The fax machine rang a happy tune and celebratory high fives and horn blowing were a common occurrence at the TVCC Field House Wednesday morning as Brad Smiley’s first recruiting class began to materialize.
The way the rookie Cardinal head football coach and his staff saw things, it was definitely a time for whooping and hollering. With each letter of intent that printed, they realized playmakers were on the way.
“The biggest thing (about this class) is the number of playmakers we were able to sign,” Smiley said late Wednesday afternoon. “We had a couple of areas of need we had to address at quarterback and on the defensive line, but other than that we went after kids who could make plays for us up and down the line.”
As of Wednesday night by the time the fax cooled off, the TVCC recruiting class was at 29. Smiley said the recruiting process is virtually never-ending on the junior college level and the number would grow in the days and weeks to come.
“Signing days doesn’t represent and end for us,” Smiley said. “It just indicates to us where we are and what we still need. We will still be looking for the best players we can find.”
With just one quarterback on campus heading into spring workouts, Smiley and his staff signed a pair of signal-callers — Bobby Joe Barrett of Arlington Seguin and Marcus Bowman of Carthage.
“Both are very talented and both are winners,” Smiley said. “They also both bring something different to the table.
“Barrett (6-0, 185) ran the pro-style offense and has a good arm and is very accurate. Bowman (6-2, 195) is an option quarterback and can run. He can also throw the ball effectively.”
The other area of need was helped by the signing of seven defensive linemen.
Headlining the group is Michael Collins (6-3, 265) of Crockett, Jonathan Blackshire (6-1, 25) of John Tyler and Jeromie Aysire (6-5, 275) of Arlington Lamar.
“Collins, in my opinion, is probably the best defensive lineman in East Texas,” Smiley said.
Smiley and the Cardinal coaches also signed four players from state champion squads in the 2006 season — three from Alto and one from Cedar Hill. The Alto signees include brothers Tyson and Tarcellus Mitchell, who will line up at wide receiver and tight end, respectively.
Smiley said a focal point of the recruiting process was signing players from schools with winning traditions.
“It was big to me to get players from programs that were winners,” Smiley said. “Those kids have been well coached and know what it takes to win.
“This recruiting class has met our expectations, no question.”
2007 TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE SIGNEES
Pos. Player Ht. Wt. School
QB Bobby Joe Barrett 6-0 185 Arlington Seguin
QB Marcus Bowman 6-2 195 Carthage
RB Jeremy Lofton 5-10 185 Alto
RB Marcus Mann 5-9 185 Austin McCallum
RB Nathan Pegues 5-9 180 Sanger
FB Kameron Lair 5-8 235 Cedar Hill
WR Aaron Blackshire 5-8 185 Ennis
WR David Little 6-1 170 Garland
WR Tyson Mitchell 6-2 190 Alto
WR John Turner 5-11 195 South Garland
TE Tarcellus Mitchell 6-4 210 Alto
OL Colton Jones 6-2 285 Arlington Bowie
OL Zack Spears 6-7 290 Arp
OL Josh Walters 6-5 310 Denton Ryan
LB Jon Chitty 5-11 220 Lake Worth
LB Pharius Haynes 6-3 220 Beaumont Central
DL Jonathan Blackshire 6-1 250 John Tyler
DL Michael Collins 6-3 265 Crockett
DL Jacob Fincher 6-4 240 Waxahachie
DL Willard Henson 6-2 220 Irving MacArthur
DL Chauncie Moore 6-2 250 Paris
DL Josh Robinson 6-3 235 South Garland
DB Kelvin Brent 5-7 165 Irving MacArthur
DB Tim Hayter 6-1 170 Tyler Lee
DB Hershel Hunt 6-3 190 Ennis
DB Brian Johnson 5-9 160 Garland
DB Jordan Johnson 6-2 190 Houston Westside
ATH Dwight Hamilton 5-11 175 Garland
Sports
Bring on the playmakers
Smiley: First recruiting class at TVCC accomplishes mission
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