CLEVELAND, Miss. – Coming off a remarkable 7-3 turnaround season in coach Todd Cooley‘s first year at Delta State University, the Statesman football family announced the addition of 27 newcomers to the program on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the first official day of the spring signing period. Wednesday’s announcement of 27 signees joins a list of 12 mid-year transfers DSU welcomed to campus in January.
“We’re excited about the depth of talent we’ve added to the family today,” Cooley said. “Our coaches have worked tirelessly to identify and recruit the type of young men that are ready to come in here and help us reach our goal of competing for championships year in and year out.”
The Statesmen coaching staff looked near and far to fill out this year’s signing class, as student-athletes from five different states inked with DSU on Wednesday. In all, the Statesmen added nine offensive linemen, nine defensive linemen, eight defensive backs, four linebackers, three wide receivers, two tight ends, two kicker/punters, one running back and one quarterback.
“We really tried to focus on the areas where we had the greatest needs going into next fall,” Cooley added. “We lost several key guys off last year’s team, but we also return 92 student-athletes for spring ball. Our family is growing and we are committed to getting better every day.”
With Wednesday’s haul of talent, coach Todd Cooley and his staff expect the family’s fall roster to exceed 120 student-athletes, marking the largest accumulation of talent at Delta State since the 2001 season.
This year’s class also excelled in the classroom, averaging a 21 on the ACT.
“We aren’t just here to play football and win games,” Cooley said. “Having the opportunity to represent this university on the field, in the classroom and within our community is something I take very seriously. We don’t just recruit football players. We recruit student-athletes, who can compete in the classroom just as well as they can on the field.”
SPRING SIGNING CLASS (27)
| NAME | POS | HGT | WGT | PREVIOUS SCHOOL | HOMETOWN |
| Tayvon Benjamin | DB | 6-2 | 180 | Harrison High School | Marrietta, Ga. |
| Aaron Cockroft | OL | 6-1 | 270 | Kosciusko High School | Kosciusko |
| Mose Countryman | OL | 6-5 | 285 | Charleston Southern University | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Keith Crawford | OL | 6-0 | 300 | Pascagoula High School | Pascagoula |
| Tyler Daniels | OL | 6-1 | 260 | Oak Grove High School | Hattiesburg |
| Sean Eaton | TE | 6-6 | 245 | Homewood High School | Homewood, Ala. |
| Chandler Ector | LB | 5-10 | 200 | Cedar Grove High School | Ellenwood, Ga. |
| Dan Gill | LB | 6-2 | 200 | Parklane Academy | Summit |
| Bobby Green | WR | 6-2 | 180 | Milton High School | Milton, Fla. |
| Juwan Hackett | DE | 6-2 | 235 | Tuscaloosa County High School | Northport, Ala. |
| Jackson Hanson | OL | 6-2 | 270 | Enterprise High School | Enterprise, Ala. |
| Miguel Harris | DB | 5-10 | 170 | West Jefferson High School | Harvey, La. |
| Tyler Jackson | OL | 6-3 | 265 | Davidson High School | Mobile, Ala. |
| Kyesun Jackson | DE | 6-3 | 250 | Kosciusko High School | Kosciusko |
| Tripp Janssen | OL | 6-0 | 265 | Starkville Academy | Starkville |
| Cazavion Joiner | NG | 6-1 | 300 | Union Parrish High School | Marion, La. |
| Chris Jones | DE | 6-5 | 220 | Columbia High School | Decatur, Ga. |
| Tyler Kitchings | QB | 6-3 | 180 | Bayou Academy | Shaw |
| Zack McCraw | WR | 5-11 | 160 | Madison Ridgeland Academy | Madison |
| Roderick Mingo | OL | 6-4 | 280 | Davidson High School | Mobile, Ala. |
| Cody Mills | K/P | 5-9 | 200 | Oxford High School | Oxford |
| Matt Nguyen | DB | 5-10 | 170 | Cavalry Christian Academy | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| Dillon Norwood | LB | 6-0 | 195 | Cleveland High School | Cleveland |
| Hunter Pitcher | DE | 6-2 | 230 | North Delta School | Oakland |
| Shawn Sanks | NG | 6-1 | 280 | Foley High School | Foley, Ala. |
| Latrevius Shaw | DB | 6’2 | 180 | Lafayette High School | Taylor |
| Ronnie Smith | LB | 6-0 | 200 | Union Parrish High School | Farmerville, La. |
MID-YEAR TRANSFERS (12)
| NAME | POS | HT | WT | PREVIOUS COLLEGE ATTENDED |
| Randall Boyd | DE | 6-1 | 255 | Itawamba CC |
| Rod Davis | WR | 6-3 | 180 | Northwestern State University |
| Lawrence Hopkins | DB | 5-11 | 200 | Jones County JC |
| John Knox | DB | 6-3 | 215 | University of Georgia |
| Edward McCadney | RB | 5-10 | 235 | Mississippi Delta CC |
| Mark Moore | K | 5-11 | 170 | Pearl River CC |
| D.Q. Reynolds | NG | 6-1 | 350 | Itawamba CC |
| Ledarion Robinson | DB | 6-0 | 205 | Hinds CC |
| Michael Ross | NG | 6-0 | 308 | Hinds CC |
| Jonathan Steube | OL | 6-4 | 335 | Mississippi Gulf Coast CC |
| Cedric Tilman | DB | 5-10 | 190 | University of Louisiana-Lafayette |
| Jay Yates | TE | 6-1 | 265 | Mississippi Gulf Coast CC |
via http://www.gostatesmen.com/news/2014/2/5/FB_0205140845.aspx?elinkdata=44210
