TicketsBearcats Sign Talented Recruiting Class
Contact: Tom Hathaway
2/2/2005
Mark Dantonio |
CINCINNATI, Ohio ? Three All-Americans, 13 first team all-state selections and five state champions are among the 24 players who signed national letters of intent to continue their academic and football careers at the University of Cincinnati.
"This is a very exciting time for us," stated UC head coach Mark Dantonio. "We recognized that we have 25 seniors leaving our program who were major contributors last year, which meant that we had a lot of voids to fill. We feel we have replaced them with a solid group of quality young men who will provide a great foundation for our program for years to come."
The Bearcats followed Dantonio's plan of starting with the greater Cincinnati area and working outward through the state of Ohio and the Midwest. UC inked four Cincinnati high school seniors who combined to win three Division I state championships, defensive lineman Terrill Byrd, quarterback Dominick Goodman and linebacker Andre Revels of 2004 state champ Colerain High and quarterback Craig Carey, who played on the Elder High teams that won the 2002 and 2003 titles.
Cincinnati signed a total of 14 players from Ohio, including first team all-state selections Brad Jones, a defensive back from state Division I runner-up Canton McKinley High, receiver Jared Martin of Clyde High, and running back Marcus Waugh from Toledo St. John's.
"We think the guys we looked at from Ohio are just as good as any we could have found in any part of the country speedwise and talentwise," Dantonio observed.
Top out-of-state recruits include Kazeem Alli, a tight end from Hazelwood Central High near St. Louis; defensive linemen Thomas Claggett and Patrick Mimms, both all-metro Washington selections from Frederick Douglass High; and defensive end Trevor Anderson of Crockett Technical High and Connor Barwin from University of Detroit Jesuit High in the Detroit area.
UC also signed two players from the junior college ranks, quarterback Nick Davila from Chaffey Junior College and linebacker Leo Morgan from Lackawanna Junior College.
"I am very proud of our coaching staff for putting together this class," added Dantonio. "They did a tremendous job. If we can do this well every year, we will have a championship team here at Cincinnati."