . . . Three-year starter for Lake Hamilton . . . Two-time all-state selection . . . Three-time all-conference selection . . . Two-time Garland County Offensive Player of the Year . . . Named the Arkansas Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . . . Little Rock Touchdown Club 2008 Class 6A Player of the Year . . . 2008 State Farm 7A/6A Offensive Player of the Year in the state of Arkansas . . . Two-time All-Tri-County Team in 2008 . . . . 2008 Tri-Lakes Player of the Year . . . 2009 Arkansas All-Star Game selection . . . 2009 U.S. Army All-American Game nominee . . . 2007 Fox 16 Player of the Year . . . Two-time Landers Award nominee . . . Recorded 6,930 career passing yards and threw 63 touchdown passes . . . Threw for 2,761 yards and 23 touchdowns to lead Lake Hamilton to the Class 6A state championship and a final record of 10-3 . . . Ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 140 yards and two more touchdowns in the Wolves 42-28 victory over El Dorado in the state championship game. Butterfield also posted an interception in the game, helping him garner the game's MVP award . . . Lake Hamilton finished as the state runner-up his junior season . . . Lake Hamilton record holder for career passing touchdowns, season passing touchdowns and passing yards and single-game passing yards and touchdowns . . . 3-star recruit by CollegeFootballNews.com and Rivals.com . . . 36th ranked quarterback in the nation according to ESPN.com . . . Ranked as the No. 62 quarterback in the nation by Scout.com . . . Also recruited by Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Nebraska, Duke, Virginia and Princeton.
Jake Campbell: 6-6, 310, OL, Belleville, Ill. (Belleville East HS)
Three-year starter for Belleville East, helping lead the school to the state playoffs each season, and four-year varsity letterman . . . Helped lead Belleville East to a 7-3 record as a junior in 2007 and a 7-4 mark last season . . . Team Captain . . . 2008 Honorable Mention All-State, Academic All-State, All-Conference, All-Area and All Metro-East team . . . No. 17 of 30 of the "Super 30" as a junior according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch . . . Named one of the top-10 linemen by the St. Louis Post Dispatch . . . Also competed in track and field . . . Academic Honor Roll student . . . Also recruited by Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Murray State, Harvard and Yale.
Justin Carney: 6-6, 290, OL, DeWitt, Ark. (DeWitt High School)
Three-year varsity football letterman . . . Two-time all-conference selection at DeWitt High School . . . All-State selection . . . Also competed in track and field . . . Ranked No. 139 best offensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com . . . Big, athletic player that moved from tight end as a junior to the offensive line for senior season . . . Named to the 2008 State Farm Award Watch List for Player of the Year in the state of Arkansas . . . Honor Roll student and member of National Honor Society.
Ryan Carrethers: 6-0, 300, DL, Nashville, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)
Four-year varsity letterman . . . Posted 70 tackles and 10 sacks his senior season . . . Helped lead Brentwood Academy to three championship games . . . Named all-state and All-Williamson County in 2008 . . . Rivals.com Tennessee PostseasonTop 35 (No.33) 2009 among all players in the state . . . Also competed in wrestling at Brentwood.
Darius Dunaway: 6-5, 220, DE, Monroe, La. (Carroll High School)
Academic All-State and All-District selection as a senior . . . Honor student . . . Also competed in basketball and track and field at Carroll High School . . . Sat out his junior season with an injury before coming back for his senior season when he earned all-district honors . . . Also recruited by UL Lafayette and Southern Miss.
Sifa Etu: 6-1, 305, OL, Jr., Hayward, Calif. (Chabot (CA) Junior College)
Will have two years of eligibility remaining at Arkansas State and is available for spring practice . . . Named All-Golden Gate Conference and All-Region II last season as an offensive tackle for the Gladiators . . . Named the top performer at the 2008 JCFootball.com NorCal Combine . . . Football and track and field letterman at Hayward High School . . . Competed in the shot put in high school . . . Also recruited by Marshall and Miami . . . ASU offensive line coach Darren Hiller also played Chabot Junior College in 1990 and 1991.
Demetrius Harris: 6-5, 210, ATH, Little Rock, Ark. (Jacksonville High School)
Two-year letterman at Jacksonville High School . . . Recorded 47 receptions for 738 yards his senior season along with nine touchdowns as wide receiver . . . Recorded 110 solo tackles, 36 assisted tackles, four interceptions, 12 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one of which was returned for a touchdown, as a defensive back . . . He had six receptions for 180 yards and four touchdowns against Mountain Home in one of his top performances in 2008 . . . Named to the 2008 State Farm Awards watch list for Offensive Player of the Year . . . Class 6A All-state and all-Conference selection as a senior . . . Also a starter on the Jacksonville High School varsity basketball team . . . Named The Arkansas Leader Defensive Player of the Year.
Lucious Henderson: 5-11, 185, Jr., WR, Austin, Texas (Navarro Junior College)
Junior College Midterm Signee and is available for spring practice . . . Played wide receiver for Navarro College . . . Posted 22 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in last season with Navarro . . . Timed in the 4.4 second-range in the 40-yard dash . . . Three-year football and track letterman at McCallum High School in Austin, Texas . . . Track regional qualifier in the 200 and 400 meters and 4x200 relay . . . First team all-district quarterback and district offensive MVP senior season, passing for 1,203 yards and rushing for 1,222 yards to lead McCallum to the playoffs . . . Versatile player who also saw time at cornerback, free safety, wide receiver, punt and kickoff returner . . . Recognized as top wide receiver at LaDainian Tomlinson Football Camp in the summer of 2005 . . . Also recruited by Hawaii and Houston.
Tausean Holmes: 5-9, 175, DB, Millington, Tenn. (Millington Central High School)
Played running back at Millington Central High School . . . Named Tennessee's Class 5A Mr. Football as a senior after recording 1,815 all-purpose yards (1,308 rushing) and 29 touchdowns (22 rushing) . . . Helped Millington Central compile a 31-6 record during his three seasons as a varsity letterman . . . Millington Central posted a record of 11-1 his senior season, 13-1 junior season and 7-4 his sophomore season . . . Named 2008 Tennessee Mr. Football 5A Back of the Year . . . All-state selection and Region 7-5A MVP senior campaign . . . Liberty Bowl Player of the Week selection . . . Named to the Tennessee Dream Team . . . Also competed in basketball.
Julian Jones: 5-11, 175, DB, Memphis, Tenn. (Germantown High School)
Played both wide receiver and defensive back for the Red Devils . . . Named Class 5A All-State defensive back his senior season . . . 2007 and 2008 First Team All-Region selection . . . 2008 Shelby Metro All-Star . . . Posted 23 receptions for 272 yards and five touchdowns in a triple option offense as a senior . . . Defensively, he tallied 24 tackles from his cornerback position . . . Also returned kicks on special teams, taking one return 85 yards for a touchdown . . . Finished with two kickoff returns and one punt return for a touchdown and also posted one defensive touchdown . . . Also competed in track at Germantown High School . . . Honor Roll student . . . Timed at 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash . . . Also recruited by Tennessee-Martin and Delta State.
Carlos McCants: 5-11, 175, WR, Mobile, Ala. (LeFlore HS)
Four-year varsity football letterman, including three years as a starter . . . Played both wide receiver and cornerback, while also returning punts and kickoffs for LeFlore High School . . . During his four years at LeFlore, McCants recorded 3,148 all-purpose yards, 22 touchdowns and 81 receptions . . . Caught 56 passes for 878 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008 . . . Returned 33 punts for 426 yards, 16 kickoffs for 276 yards . . . Posted 23 tackles on defense . . . Team MVP as a senior . . . 2008 Honorable Mention All-State and First Team All-Region . . . Honorable Mention All-Region as a junior . . . Ranked No. 206 best wide receiver in the nation by Scout.com . . . Alabama and No. 2064.4-second range 40-yard dash time . . . Also competed in basketball and track and field . . . Honor Roll student . . . Named LeFlore's Outstanding student-athlete . . . Also recruited by Southern Mississippi, UAB, Auburn, Memphis, Marshall, Ole Miss.
Cliff Mitchell: 6-4, 270, OL, Jasper, Texas (Jasper High School)
Named first team 18-3A All-district as a senior, second team all-district as a sophomore and Junior . . . Second Team All-Southeast Texas selection . . . Also lettered in golf and power lifting while at Jasper (TX) High School . . . Ranked No. 68 Offensive Guard in the nation according to ESPN.com . . . Academic All-District selection . . . Also recruited by Vanderbilt, Baylor, Iowa State.
Nick Nelms: 5-11, 215, LB, Memphis, Tenn. (Houston High School)
Four-year varsity letterman . . . Played both offense and defense at Class 5A Houston High School . . . Helped lead Houston to a 7-3 record as a senior . . . Senior season posted 768 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards, one interception, 66 tackles and two sacks . . . Rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries, while also returning an interception 55 yards for a touchdown in one of his best games in 2008 . . . Named All-Metro and All-Region as a senior . . . Played in the Liberty Bowl All-Star Game . . . Timed at 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash . . . Averaged more than seven yards per rush last season.
Nick O'Quinn: 6-2, 265, OL/DL, Springdale, Ark. (Shiloh Christian)
Four-year varsity letterman . . . Associated Press Arkansas Super Team selection . . .Named all-state as a junior and senior . . . All-conference selection sophomore season . . . Rivals.com Arkansas Postseason Top 20 (No. 20) 2009 among all players . . . Ranked No. 55 in the nation by ESPN.com among defensive tackles . . . Helped lead Shiloh Christian to the Class 4A state championship and a 13-1 record in 2008 . . . Shiloh Christian was ranked 87th by RivalsHigh 100 national rankings during the 2008 season . . . Played both offense and defense, posting 24 tackles and three sacks in addition to his play on the offensive line . . . Also recruited by Army.
Allen Muse: 6-4, 205, WR, Leesville, La. (Leesville High School)
Four-year starter on the varsity football team . . . During his four-year high school career, Muse was named all-state, All-Vernon Parish and all-district . . . Caught 53 passes for 720 yards and four touchdowns as a senior in 2007 . . . Track and field letterman . . . Who's Who Among American High School Students . . . National Honor Roll . . . Received the Hugey O'Brian Leadership Award . . . Also recruited by Southern Miss, LSU, Louisiana Tech and Ole Miss . . . Originally signed with ASU in 2008, but was unable to compete last season due to medical issues.
Tim Pruitt: 6-2, 228, DE, Huntsville, Ala. (Madison County HS)
Four-year varsity football letterman, including three years as a starter . . . Honorable Mention Class 5A All-State selection as a senior . . . Named region's defensive MVP in 2008 . . . Recorded a combined 156 tackles his final two seasons at Class 5A Madison County High School . . . Recorded 80 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior . . . Posted 76 tackles, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown, as a junior in 2007 . . . Tallied 72 tackles senior campaign . . . Team Captain . . . 4.8-second time in the 40-yard dash, 360-pound bench press and 500-pound squat . . . Competed in track and field in addition to football.
Chaz Scales: 5-8, 160, DB, Franklin, Tenn. (Centennial High School)
Four-year varsity football letterman . . . Tennessee Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State selection as an athlete in 2008, passing for near 1,200 yards, rushing for 1,200 and accounting for 29 touchdowns . . . As quarterback for Centennial, Scales was responsible for approximately 2,400 total yards as a senior . . . Led the Cougars to an 8-4 record and the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs in 2008 . . . Named All-County and region's MVP as a senior . . . Centennial set school records for consecutive victories, points scored and points allowed . . . Recorded five interceptions from his cornerback position . . . Honor Roll student . . . Also competed in track and basketball at Centennial . . . Has posted a time of 10.79 seconds in the 100 meters . . . Also recruited by Air Force, Navy.
Austin Taylor: 6-3, 270, DL, Bentonville, Ark. (Bentonville High School)
Recorded over 185 tackles and 15 sacks as a four-year varsity letterman with the Tigers . . . Helped lead Bentonville to the Class 7A state championship as a senior, recording 76 tackles and six sacks at his tackle position . . . Named all-conference and won the Brandon Burlsworth Award as the best lineman in the state championship game, which Bentonville won 32-20 over Fort Smith Southside . . . Two-time all-conference selection . . . Hootens Arkansas Football Top-40 recruits in the state of Arkansas and All-Star selection . . . In addition to all-conference recognition, was also named all-area in 2008 . . . Named to KURM FM's Dream Team . . . Also recruited by Army, Tulsa.
Chris Tolbert: 6-5, 280, OL, Birmingham, Ala. (Erwin High School)
Three-year varsity letterman that played on both the offensive and defensive line at Erwin High School . . . Recorded 150 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 30 sacks, 20 blocked passes, one interception, eight fumble recoveries and four touchdowns at the defensive line position . . . All-Area, All-County, All-Region and ABC 34/40 Sideline Nominee . . . Member of the National Honor Society . . . Also lettered in basketball and track . . . Also recruited by Troy, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss.
