New head football coach K. C. Keeler and his staff have signed 12 high school seniors and one junior college sophomore to letters-of-intent to attend Sam Houston and play football for the Bearkats.
The list includes two running backs, two offensive linemen, two wide receivers, two defensive linemen, one quarterback, one linebacker, one tight end, one quarterback/athlete and one cornerback.
“This is just a phenomenal class,” Keeler said. “We signed 13 and got the guys at every spot that we wanted to get.”
Keeler was named as Sam Houston’s 15th head football coach on Thursday, Jan. 23, arriving in Huntsville with less than two weeks remaining before NIL signing day.
“These past two weeks have been an amazing journey for me,” Keeler said. “To have all the outstanding players who signed with us today stick with Sam Houston tells you a lot about this university. Even though there wasn’t a head coach in place, the university was so impressive they wanted to keep the opportunity to come to look at Sam Houston.
“The coaching staff that stayed and the guys we brought in did an unbelievable job getting guys here and showing them what this place is about.”
Keeler said another key factor in Sam Houston’s recruiting success Wednesday was the interaction of the players returning from last year’s squad with the recruits.
“I’m really excited about the way our players and the recruits meshed,” Keeler said. “The players did a great job interacting with the recruits and showing them why Sam Houston is such a great place.”
SAM HOUSTON FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
| Dorian Brown |
OL |
6-3 |
290 |
Mansfield / Timberview |
| Montria Brown |
CB |
5-10 |
170 |
Fresno / Hightower |
| Hayden Cagle |
TE |
6-6 |
225 |
Buda / Hays |
| Jaylen Fails |
QB/Ath |
6-1 |
202 |
Grand Prairie / Grand Prairie |
| Grant Finney |
WR |
6-0 |
162 |
Allen / Allen |
| Darron Harris |
DE |
6-2 |
215 |
Arlington / Arlington |
| Quinten Jackson |
DE |
6-3 |
245 |
Houston / Eisenhower |
| Cole Martin |
QB |
6-3 |
200 |
Cypress / Cy Ranch |
| Alfonzo McMillian |
WR |
6-0 |
185 |
Oklahoma City, Okla. / Millwood |
| Collins Okotcha |
LB |
6-1 |
225 |
Coppell / Coppell |
| Hamilton Paret |
RB |
6-0 |
185 |
Houston / Houston Christian |
| Wyatt Pennington |
OT |
6-4 |
295 |
Tulsa, Okla. / Catoosa |
| JUNIOR COLLEGE TRASNFER |
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| Donavan Williams |
RB |
6-0 |
225 |
Belton / Belton (ASA College) |
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SIGNING DAY BIOS
| VIDEO |
DORIAN BROWN
6-3 290 Offensive Line – Mansfield / Timberview High School
Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Dallas Morning News first team All-District 7-5A offensive lineman … team offensive line “Most Valuable Player” as senior … Academic All-District selection … helped lead Timberview to 2013 area finals
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| VIDEO |
MONTRIA BROWN
5-10 170 Cornerback – Fresno / Hightower High School
Special teams captain and cornerback for 2013 district championship and area finalist team … produced 33 tackles, 18 solo stops, 12 pass break-ups, four tackles for losses and forced three fumbles as a senior … member of 2011 state finalist squad … four-time Academic All-District … regional finalist and four time Junior Olympic medalist in track and field
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| VIDEO |
HAYDEN CAGLE
6-6 225 Tight End – Buda / Hays High School
First team All-District selection … led Hays to program’s sixth consecutive state playoff appearance in 2013 … caught 37 passes for 771 yards and eight TDs … threw for two scores … played on three district championship teams … All-District in basketball
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| VIDEO |
JAYLEN FAILS
6-1 202 QB/Athlete – Grand Prairie / Grand Prairie High School
First team All-District 7-5A quarterback … district and team MVP as senior … rushed for 801 yards and 12 TDs and passed for 1,911 yards and 13 scores in 2013 … threw for 2,362 yards as a junior in 2012 … also lettered in basketball and track & field
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| VIDEO |
GRANT FINNEY
6-0 162 Wide Receiver – Allen / Allen High School
All-District wide receiver for Allen’s 2012 and 2013 state championship teams … caught 30 passes for 570 yards and eight TDs as a senior in 2013 … district champion in 110 and 300 meter hurdles in track … regional qualifier three years in a row
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| VIDEO |
DARRON HARRIS
6-2 215 Defensive End – Arlington / Arlington High School
All-District 3-5A defensive lineman … averaged 8.2 tackles per game as a senior … totaled 73 tackles and 7 sacks for 10-3 regional semifinalist squad as a junior
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| VIDEO |
QUINTEN JACKSON
6-3 245 Defensive Line – Houston / Eisenhower High School
First team All-District 18-5A … three-year letterman, leading team to state playoffs in 2011 and 2012 … team captain as senior … credited with 11 sacks and stood out as squad’s second-leading tackler in 2013
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| VIDEO |
COLE MARTIN
6-3 200 Quarterback – Cypress / Cypress Ranch
Two-time All-District 17-5A selection … team captain … passed for 1,152 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 402 yards as a senior … led team to regional finals as a junior
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| VIDEO |
ALFONZO McMILLIAN
6-0 185 Safety – Oklahoma City, Okla. / Millwood High School
All-State and All-District 2A-2 defensive back … led team to 2013 Oklahoma state finals … played both offense and defense … caught 76 passes for 1,648 yards and 25 TDs … totaled 64 tackles and 20 interceptions … also lettered in basketball and track
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| VIDEO |
COLLINS OKOTCHA
6-1 225 Linebacker – Coppell / Coppell High School
All-District 5-5A linebacker for 9-2 district championship team in 2013 … starter on 11-1 area finalist and 5-0 district titlist team as junior … set school record with nine sacks as a senior |
| VIDEO |
HAMILTON PARET
6-0 185 Running Back – Houston / Houston Christian
All-State and All-District running back … rushed for more than 1,200 yards and totaled 514 yards on kickoff returns including two for touchdowns … scored 17 rushing TDs … led team to state championship game … track and field letterman
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| VIDEO |
WYATT PENNINGTON
6-4 295 Offensive Tackle – Tulsa, Okla. / Catoosa High School
Tulsa World All-State selection … Tulsa Metro first team … All-District 4A-3 offensive lineman … Frank McNabb Award winner … led Indians to 8-4 record and 4A quarterfinals in third season as a starter … starter on 2011 district champion and state semifinalist squad
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| VIDEO |
DONAVAN WILLIAMS
6-0 225 Running Back – Belton / Belton High School (ASA College, NY)
NJCAA All-America honorable mention and All-Northeast Conference running back for ASA College as a sophomore … rushed for 1,024 yards and 12 touchdowns … played at Blinn in 2012 … rushed for 1,314 yards and 14 TDs as a senior at Belton … first team all-district … track & field letterman
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TRANSFERS WHO ENROLLED AT SHSU IN JANUARY
Lance Duran LB 5-11 217 Austin / Westlake H.S. (Blinn)
Kiel Heidman LB 6-1 225 Houston / Clear Lake H.S. (Blinn)
Trenier Orr CB 5-11 177 Winter Garden, Fla. / Ocoee H.S. (Cincinnati)
Contereze Pierce CB 5-9 180 Jonesboro, Ga. / Jonesboro (Highland CC Kan.)
Grant Shaw OL 6-6 310 Athens / Athens H.S. (Trinity Valley CC)
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