2014 Southeast Missouri Football Recuiting Class
Biographical Sketches
2014 Southeast Missouri Football Recruiting Class Map

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri is laying the foundation for a rebuild and it officially started Wednesday when the Redhawks received 22 commitments on national signing day.

The 2014 recruiting class marks Tom Matukewicz's first at Southeast and these individuals went all-in to help the Redhawks begin molding their football program "brick-by-brick."

"We are very excited about the 2014 recruiting class joining the Southeast Football Family," said Matukewicz. "We want to thank all of the people that made this class possible. The local coaches, businesses, faculty and support staff were the difference-makers. We had a very limited number of scholarships and to be able to sign a full class tells you about the kind of staff we hired. What our staff has accomplished in the last month will prove that the future of Southeast Missouri Football is very bright."

Matukewicz said when he was initially hired as Southeast's head coach back in December that he was going to bring in local talent and he did just that. A total of 10 players from Missouri will join the Redhawks, including nine within a two-hour drive of Cape Girardeau.

"We made a commitment to try and keep our local players home and we were able to do that with this class," added Matukewicz. "I can't tell you how many parents raved about the people here in Cape Girardeau and the University."

Demontrail Clark (ATH, Charleston, Mo.), Anthony Cooper (QB, Springfield, Mo.), Richie Eisenhart (WR, St. Charles, Mo.), Demetrius Luster (WR, Hayti, Mo.), Nick Michel (OL, Poplar Bluff, Mo.), Quentin Michel (OL, Poplar Bluff, Mo.), Darrell Monroe (RB, Caruthersville, Mo.), Colten Proffer (RB, Jackson, Mo.), Zach Stagner (LS, Cape Girardeau, Mo.) and Tyler Fallert (RB, Ste. Genevieve, Mo.) make up the Missouri contingent.

Clark was a four-year starter at Charleston High School, where he played both running back and defensive back. He gained 2,942 yards on 126 carries and caught 18 passes for 423 yards in his career. Defensively, Clark registered 165 tackles, 13 interceptions and two sacks in his prep career.

Cooper earned First-Team All-Conference honors at Kickapoo High School, where he was also named his conference and region's Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 1,935 yards and 27 touchdowns, and scored nine other TDs on the ground his senior year.

Eisenhart garnered Gateway Athletics All-Conference accolades multiple times during his high school career at Francis Howell, while Luster was a Missouri Class 1 All-Media Second-Team selection and First-Team All-Region honoree at Hayti High School.

The Michels, who are twins, join Southeast from Poplar Bluff High School. Nick was a three-year starter at right guard and Nick played right tackle. Both blocked for record-setting running back Bi Nguyen and anchored an offensive line that averaged 4.5 yards per carry.

Monroe gained 1,430 yards and scored 25 touchdowns on 130 carries as a senior at Caruthersville High School. He was the winner of the Carr Trophy, given to the top player in the SEMO Conference.

Stagner, a Cape Girardeau native, played guard on offense and was a defensive end, while handling the long snapping duties at Cape Central High School.

Proffer, another local product, ran for 1,132 yards on 135 carries at nearby Jackson High School last season. He also caught 39 passes for 799 yards and had 1,931 total yards as a senior.

Fallert piled up 5,400 yards and 84 touchdowns in his career at Valle Catholic High School. He was named Class 1 Offensive Player of the Year in 2012. Valle won the 2013 Class 1 Missouri State Championship.

Southeast pulled in the rest of its recruits from seven other states.

Hunter Bledsoe (LB, Eads, Tenn.), Gavin McCrary (Germantown, Tenn.), Jeff Teel (TE, Bartlett, Tenn.) and C.J. Stafford (K, Collierville, Tenn.) are from Tennessee.

Bledsoe was a three-year starter at Briarcrest High School. He finished with 113 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions at linebacker as a senior. Bledsoe earned First-Team All-State and All-Region accolades, as well.

McCrary, also a three-year starter, played both tight end and defensive end at Houston High School. He recorded 21 tackles and four solo stops a year ago.

Teel secured First-Team Class AAA All-District honors at Bartlett High School.

Stafford was a finalist for the Mr. Football Kicker of the Year Award in Tennessee. He was a Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-State honoree at Houston High School.

Keari Brown (WR, West Memphis, Ark.), Kendall Donnerson (DE, Maumelle, Ark.), Craig Mackey (CB, Tallahassee, Fla.), Luther Wright (OL, East St. Louis, Ill.), Connor Alexander (TE, Olathe, Kan.), Brad Ivey (LB, Shawnee, Kan.), Josh Kinzer (S, Owasso, Okla.) and Griffin Pickler (QB, Colleyville, Texas) complete Southeast's out-of-state additions.

Brown hauled in five touchdown passes and had 702 receiving yards as a senior at West Memphis Christian High School. He also averaged 22.7 yards per catch.

Donnerson collected 120 tackles and recovered two fumbles at Maumelle High School last season. A two-star recruit by Rivals.com, he finished his prep career with 25 sacks.

Mackey, who enrolled at Southeast in January, was rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. He had 46 tackles and five interceptions as a senior at Rickards High School.

Wright was a two-year starter and three-year letterwinner at East St. Louis High School. He garnered First-Team All-Metro honors as a senior.

Alexander averaged 19.9 yards per reception and scored six touchdowns last season. As a defensive end, he had 22 tackles, including 10 for loss.

Ivey, another two-star recruit according to Rivals.com, earned First-Team Class 5A All-State laurels at Bishop Miege High School. He accumulated 450 career tackles.

Kinzer ended his prep career with 90 tackles and three interceptions during his senior year at Owasso High School.

Pickler was District Offensive Player of the Year at Colleyville Heritage High School. He had 2,522 passing yards and threw for 29 touchdowns in 2013. Pickler's brother, Clay, is a kicker at Florida State, which won a national title.

Southeast kicks off its 2014 season at home against Missouri Baptist on Aug. 28.