College Football: National Signing Day a Success for URI, Bryant
Thursday, February 06, 2014
February 5th is National Signing Day in college football, a day when hundreds of Division 1 programs see their efforts in recruiting come to fruition as thousands of high school players put pen to paper and make their college choice.
College football may not be as much of a religious deity in Rhode Island as in other areas of the country, but that didn’t stop Bryant and URI from signing large classes of new talent Wednesday as both schools look for a new wave of reinforcements to help them build consistent winners in the coming years.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHere’s a recap of Wednesday’s signings.
URI
With a coaching change and a new direction for the program, there was some concern as to how this recruiting class would pan out for URI, but new coach Jim Fleming and his staff managed to put together an impressive signing day class despite their recent arrival in Kingston.
Rhody announced 20 signings Wednesday, many of them on the defensive side of the ball where Fleming has made his name as a coach in previous years.
Signings
Derek Allen, Defensive Lineman, 6’6”, 300 lbs, Edison, NJ
T.J. Anderson, Linebacker, 6’0”, 200 lbs, Absecon, NJ
Shawn Antoine, Defensive Back, 6’0”, 185 lbs, Bronx, NY
Kingsley Ayeni, Linebacker, 6’1”, 217 lbs, Voorhees, NJ
Tyrone Barge, Defensive Lineman, 6’2”, 270 lbs, Philadelphia, PA
Dino Boyd, Offensive Lineman, 6’4”, 260 lbs, Newark, NJ
Markey Clarke, Running Back, 5’11”, 225 lbs, Wayne, NJ
Harold Cooper, Running Back, 5’7”, 185 lbs, New Haven, CT
Jose Duncan, Defensive Lineman, 6’3”, 220 lbs, Queens, NY
Isaiah Hill, Defensive Back, 5’11” 185 lbs, Ramsey, NJ
Ezra Holmes, Wide Receiver, 6’3”, 200 lbs, West Hartford, CT
Emmanuel Jalbert, Linebacker, 6’2”, 210 lbs, Shrewsbury, MA
Michael LeBlanc, Defensive Tackle, 6’3”, 305 lbs, Charlton, MA
Grant Lewis, Tight End, 6’3”, 215 lbs, Glastonbury, CT
Mark Lowrie, Quarterback, 6’4”, 215 lbs, Foxboro, MA (transferred from Boston College)
Marcus Pantoja, Defensive Lineman, 6’3”, 275 lbs, Paramus, NJ
Duston Payne, Defensive Back, 6’0”, 183 lbs, Miami, FL (played Junior College football at Monroe College in NY)
Monte Sinisi, Defensive Lineman, 6’2”, 260 lbs, Manasquan, NJ
Russell Walton, Cornerback, 6’1”, 170 lbs, Montclair, NJ
Check out the slideshow below this article for some highlights and coach’s comments on each of the 20 newest Rams.
Bryant
Bryant announced 22 signings Wednesday, including a pair of Rhode Island natives in Joe Fine (from Cumberland, son of Bryant Head Coach Marty Fine) and Connor Russ (from Middletown).
The Bulldogs are coming off of a 5-7 season (including a 3-3 record in the Northeast Conference) and have high hopes that the 2014 recruiting class will help continue to build their young program next season. Bryant is entering its 7th season as a Division 1 team next Fall.
Signings
Ken Blasser, Tight End, 6’4”, 235 lbs, Pembroke, MA
Mike Boguski, Quarterback, 6’2”, 195 lbs, Mechanicsburg, PA
Brendan Bullock, Fullback, 5’10”, 210 lbs, Brockton, MA
Mike Burrell, Wide Reciver/Defensive Back, 6’0”, 180 lbs, Glen Cove, NY
Jeffrey Cohen, Tight End, 6’1”, 250 lbs, Hopewell Junction, NY
Patrick Champagnie Jr., Defensive Back, 6’1”, 190 lbs, Boston, MA
Shaun Duncombe, Offensive Lineman, 6’3”, 245 lbs, Plymouth, MA
Dalton Easton, Quarterback, 6’0”, 195 lbs, Miami, FL
Joe Fine, Fullback/Linebacker, 6’1”, 225 lbs, Cumberland, RI
Shawn Gholston, Offensive Lineman, 6’0”, 285 lbs, Petersburg, VA
Cooper Gold, Running Back, 5’10”, 215 lbs, Sandy Hook, CT
Dillon Guthro, Defensive End, 6’3”, 215 lbs, Newburyport, MA
Kevin Lazo, Defensive Lineman/Offensive Lineman, 6’1”, 285 lbs, Pembroke Pines, FL
Ephi Levy, Fullback, 5’9”, 220 lbs, Davie, FL
Pete Mestre, Offensive Lineman, 6’6”, 295 lbs, Shelton, CT
Zach Rezin, Linebacker, 6’3”, 200 lbs, Morris, IL
Connor Russ, Defensive Back, 6’1”, 200 lbs, Middletown, RI
Joel Schaefer, Offensive Tackle, 6’4”, 270 lbs, Grange, IN
Ryan Shortell, Offensive Lineman, 6’3”, 280 lbs, Coram, NY
Scott Tibert, Wide Receiver, 6’3”, 186 lbs, Pasadena, MD
Jake Wiswall, Linebacker, 5’11”, 213 lbs, Great River, NY
Curtis Wickline, Offensive Lineman, 6’3”, 275, Watertown, CT
What about Brown?
Unfortunately, the Ivy League differs from the rest of college football and basketball and Brown cannot comment on recruits until they receive a signed card from the recruit indicating their commitment to the school. This card traditionally comes later than signing day.
For what it's worth, a user on the Voy message board service has identified 13 players as Brown recruits for 2014. That post is linked here.
