by B.B. Branton
posted February 3, 2010
Speed, size, talent and solid academic success comprise the second recruiting class for Tennessee at Chattanooga head football coach Russ Huesman as the Mocs signed 16 players today - national signing day - including 14 high school seniors.
Positions filled are quarterback (1), running back (1), offensive line (3), tight end (1), wide receiver (1), defensive line (3), linebacker (3), defensive back (2), kicker (1).
Eight incoming freshmen are honor roll students.
"We like our 2010 class as we signed at least one player at each position," said coach Huesman. "We always emphasize speed and we signed some players who can run and run well."
For speed the Mocs look to Keith Mayes (Red Bank). At 5-9, 202, he can return punts and kickoffs and ran track the previous three years.
For size, four players stand 6-5 or better; Devin Caldwell (OL, 6-5, 250 -Boyd Buchanan), Taylor Dodds (OL, 6-5, 260 - Pacelli HS, Ga.), Faysal Shafaat (TE, 6-5, 235 - Orlando (Fla.) Lutheran Academy) and Chas Presnell (OL, 6-6, 265 - Carrollton (Ga.) HS).
Talented and versatile describes quarterback Terrell Robinson (6-3, 180 - South Pittsburg).
Signees by Position:
* Quarterback - TERRELL ROBINSON ... 6-3, 180; South Pittsburg (Tenn.) High School ... as senior, 1, 687 passing yards and 1,322 rushing yards ... 46 total TDs ... Pirates were second in 1A ... Salutatorian ... born Oct. 28, 1991 ... two days after UTC beat Marshall, 38-31.
Coach Huesman: "Terrell is the marquee player in the area and he is the only quarterback we are signing ... We had 15 QBs at our camp last summer and Terrell came out No. 1."
* Running Back - KEON WILLIAMS ... 6-0, 215; Red Bank HS ... All-State ... 2 Star Rating from Rivals.com ... led Lions to 12-1 season and district title ... 1,505 rushing yards ... 32 TDs on 179 carries.
Coach Huesman: "Keon is another high-profile guy ... we planned to take one running back in this class and Keon is the guy ... He is a big, strong runner who can catch the ball."
* Offensive Tackle - DEVIN CALDWELL ... 6-5, 250; Boyd Buchanan School ... Led Bucs to state runner-up finish in 2A ... All-State .. Bucs were 22-5 last two years with Devin playing both ways on the line ... dad, Darryl, played at UTC with coach Huesman and later at Tenn. State ... and in the NFL with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
Coach Huesman: "Devin is a local product who has unbelievable potential ... It is great to have a local player in the mix."
* Offensive Line - TAYLOR DODDS ... 6-5, 260; Pacelli HS (Columbus, Ga.) ... All-Region lineman ... 4-year starter ... Started 10 games on left side as a senior ... Academic All-State ... 1 Star Rating from Scout.com ... National Honor Society.
Coach Huesman: "Taylor is another offensive lineman we are excited about ... He is a great student who wants to study engineering and we are high on his potential as a student-athlete."
* Offensive Line - CHAS PRESNELL ... 6-6, 265; Carrollton (Ga.) HS ... All-Region and All-Area ... played for former Moc Rayvan Teague at Carrollton ... Helped Carrollton to a 10-2 mark as a senior and 30-7 in three seasons ... same high school as current Mocs Nick Craig, J.D. Dothard, Wes Dothard.
Coach Huesman: "Chas is one of our early commitments who is a big offensive lineman ... We battled some pretty decent teams in the Southern Conference to get him ... We like the way he moves and his footwork."
* Tight End - FAYSAL SHAFAAT ... 6-5, 235; Orlando (Fla.) Lutheran Academy ... pronounced fes-EL sha-FAHT ... Top-100 Central Fla. Recruit ... 26 catches for 528 yards and eight TDs ... also played DE with 101 tackles ... Led state of Florida with 20 sacks ... team was 7-3 in 2009 and 10-2 in 2008 ... Honor Roll.
Coach Huesman: "We needed a tight end in this class and Faysal is the guy we needed ... He was always the most athletic guy on the field."
* Wide Receiver - BRYANT BELEW ... 6-3, 198; Columbia (Tenn.) Central HS ... All-State receiver who led team to 13-2 record ... state runner-up finish ... 1 Star rating from Scout.com ... school record 1,118 receiving yards and seven TDs on 47 catches ... career record holder with 2,164 yards and 20 TDs ... Honor Roll ... 100 meter and 200 meter champion in district, region and sub-state the past two years.
Coach Huesman: "Bryant committed early and hung in there throughout the recruiting process ... We feel as though he can be a tremendous football player for us."
* Defensive Line - NICK DAVISON ... 6-0, 280; Alabama/Birmingham-Calhoun (Ga.) HS ... transfer from Alabama-Birmingham ... enrolled at UTC in January and has two years of eligibility ... 33 tackles the past two seasons ... played in all 24 games ... At Calhoun, 2 Star recruit by Rivals.com ... 2007 All-State honorable mention ... comes from same high school as current Moc OL David Clemons ... born Sept. 19, 1989 ... four days before the Mocs defeated Marshall, 14-0.
Coach Huesman: "Nick brings a lot of energy to the defensive line ... He can move and is powerful ... We are really excited to have him here mid-year so he can go through spring practice with us ... He is a great addition."
* Defensive End - KEYON REED ... 6-1, 240; Palm Bay (Fla.) HS …Brevard County All-Star selection ... led Pirates to 9-4 record as a senior ... played offensive line as a junior ... earned Area I Excellence Award for work in the classroom ... born Sept. 10, 1991 ... three days after Mocs defeated Tenn. Tech, 35-14.
Coach Huesman: "He is an explosive guy who can run ... He looked at some other schools in our league and decided to stay with his commitment to our program."
* Defensive Line - DEVIN SCATES ... 6-3, 260; Westwood HS (Memphis) ... Three-year starter ... 41 tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss, 6 sacks as a senior at defensive end ... Honor Roll student ... born Oct. 30, 1991 ... three days before Mocs defeated Western Kentucky, 26-22.
Coach Huesman: "Devin is another one we had in summer camp and we liked a lot ... He can run and is going to be a big kid ... He was an early commit who had several other offers and hung in there with us."
* Linebacker - CHRIS DONALD ... 6-1, 225; Tennessee High School ... First 5 Star recruit to attend UTC ... enrolled at UTC in January from Tennessee and will have two years of eligibility ... saw action in seven of last eight games in 2009, mainly on special teams ... High School: Parade and USA Today All-American ... national No. 1 inside linebacker and state's overall prospect by Rivals.com ... 5 Star rating from Rivals.com and Scout.com ... 2006 Tennessee Mr. Football winner … 280 tackles, 66 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in four years ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... three-time all-state and all-region ... also set school record for 4,690 rushing yards and 56 rushing touchdowns ... member of 2003 state championship team and 2004 state runner-up team.
Coach Huesman: "Chris was a highly-recruited player out of high school ... He can move and is a big body ... We are excited to have him and I think he will be an excellent player for us."
* Linebacker - ZACK RAYL ... 6-3, 208; McMinn Central HS ... pronounced "Rail" ... Three-time all-region ... played for head coach and UTC grad Josh Goodin ... earned football team's Scholar Award ... is in top 10% of his class ... born Oct. 6, 1990 ... same day Mocs defeated East Tenn. State, 22-3.
Coach Huesman: "Zack will be a linebacker for us ... We are so impressed with him as a football player and a student that we offered him off of what we saw in our camp and from his junior film ... We don’t do that very often."
* Linebacker - MUHASIBI WAKEEL ... 5-11, 200; Southwest DeKalb HS (Decatur, Ga.) ... pronounced "mu-HA-suh-bee wah-KEEL" ... Two-time all-region, all-county, all-state linebacker ... 421 career tackles ... 169 tackles in 2009 ... helped lead team to playoffs as junior and senior.
Coach Huesman: "Muhasibi comes from Southwest DeKalb which has put out some great football players ... We recruited him for a long time and he finally committed to us on his visit ... He has a bright future as a linebacker."
* Defensive Back - KEITH MAYES ... 5-9, 202; Red Bank HS ... All-state DB ... teammate of fellow Moc signee Keon Williams ... One-Star Rating from Scout.com ... led team to state quarterfinals ... District special teams player of the year in 2009 ... 62 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles in 2009 ... returned three punts, one kick-off and one fumble for a touchdown ... born Sept. 4, 1992 ... the day before the Mocs 35-20 road win at Boise State.
Coach Huesman: "The reason we like Keith so much is that he can run ... He is a "high-motor" guy ... loves football and an excellent student ... He can play multiple positions, but I think safety will be the best fit for us."
* Defensive Back - CHAZ MOORE ... 5-10, 160; Whitehaven HS (Memphis) ... Two-Star DB by Rivals.com ... nine interceptions as a senior ... invited to the U.S. Army National Combine following his junior year ... selected as Defensive MVP of the Combine ... born Sept. 15, 1992 ... three days after Mocs defeated Tenn.-Martin, 37-28.
Coach Huesman: "Late in the process we were looking for a corner and Chaz is just one of those guys who just made plays ... He returned punts, played corner, played safety, played some offense."
Kicker - NICK POLLARD ... 6-0, 180; Father Ryan (Nashville) ... 2009 Tennessee Mr. Football Kicker of the Year ... Two-Star recruit by Rivals.com ... made 12 of 15 FG attempts ... long of 53 ... 50 of 55 kickoffs were touchbacks ... perfect on 37 extra points ... Honor Roll student.
Coach Huesman: "Nick has an explosive leg and is a polished kicker ... We are excited to have Nick and I think he is going to be a tremendous addition to this football team."
Coach Huesman's Overall Comments:
On Winning: "We told our recruits, 'You are coming here to help us win a national championship by the time you graduate' ... I hope we do this."
On True Freshman: "We plan to redshirt all 14 freshman ... but we had three true freshman play last fall so a couple of these guys might earn playing time ... You do whatever it takes to win, even if that means playing true freshman."
Fifth Year Seniors: "We redshirt the freshman so we will have a solid fifth year senior class ... you win national championships when you start several, talented fifth year seniors ... That means you are starting 23-year-old men and not a lot of 18-19 year-old kids."
On Recruiting Local Players: "Winning creates interest in your program, not just by having many local players on your roster ... We will only take local players if they can help the program ... we take the player, because he can help us and he is the best football player."
Relationships With High School Coaches: "We need to build relationships with high school coaches within a 200 mile radius ... We are going into a school to build relationships with the coaches, not just to get film on a player ... We might not get to as many schools this way, but it works in the long run."
Meeting Needs: "We signed one good defensive end, but wanted two ... needed two good pass rushing guys and signed one."
Recruiting Areas: "We recruit Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and also Florida for need ... We signed two excellent ones from Florida."
Academics: Eight signees come with academic honors ... "We did what we said we would do in the area of academics ... that's important."
High School To College Transition: "It's so hard to make the transition to college from high school ... college is way different than high school."
Class Notes:
States Represented: Tennessee (10), G
Georgia (4), Florida (2)
Positions: Offense (7) ... Defense (8) ... Special Teams (1)
Number of Incoming Freshman were in
Camp Last Summer: 7 of the 14
Five-Star Recruits (1): Chris Donald
Two-Star Recruits (4): Nick Davison,
Chaz Moore, Nick Pollard, Keon Williams.
One-Star Recruits (3): Bryant Belew, Taylor Dodds, Keith Mayes
Transfers(2): Nick Davison (Ala.-Birmingham); Chris Donald (Tennessee)
Youngest: 17-years-old; Keith Mayes (9-4-92) ... Chaz Moore (9-15-92)
Oldest: 19-years-old; Chris Donald (11-27-88)
Salutatorians (1): Terrell Robinson
Academic Honors (8): Bryant Belew, Taylor Dodds, Nick Pollard, Zack Rayl, Keyon Reed, Terrell Robinson, Devin Scates, Faysal Shafaat
Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net
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