The University of Akron Athletics
J.D. Brookhart's Press Release Quotes
February 06 | Football
J.D. Brookhart's Press Conference On Signed Recruits
We continue to increase the level of the players we bring to the
campus we have here at Akron. We are very strong in the state of
Ohio and it says a lot about the program and the direction we area
headed. We have 10 in-state kids that are going to fit in real well
with the core group we have already situated here. We knew we had
to focus on some specific areas, where we needed some help, which
was the secondary and the wide receiver position, offensive line
and tight end.I am also pleased with the three in-state
linebackers. This is an extremely solid class. They spent a lot of
time on the campus with our team and they really meshed well and
liked one another, which is what we were looking for. We are very
pleased with where we are today.
Adam Bice - Is going to play center for us here. He is also a very
good defensive lineman. He is very lean and we are going to build
their body up. There is not an ounce of fat on these guys. All of
the lineman we are bringing in are big boys that we are going to
add some size to them.
Deryn Bowser - Is a junior college receiver out of California. He
is a top quality player that is going to make a huge impact on this
team.
Nadir Brown - Is a big, tall, lanky kid who is very athletic. Most
of his assessments were done off junior tapes due to an injury and
we got some exposure during the summer time at elite combines. He
is 6-4 and 200 right now and is very natural at catching the
football.
Marvase Byrd - Is a CB out of Pennsylvania. He is explosive and
another great kid that fits well with our core group of guys
here.
Andrew Colosimo - Will play offensive tackle for us, but played
tight end this year (in high school). He is a tall athletic kid who
is going to grow in to a big body.
Kevin Davis - Is a junior college safety out of California. (Corner
backs) Coach (Emmanuel) McDaniel played with his father (Eric) in
the NFL. Kevin understands the game real well. It will not be a
problem for him to pick up what we are doing and become
effective.
Will Fleming - Son of Defensive Coordinator Jim Fleming. Will was a
tough recruit, seriously. He is a man who was trying to stay away
from his family, but we are glad he made his decision to stay here.
Will start at the safety position for us and we feel he will
eventually grow into the linebacker role. He is a physical kid,
that loves the game.
Kevin Funches - Is a junior college corner out of Kansas that is
big enough to play safety if needed. His cover skills are very good
and he is very physical as well.
Troy Gilmer - Is a linebacker out of Dayton, reminded me of (former
UA linebacker and All-MAC pick) Brion Stokes. Troy is really
athletic and he is going to be bigger than Brion, possibly even by
the time he gets here.
James Harvey – Is currently 6-4 and 280. Last summer we saw
him and he was at 240. By December, he was 280 from what I hear. He
is a big man that played some tight end and running back, but
mostly linebacker. At that size, he is though.
Hasan Hazime - We have been recruiting him for about two and a half
years it seems. He is a big Canadian kid that was finally cleared
by the Clearinghouse and is already enrolled at Akron. He is a
smart, very athletic kid,. The future looks bright for him. He has
not played in a little while, but seems to pick things up
quick.
Rhyne Ladrach - Saw a lot of him at our 7-on-7 camps during the
summer. He is a big kid out of Orville with a lot of speed,
especially for a big guy.
Dashan Miller - This junior college receiver out of California
started at UTEP, and ended up going to Bakersfield College. He took
them to the state finals. He is a good football player that seemed
to fit well with our players and will do well in the program.
Jordan Miller - Is a quarterback out of New Philadelphia and (his
head coach) Matt Dennison does a great job with his kids. They come
here with a great understanding of the game of football. I think
Jordan had a really strong year and was very impressive at our
camp. He is very accurate and has a very strong arm.
Joe Pachuta - Another tall, athletic kid at 6-7 and 290. His weight
is good, but he is going to get bigger and bigger. We like the
potential in Joe very much.
Jared Province - Is a safety out of Warren. He was the Offensive
Player of the Year in the county with 40 touchdowns. We have him on
the defensive side of the ball right now though. He has a very fun
highlight tape to watch.
Josh Richmond - Is a defensive back out of Milford Academy in New
York. We have had our eyes on him for a while now and he will be
finishing up there soon and headed our way. He could be slated as a
safety or cornerback.
Nate Schuler - Is a linebacker out of Springfield, Ohio. He played
safety this year for his team. He loves to play the game and loves
to strike. He also played quarterback for his high school team. He
is a real big athlete.
Norman Shuford - Is a very explosive athlete, coming from one of
the most successful program in Michigan. We have him starting at
the defensive back position and plan on moving him to running back
because it is his natural position. We will make that move after
his first year, if not sooner.
Mitch Straight - Is a big, tall, athletic lineman out of
Pennsylvania. Went to a small school where he dominated his
competition and we got a real steal with of him.
Brian Wagner - Is a linebacker out of Dayton. He is exactly like
Jared Province. Brian is tough, gritty kid that is your typical
Ohio linebacker.
Manley Waller - Is a corner back that we found out of the Atlanta
area. We saw him at Ohio State's camp this past summer. He is 5-8
with tons of speed. His mother was an Olympic track star and his
father was a college All-American. If genetics has anything to do
with this, we have something very special coming to us, which we
think he is.
