Feb. 4, 2009

By Tyler Koonce, Sports Information Assistant

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State head football coach Tony Samuel announced the signing of 28 players to National Letters of Intent Wednesday. The Redhawks recruiting class includes 10 players that have enrolled at Southeast for the current semester and will participate in spring drills.

"This looks to me like we put together a good group of kids, a nice mixture," Samuel said. "We needed to fill the void in some areas and I think we did.

"We signed eight offensive linemen, two wide receivers, one running back, two quarterbacks, two tight ends, four defensive linemen, two cornerbacks, three linebacker types and four safety types. That totaled 28 kids with 12 being from in-state."

The Redhawks class includes two Division I transfers that will be eligible to play immediately.

In addition to the 12 players from Missouri, the Redhawks signed four junior college players from California, two from Arizona and one from Oklahoma. They also signed two high school seniors from Florida, two from Oklahoma, two from New Jersey, two from Washington, D.C. and one from Illinois.

Spring practice begins April 8 and concludes with the annual spring game on May 2.

The following players are enrolled at Southeast and will participate in spring drills

Dominic Maldonado            OL           6-4          305         R-Fr.        Eureka, Mo. (Arkansas)

·         Redshirted at Arkansas as a freshman in 2008

·         All-state, all-metro, all-conference offensive guard at Eureka High School

·         Earned a spot on the Scout.com All-Missouri roster

·         Will be eligible immediately

Tyler Epstein                         LB            6-2          238         R-Jr.        Farmington, Mo. (Northern Iowa)

·         Played in all 13 games in 2007 at Northern Iowa, who was ranked No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision for seven weeks

·         All-state, all-conference, all-region linebacker at Farmington High School in Farmington, Mo.

·         Attended Southeast in the fall of 2008, sat out under NCAA transfer rules and will be eligible immediately

Josh Gipson                           OL           6-4          282         Jr.            Clearlake, Calif. (Mendocino CC)

·         Mendocino College Defensive Lineman of the Year

·         Registered 25 tackles, including five tackles for loss in 2008

Aaron Grimes                       CB           5-9          172         Jr.            Los Angeles, Calif. (West Los Angeles CC)

·         All-conference cornerback selection as a sophomore

·         Registered 49 tackles (41 solo), four interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 2008

Brandon Harris                     OL           6-4          295         Jr.            Phoenix, Ariz. (Glendale CC)

·         First-team All-WSFL and All-ACCAC offensive lineman

·         Started 20 games at offensive tackle over his final two seasons

·         Team finished 8-2 was ranked No. 7 in the nation by NJCAA

·         Teammate of Southeast signee DT J.J. Sanchez

Frank Knights                        OL           6-1          295         Jr.            Aptos, Calif. (Cabrillo CC)

·         First-team all-conference offensive lineman

·         Earned a spot on the Nor-Cal All-Combine Team

·         Teammate of Southeast free safety signee Taylor West

J.J. Sanchez                            DT           6-1          277         Jr.            Glendale, Ariz. (Glendale CC)

·         Named first-team All-ACCAC and second-team All-WSFL defensive lineman

·         Team finished 8-2 was ranked No. 7 in the nation by NJCAA

·         Teammate of Southeast signee, offensive lineman Brandon Harris

·         High school teammate of Southeast wide receiver Walter Peoples

Taylor West                          FS            6-2          195         Jr.            Ben Lomond, Calif. (Cabrillo CC)

·         Named first-team All-Golden Gate Conference after finishing second in the state with 109 tackles (59 solo)

·         All-Nor-Cal honorable mention

·         Led the state with blocked five kicks on special teams

·         Teammate of Southeast signee, offensive lineman Frank Knights

·         Academic All-American nominee with a 3.81 GPA.

Abraham Woodard             CB           5-10        180         Jr.            Tulsa, Okla. (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M CC)

·         All-conference cornerback

·         Registered 58 tackles (41 solo) and forced one fumble in 2008

Rashad Fields                        FS            5-11        200         Fr.           Caruthersville, Mo. (Caruthersville)

·         All-region, all-conference safety and wide receiver

·         Rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com

·         Enrolled at Southeast and will participate in spring drills

The following players will enroll at Southeast in the fall

Matt Bell                               WR          6-0          175         Fr.           St. Louis, Mo. (MICDS)

·         Two-time first-team all-conference performer at St. Louis Mary Institute Country Day School

·         St. Louis American Newspaper All-America

·         Caught 74 passes for 1,221 yards and 10 TDs over his final two seasons

·         Made eight receptions for 122 yards in the 2007 state championship game

·         All-state triple jumper in track and field

Tylor Brock                            FS            6-3          195         Fr.           St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway North)

·         All-conference, all-region safety

·         Made 51 tackles (37 solo) as a senior

·         Returned four interceptions for 151 yards in 2008

Evan Conrad                          OL           6-3          305         Fr.           Columbia, Mo. (Hickman)

·         Named first-team Class 6 all-state offensive and defensive lineman

·         All-district, all-conference

·         Tied for first on the team with six sacks as a senior

·         Honor roll student that scored a 27 on the ACT

Isiah Dixon                             RB           5-11        183         Fr.           Jersey City, N.J. (James J. Ferris)

·         First-team all-county running back as a senior

·         Rushed for 1,386 yards and 13 TDs on 139 carries in 2008

·         Averaged nine yards per carry and 125.2 yards per game as a senior

·         Team captain

·         Led team to four consecutive city championships

·         Teammate of Southeast free safety signee Branden Spann

Mike Flash                        OL           6-1          295         Fr.           Oakland Park, Fla. (Northeast)

·         All-conference, all-region center

·         Rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com

D.J. Foster                             WR          6-4          185         Fr.           Joliet, Ill. (Joliet West)

·         Made 28 receptions for 405 yards and three TDs as a senior

·         All-conference, all-region

Derek Gibson                        QB           6-3          200         Fr.           Bonne Terre, Mo. (North County)

·         All-region, All-conference

·         Three-year starter at quarterback

Nathan Jones                        OL           6-2          275         Fr.           Riviera Beach, Fla. (Suncoast)

·         All-conference, all-region lineman

·         Played on both sides of the ball

D.T. Lesane                            TE            6-3          210         Fr.           Washington, D.C. (Dunbar)

·         Washington Post honorable mention

·         Caught 16 passes for 218 yards and five TDs as a senior

·         Teammate of Southeast quarterback signee Tyree White

·         All-league basketball player

Justin Love                            DE           6-3          205         Fr.           St. Joseph, Mo. (Central)

·         Three-year starter as a defensive end

·         Registered 65 tackles (43 solo), five sacks, three tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries as a senior

·         Caught nine passes for 100 yards, two TDs and one 2-point conversion in 2008

Colt McCauley                      DT           6-1          255         Fr.           Marlow, Okla. (Marlow)

·         Earned all-state, all-district, all-conference accolades as a defensive tackle

·         Placed on Oklahoma 3A All-Star team

·         7-time KFXI Player of the Week

·         Teammate of his brother Rowdy, who also signed with Southeast

·         National Honor Society

Rowdy McCauley                 DE           6-2          230         R-So.       Marlow, Okla. (Marlow)

·         All-state, all-district, all-conference defensive end

·         Placed on Oklahoma 3A All-Star team

·         2006 District 3A-2 Defensive Player of the Year

·         8-time KFXI Player of the Week

·         Teammate of his brother Colt, who also signed with Southeast

·         National Honor Society

Art Mueller                           TE            6-4          230         Fr.           Eureka, Mo. (Eureka)

·         Second-team all-state tight end

·         First-team All-Suburban South Conference

·         Teammate of Southeast signee, offensive lineman Dominic Maldonado

Blake Peiffer                         LB            6-1          225         Fr.           Jackson, Mo. (Jackson)

·         Two-time first-team all-state, all-conference linebacker

·         Southeast Missourian Defensive Player of the Year after leading the region with 162 tackles in 2008

·         Father, Dan, played center at Southeast during the 1970s, went on to play in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins and is inducted into the Southeast Athletic Hall of Fame

Craig Robinson                     OL           6-2          310         Fr.           Hayti, Mo. (Hayti)

·         All-state, all-conference, all-region offensive lineman

·         Also all-state in track and field

Nick Shortal                          LB            6-1          210         Fr.           St. Louis, Mo. (MICDS)

·         All-state, all-metro linebacker at St. Louis Mary Institute Country Day School

·         All-conference running back

·         Runs on 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams in track

Branden Spann                     FS            6-2          175         Fr.           Jersey City, N.J. (James J. Ferris)

·         Second-team all-county safety

·         Captain of 4-time city champions

·         Honor Roll student

·         Teammate of Southeast running back signee Isiah Dixon

Tyree White                         QB           6-2          195         Fr.           Washington, D.C. (Dunbar)

·         All-DICAA, all-league quarterback

·         Rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com

·         Passed for 2,035 yards and 18 TDs as a senior

·         Also rushed for 289 yards and seven TDs in 2008

·         DCSportsfans.com first-team quarterback