Signing day for the remainder of the 2010 recruiting class is Feb. 3.

Transcription

1 T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Toledo Football Release CONTACT: Paul Helgren (419) Jan. 14, 2010 For more information, please go to Seven New Players, Including Three 4-Star Recruits, Join Rockets This Semester TOLEDO - The University of Toledo football program got a head start on its 2010 recruiting class with the addition of seven student-athletes who will join the team this semester. Head coach Tim Beckman and his staff added two junior college players, four incoming freshmen and one transfer who will be eligible to play in Included among the seven new players are three who were ranked as four-star recruits out of either high school or junior college: junior college defensive back Taikwon Page, high school wide receiver James Green and wide receiver Cordale Scott, a transfer from Illinois who will not be eligible to play for the Midnight Blue and Gold until The other additions include junior college defensive back Charles Rancifer, as well as high school recruits Gerard Atkins, Robert Lisowski and Ross Madison. All seven players are enrolled at UT for the spring semester and will begin attending class on January 11. They will be allowed to participate in off-season team training and spring practice, which begins in mid-march. We are very excited to add these seven young men to the Rocket family, said Rockets head coach Tim Beckman. To be able to go through our off-season workouts and then later participate in spring practices will be a huge advantage for them. Signing day for the remainder of the 2010 recruiting class is Feb. 3. The following is a synopsis of the Rockets 2010 recruiting class as of Jan. 13, 2010: Gerard Atkins Tight End, Freshman, 6-5, 250, St. Petersburg, FL-Dixie Hollins High School Coach: Mike Morey Coach Beckman: Gerard is a impact player and a good student out of Florida. He helps fill a need at the tight end position with the graduation of Tom Burzine. It is a very big plus having him enroll here in January and go through our off-season training routine. - Continued next page-

2 Toledo Football Recruits, page 2 Gerard Atkins caught 28 passes for 450 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in 2008, earning second-team all-state honors at Dixie Hollins High School in St. Petersburg, FL. Atkins, who added two interceptions as a defensive end, was also named second-team all-region and first-team all-county. As a junior he caught 15 passes for 300 yards and five TDs, earning second-team all-county honors. Atkins also was an all-county basketball player at Dixie Hollins. He signed with South Florida out of high school a year ago but did not attend school there because USF ended up not having enough scholarships remaining last fall. James Green Wide Receiver, Freshman, 6-3, 200, Tallahassee, FL-Leon High School Coach: Bill Ragans Anticipated Major: Criminal Justice UT Faculty/Staff Recruiting Assistant: Mark Wintgens, College of Health and Human Services Coach Beckman: James is an exceptional talent and a great young man. He was one of the top-rated wide receivers coming out of the southeast a year ago. He played with (UT quarterback) Austin Dantin in high school so those two know each other very well. Green played his senior season at high school in 2008 at Tallahasse Leon, the same high school as UT quarterback Austin Dantin. He signed with Tennessee out of high school but did not enroll in school there. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Green played for his uncle and guardian, former Florida State linebacker Lamont Green, at Dr. Krop High School in Miami. He finished with 27 catches for 423 yards with seven touchdown catches three special teams TDs as a junior, earning second-team all-state honors. As a sophomore, Green rushed for more than 800 yards as an option quarterback. Green transferred to Tallahassee Leon for his senior season when his uncle accepted a position on the academic staff at Florida State. At Leon, Green became Dantin s favorite target with 45 catches for 906 yards and 12 touchdowns. He made second-team all-state and was named the District IV Player of the Year. Green was rated the No. 61 wide receiver in the nation and a four-star recruit by Scout.com coming out of high school. Green is enrolled at UT and will participate in off-season training and spring ball. He will be a freshman for the Rockets in the fall. Robert Lisowski Offensive Lineman, Freshman, 6-3, 305, Union, NJ-Union / Fork Union (VA) Military Academy High School Coach: Brian Sheridan Prep School Coach: Mickey Sullivan Coach Beckman: Robert is hard-nosed and tenacious. Playing a year in prep school gives him some background about what college football will be like. He will push our returning players on the offensive line and could compete for playing time as a freshman. Robert Lisowski is a 6-3, 305-pound offensive lineman from Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union,

3 Toledo Football Recruits, page 3 VA, where he spent one season. He attended high school in Union, NJ, where he made first-team all-state and firstteam all-county as a senior, and was named the best lineman in the Watchung Conference. Lisowski was credited with 77 pancake blocks as a senior, as a well as 56 tackles and four sacks on defense. He also played in the New Jersey All-Star Classic. As a junior, Lisowski made second-team all-county. Ross Madison Safety, Freshman, 6-0, 198, Leesburg, VA-Heritage / Hargrave (VA) Military Academy High School Coach: Steve Williams Prep School Coach: Robert Prunty Coach Beckman: Ross will really benefit from being with our team in the off-season. We think he could step in and help us right away at safety. Ross Madison was a running back in high school but moved to safety last year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, VA. Madison attended Heritage High School in Leesburg, VA. His senior season at Heritage was cut short due to injury. He also was a sprinter on the track team. Taikwon Paige Cornerback, Junior, 5-11, 175, Aiken, SC-Aiken /Georgia Military College High School Coach: Carey Johnson Junior College Coach: Bert Williams Coach Beckman: We recruited Taikwon when I was at Oklahoma State so I am well aware of what he can do. He is an exceptional talent with excellent speed who played at a great football school in high school. We expect him to come in and help us right away. Taikwon Paige played two seasons as a cornerback at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, GA. He had six interceptions as a freshman at GMC in Paige, who originally signed with North Carolina out of high school, was an all-state cornerback as a junior and senior at Aiken High School in Aiken, SC. Page, who was one of the top sprinters in the state in high school, was one of 25 seniors named to the 2006 Palmetto Champions All- Stars by the South Carolina Football Coaches Association. Coming out of junior college, Paige was rated a four-star prospect and the 25th-best JUCO player in the nation by Rivals.com, and a three-star cornerback by Scout.com. Following his sophomore season at Georgia Military College in 2008, Paige signed with Auburn but returned to GMC last fall in order to take one class needed to qualify for athletic competition in the Southeastern Conference. He will be a junior for UT next fall. Charles Bobo Rancifer Safety, Junior, 6-2, 205, Brookhaven, MS-Brookhaven/Copiah Lincoln (MS) Community College High School Coach: Tucker Peavey

4 Toledo Football Recruits, page 4 Junior College Coach: Glen Davis Anticipated Major: Undecided UT Faculty/Staff Recruiting Assistant: Stacy Bowers, Athletics Academic Advisor Coach Beckman: Charles was a quarterback in high school so he s a very good athlete who is big and strong enough to play the star position in our defensive backfield. A safety at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, MS, Rancifer was fourth on the team with 52 tackles in eight games in He also had three forced fumbles, one sack and one interception despite missing part of the season due to a broken ankle. As a freshman, Rancifer was third on the team with 100 tackles in nine games, adding three tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. Rancifer played quarterback at Brookhaven High School in Brookhaven, MS, throwing for 1,466 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. He also ran for 833 yards and four TDs. Rancifer will have junior eligibility for the Rockets in Cordale Scott Wide Receiver, Junior, 6-3, 215, Cleveland, OH-Glenville / Illinois High School Coach: Ted Ginn Anticipated Major: Undecided UT Faculty/Staff Recruiting Assistant: Stacy Bowers, Athletics Academic Advisor Coach Beckman: Cordale was rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country coming out of high school. He has the size and speed to be an impact player in our offensive system. Cordale Scott joins the Rockets as a transfer from the University of Illinois. He will have to sit out the

5 Toledo Football Recruits, page University of Toledo Football Recruiting Class Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown-High School / Transfer or Prep Atkins, Gerard TE Fr. St. Petersburg, FL-Dixie Hollins Green, James WR Fr. Tallahassee, FL-Leon Lisowski, Robert OL Fr. Union, NJ-Union / Fork Union (VA) Military Academy Madison, Ross DB Fr. Leesburg, VA-Heritage/Hargrave (VA) Military Academy Paige, Taikwon CB Jr. Aiken, SC-Aiken / Georgia Military College Rancifer, Charles S Jr. Brookhaven, MS-Brookhaven/Copiah-Lincoln (MS) C.C. Transfers Eligible to Play in 2011 Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown-High School / Transfer or Prep Scott, Cordale WR Jr. Cleveland, OH- Glenville / Illinois 2010 Recruits by State Florida (2) Mississippi (1) New Jersey (1) South Carolina (1) Virginia (1)