National Signing Day
We’re only three official days into the football offseason and for those of us who are already missing it, National Signing Day gave us something to look forward to.
The Tops gathered 15 official commits and according to coach Jeff Brohm the team actually had to start turning players away. Lets review our 15 who they are, where they are from, and what to expect from these brand new Hilltoppers!
Our first commit is Offensive Lineman Dennis Edwards (6-1, 310 lbs.) from South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, GA. Edwards is a Georgia All-State mention and a very good offensive lineman. With Hazelett and Conway moving on Edwards, can look to be at a two or three spot on the Depth Chart and see playing time his Sophomore or Junior season. From watching his tape, Edwards is a fast off the ball center who can move the nose guard or tackle fast while also chipping and getting to the second level with some quick footwork. While Edwards played Center at South Gwinnett, I can see him playing in the Guard position, with pulling power to lead for a very powerful backfield.
Second is Tight End Nick True (6-5, 255) from Highland High School in Fort Thomas, Ky. True is a member of Max Preps All-State. While playing TE in 2011 and 2012, True had to move to Tackle in 2013. As a Tight End true caught 19 passes for 243 yards and 9 touchdowns. True is a huge body who could bring some sure hands and a big presence to the Red Zone. As a team, WKU didn’t have a potent TE in 2013, so Nick could be looking at very early playing time in the new regime.
Number three is Evan Sayner a Defensive Lineman (6-3, 265) from McCracken County High School in Paducah, Ky. Sayner was second team All-State and was a first team All-Conference member. Evan will add size to an undersized Western front-four but will add speed to an already quick defense. Sayner has speed to play outside and size to play in the trenches. He can stand up guards well and take on double teams allowing faster reaction to running backs hitting holes.
Fourth on our list is Wide Receiver/Running Back DeAndre Farris (5-10, 180) from Collins High School in Shelbyville, Ky. Farris is a first team All-State member, and had 1,051 yards receiving and 681 rushing yards with 31 total touchdowns. While at Collins High, Farris elapsed 5,000 career yards and 70 touchdowns. DeAndre will add depth at both wide receiver and running back (although, he’s built more for the former) while also adding another fold to return duties as WKU lost everyone’s favorite, Antonio Andrews. Ladies and gentleman, all you need to know is that DeAndre Farris is fast, He will make y’all stand up and cheer as he runs and makes plays all over the field in the Red and White.
Martavius Mims comes in at number five on our list. Mims (6-1, 180) is a Defensive Back from Muscle Shoals High School in Muscle Shoals, AL. He is an All-State mention and a first team All-District performer. Mims recorded 49 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 4 touchdowns in his 2013 campaign. Mims is also a potential at return man, and is a great cover corner who can shut down wide receivers while also making solid open field tackles. The Tops are pretty solid at defensive back for now, but look for him to make an impact in his second or third season on the Hill.
Defensive Back Joe Brown (5-10, 180) comes in as number six on the Hilltopper big board. Brown is from Butler High School in Louisville, and is a All-Star honorable mention, as well as a KFCA District Player of the year. Brown rushed for 1,242 yards with 15 touchdowns and had a receiving touchdown on 86 yards catching while spending time as a running back. Brown can play both sides of the ball and is a speedy, pesty D-back (no, not an Arizona D-Back) and also can play a speedy Chris Johnson-type running back. Ive said this for three others but look to Brown to test the waters at return man.
Number seven is Wide Receiver Will Bush (5-11, 190) from Ballard High School, also in Louisville. At BHS, he racked up 38 receptions for 694 yards and eight touchdowns on the year and was the 2013 100-meter state champion and 200-meter state runner-up on the track, as well as KFCA District player of the year. Bush will add speed to the wide receiver corps and some sure hands.
Derek Overstreet (6-2, 250) is a Defensive Lineman from Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, and he is the Tops number eight commit. Overstreet is a All-Stater and a KFCA All-district player. In 2013, Overstreet tallied 130 total tackles including 20 sacks, pushing his career totals to 287 tackles and 38 sacks. Overstreet adds even more size to an undersized Defensive Line. As WKU continues to grow, look to Derek as a player who can make a difference on the defensive side of the ball. With his size he could see sometime early but will make a larger impact later in his career.
Yes Hilltopper Nation, we got our golden boy, as the ninth commit is Bowling Green’s own Nacarius Fant (5-9, 170). The Wide Receiver from Bowling Green High School is someone we all will enjoy watching on the gridiron. Fant tallied 1,701 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns on 83 receptions as a senior and finished with 4,487 yards and 62 touchdowns on 227 career receptions. Fant holds every single-game, single-season and career receiving record at BGHS and ranks in the top-20 in eight individual categories in the KHSAA record book including career touchdowns (53/4th), single-season touchdowns (24/t-7th), single-game touchdowns (4,t-7th), career receptions (227/t-5th), single-season receptions (83/t-17th), single-game receptions (15/t-14th), career yards (4,473/3rd), and single-season yards (1,699/7th). The Purples were 53-3 during Fant’s four-year career, which is just another school record he can claim. Fant was named a second team All-American by Max Preps and a first-team All-State selection by the Associated Press. Long story short – Fant will bring speed to the WKU offense. I’m sure we should look to him to shoulder the return loads, but has to bulk up a little to make a significant difference. Fant, however, has no fear. He will hum and put himself in harms way to make the catch. Fant is a Hilltopper and he’s here to stay! Be excited and get your $150 50 yard line tickets because he’s worth the price of admission.
The second signee from Collins High School in Shelbyville, is Linebacker Masai Whyte (6-0, 210), the Tops’ tenth commit on the day. Masai is a 1st team All-State member as well as a Bluegrass All-Star and All-District 1st team member. Whyte turned in a stellar senior season, finishing with 200 tackles and three sacks, pushing his career numbers to 466 tackles, nine forced fumbles and four interceptions. Whyte is a positive addition to a depleted linebacking corps. With four players graduating, the Tops have big shoes to fill and they have the potential for something special in Whyte.
Number 11 is another Bowling Green product, this one hailing from South Warren High School, and is the first Spartan football player to ever sign with a D1 school. Joel Iyiegbuniwe (6-2, 210) is a linebacker who’s 2013 campaign was cut short, but in his time on the field, he posted 23 tackles, one interception and scored six touchdowns in four games. In 2012, he tallied 64 tackles, three interceptions and four touchdowns on the season. Iggy, as he’s referred to, can play a vital role in a young defense for WKU and, like the other signees at LB, could see playing time in his first couple of seasons on the Hill. Standing at 6’2″ and 210 lbs he has a larger frame than the other LB’s from this class, which could move him up in the depth chart. He has the ability to take on guards and fullbacks while also being a presence in pass coverage.
The 12th member of this year’s class is Julian Lewis (6-3, 270) playing Defensive Line from Bob Jones High School in Madison, AL. Jones is an Alabama All-State Honorable mention and a first team All-District performer. He allied 69 tackles, including 20 for a loss, and seven sacks this season. Lewis also forced five fumbles and was named the Bob Jones defensive line MVP. Lewis continues the trend in this class of adding D-Line size and is a formidable player. He can take on double teams and can go one on one.
Ryan Duvall (6-5, 230) is a Defensive Lineman from Apollo High School in Owensboro, and is the number 13 recruit for Western. Duvall was a second team All-State paler in 2013 and tallied 115 total tackles on the season. While his totals may not be astounding, he again adds size and strength and manages to be quick on the outside. I’m sure Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt will love having Ryan on his side and he will have him ready to go by his Sophomore season.
Second to last is running back D’Andre Ferby (6-1, 240) from Ensworth High School in Nashville. In eight games, Ferby rushed for 1,322 yards and 22 touchdowns, pushing his career total to 2,151 yards and 28 touchdowns. Ferby was named the Division II-AA Tennessee Mr. Football and was a Tennessee Sportswriters Association first-team All-State performer. The Tops will have to eventually fill the shoes of Leon Allen, and Ferby is a perfect candidate. While he doesn’t have the advantage of getting to watch Antonio Andrews, Leon Allen is a good second choice to follow after.
Last but not least, the 15th recruit for the Tops is R. J. Scaife from Pasco High School in Dade City, FL. Scaife was a 3rd team All-State player while being a first team All-Conference performer. He assisted in Pasco’s offense rushing for an average of 180 yards per game and helped them amass 43 touchdowns. Like any good program, the Tops are deep on the offensive line but look for R. J. as he gets stronger and faster. He’s a good size for a guard or even a tackle. He has swift feet to set up for his class mate Ferby later on in their careers.
The Jeff Brohm era started off with a bang as he hauled in a crop of talent. Many problems he addressed most importantly was growing the average size of his defensive lineman and getting sure handed receivers. While he managed to do that he also added a few extra parts here and there. As we transition into Conference USA, WKU’s class sits behind only Marshall as the best class in C-USA. (Pretty solid for a program who has yet to officially join.) The two teams meet at the end of November, which will set up a duel that is guaranteed to excite.
One more thing to note with this recruiting class of the 15 signees: TEN are from the state of Kentucky. Home grown talent is good for this program and the others who are from out of state the majority of them are large city boys (Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami and Nashville) who know how to play big time football. Coach Brohm all of us here at WTRT would like to tip our hats and say congratulations on a job well done, we can’t wait for September!