Class of 2004 Profiles

Brandon Barrett, WR, 6-0, 190, Martinsburg, W.Va.
Parade All-American ... EA Sports High School All-American … SuperPrep All-American … No. 6-rated player in the Mid-Atlantic by SuperPrep … No. 7-rated wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com … No. 30-rated player in the Atlantic East by Rivals.com … No. 63-rated wide receiver in the country by Insiders.com … 140th-rated player in the country by Tom Lemming … No. 14-rated wide receiver in the country by Tom Lemming … Tom Lemming All-American … 16th-best player in the Mid-Atlantic region by Tom Lemming … No. 1-rated wide receiver in the Northeast by PrepStars … Student Sports Preseason Hot 100 … rated nation’s 68th-best player and the second-best player in the East in the preseason by Student Sports … two-time Kennedy Award winner as West Virginia’s top prep football player … just the fifth player in state history to be honored twice by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association … only the second player in the 55-year history of the award to win it whose primary positions wasn’t either running back or quarterback … three-time first-team Class 3A all-state and second-team Class 3A all-state as a freshman … ranks second nationally in career touchdown receptions with 74 … caught 40 passes as a freshman, 51 as a sophomore, 71 as a junior and 91 this season … senior season totals include 91 catches for 1,431 yards and 26 touchdowns … career pass catching totals are 253 receptions for 4,717 yards … had 26 touchdown passes in each of the last two seasons and his 23 TD catches during the regular season this year is a state record … also holds state records for TD catches in a game and for a career … had 88 touchdowns for his career including kick and interception returns … helped Martinsburg to two Class 3A state championship game appearances … first team all-state as a junior in basketball … son of Roxanne Barrett and Richard Johnson … Martinsburg Coach Dave Walker: “It’s had to tell what his numbers would have been if he had played in four quarters the last three years,” he said. “He probably could’ve gotten some national records. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll succeed in whatever he does.”

Rodriguez: "Most people in this state knew about Brandon throughout his career. He's had a temendous career and has been as productive as maybe any receiver in the country. He's been here several times for camps and we've been able to evaluate him in person. He's had great success in high school in a great high school program with Coach Walker. We're tickled to death to get him. He can play inside as a slot receiver and he can play outside as well; he's very good with the ball in the open field and he's going to have a chance to play early in his career."

Tyler Benoit, Ath, 6-1, 195, Broussard, La.
No. 13-rated all-purpose running back in the country by Rivals.com … No. 17-rated player in Louisiana by Rivals.com … No. 23-rated player in Louisiana by SuperPrep … PrepStars Southeast all-region … No. 25-rated player in Louisiana according to Dandy Don’s Top Prospects … Baton Rouge Advocate Louisiana Super Dozen honorable mention … preseason next 100 players to watch in the Southeast by Student Sports … returned to running back as a senior after playing several different positions at Comeaux High School in Lafayette, La., as a junior … rushed for 184 yards and scored four touchdowns in his first game back as a running back in an upset of undefeated Acadiana High School … finished the year rushing for more 888 yards and scored 17 touchdowns in just six district contests … ran for 960 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as a junior … one of the top sprinters in Louisiana … has been clocked at 10.4 in the 100 meters and 21.5 in the 200 meters … won the state 200-meter title last year as a junior and is a favorite to win it again this year … son of Charlotte and Willie Benoit … “Tyler is an exceptional athlete and a harder worker,” said Comeaux coach Brian Langlinais. “He plays where we need him and makes plays at that position.”

Rodriguez: "He's probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest, guys in the state. He already has a qualified test score but he still has some work to do in his core classes. He played running back in high school but we recruited him as an athlete. He could play running back or receiver here but his best position may be corner because he's a big, physical guy and he has a lot of things we're looking for from our corners. We'll determine that when he gets up here. He may be the fastest guy in this class."

John Bradshaw, OL, 6-5, 295, Fredericksburg, Va.
No. 28-rated offensive guard in the country by Rivals.com … No. 10-rated player in Virginia by Rivals.com … No. 84-rated offensive lineman in the country by Insiders.com … No. 17-rated player in the Mid-Atlantic by SuperPrep … 52nd-rated player in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Tom Lemming … PrepStars Mid-Atlantic all-region … No. 17-rated player in Virginia by the Roanoke Times … AP Group 3A first-team all-state … Washington Post All-Metro first team … preseason No. 13-rated offensive lineman in the East by Student Sports … Stafford County Scholar-Athlete … Commonwealth all-academic as a junior and senior … one of the youngest players in the Class of 2004, just recently turning 17 … helped pave the way for the Indians to reach their first state title game last season … son of Brian and Rita Bradshaw … coached at Stafford by Roger Pierce.

Rodriguez: "Big John is a very young guy, only 17 years old. We had John in camp and he did a good job in camp and we liked him. Coach Stew (Bill Stewart) did a good job of recruiting him; he committed early and stuck with his commitment. He's 17 and he's already a 300 pounder. If we do a good job with him in the weight room he'll be 310 or 315 pounds and can move."

Louis Davis, TE, 6-6, 260, Compton, Calif.
Played tight end at Compton Dominguez High School before enrolling at Cerritos Community College in California … helped the Falcons to wins in the 2003 Strawberry and 2004 Potato Bowls … No. 81-rated junior college player in the country by SuperPrep … two-time first-team all-league and second team all-CIF at Dominguez High School for coach Willie Donerson … Press Telegram Dream Team member as a high school senior … played two years on the Compton Dominguez basketball team and also played basketball for Cerritos … averaged 20 points per game as a basketball player in high school … son of Vanessa Freeman and Phill Davis.

Rodriguez: "Big Lou is 6-6, 260 and he may be a little bigger than that. We thought we needed to get an impact tight end in this class because of the graduation of Tory Johnson. We've been using a lot more two-tight end sets and Lou is another really good athlete. He's also a good basketball player and an excellent run blocker. He could probably carry 280 real easily. We're going to give him a crash course when he gets here and try to get him ready to play early in the season."

Mike Dent, DE, 6-4, 255, Jeanette, Pa.
AP Class 2A first-team all-state … Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 Team … Interstate all-conference first team … Pennsylvania Football News Class 2A first team all-state as a defensive end … caught 28 passes for 503 yards and seven touchdowns as a tight end and had 15 sacks as a defensive end … recorded 14 tackles and a safety in the WPIAL championship game against Aliquippa … led Coach Bob Murphy’s Jayhawks to a 12-1 record … three-time Interstate all-conference pick … Old Spice Red Zone player of the year … also plays center for the No. 4-ranked Class 2A team in WPIAL … recently scored his 1,500th career point … honor roll student … son of Bob and Joyce Dent.

Rodriguez: "Mike is the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball and he's another guy that we liked because he's a big athlete who can play on either side of the ball. We're going to look at him as a defensive end; he plays with a lot of intensity and I think he's going to be an excellent player and grow into a big defensive end."

Jake Figner, OL, 6-4, 290, Fogelsville, Pa.
Played at Northwest Lehigh High School where he earned AP Class 2A first-team all-state honors … Pennsylvania Football News Class 2A first team all-state as an offensive lineman … earned honorable mention all-area honors as a junior … an outstanding student … helped the Tigers to a 9-3 record last year … Morning Call and Times-News all-area teams … first team all-Colonial League … team went 11-3 and won the district his junior season … also lettered in basketball … member of the National Honor Society … coached at Lehigh by Bob Mitchell … son of David and Irene Figner.

Rodriguez: "Jake is a lot like John Bradshaw: a big, strong youngster. Jake is an excellent basketball player who has been on some AAU teams. He's extremely intelligent who got a 1,430, I believe, on his SAT. We're really excited about him."

Tito Gonzalez, WR, 6-1, 190, Tampa, Fla.
Made 25 catches for 425 yards and three touchdowns this season at Blake High School in Tampa, Fla. … played in the Hillsborough County all-star game and was an all-county and all-conference pick … Blake, which plays Class 4A, finished this year with a 3-7 record … was picked as the team MVP … caught 31 passes for 500 yards and 3 touchdowns as a junior … coached at Blake High School by Ricky Reynolds … Who’s Who for sports and academics … son of Dorothy Brown.

Rodriguez: "Tito was under the radar recruiting wise and kind of popped up late. When people saw his senior film they really started recruiting him. He's very athletic, got great feet and he can play both inside and outside receiver. He's another guy who is intelligent and is probably going to have an opportunity because of graduation to give us some help as a freshman if he can learn quickly."

Alphonso Gross, RB, 5-9, 180, East Brewton, Ala.
AP Class 3A first-team all-state … Mobile Register All-Region first team … finalist for the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 3A Back of the Year award … rushed 268 times for 2,402 yards and 36 touchdowns … helped the Eagles to the Class 3A state quarterfinals with a 10-3 overall record … ran for 201 yards and scored five touchdowns in a victory over Central-Hayneville High School, and ran 29 times for 220 yards and two touchdowns while throwing a halfback pass in W.S. Neal High School’s 35-12 win over Clarke County High School … accumulated more than 5,700 career rushing yards and scored 85 touchdowns during his prep career for Coach Shane Smothers … part of the 4x100-meter relay team that won the state championship last year and was also a state finalist in the long jump … lettered in tennis … son of Mary and Alphonso Gross.

Rodriguez: "Alphonso had a very productive high school career and he reminded us of Avon Cobourne. When Coach Magee watched him on film he runs like Avon, he's great at jumping cutting and he does a lot of similar things offensively that we do. We're really excited about him. He may not qualify until late and if that's the case we may greyshirt him. If everything works out we'll bring him in with the rest of the class."

Ben Iannacchione, OL, 6-4, 290, Pittsburgh, Pa.
No. 37-rated player in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com … PrepStars East all-region … Harrisburg Patriot News Pennsylvania Platinum 33 team … WPIAL Quad East first team … Big 33 game ... preseason No. 1-rated offensive linemen by Pittsburgh Tribune Review … played right tackle at Baldwin but will probably move to guard in college … Iannacchione is the second Baldwin offensive lineman in as many years to sign with a Division I-A school … last year teammate Kevin Cimador went to New Mexico State … West Virginia first noticed Iannacchione while watching tape of Cimador … Baldwin went 6-4 and lost to Bethel Park in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs … honor roll student … son of Mike and Lisa Jarosh … “He doesn’t block people,” said Baldwin coach Mike Silianoff of Iannacchione, “he strikes people. He has explosion and torque.”

Rodriguez: "We had Ben in camp and he reminded us a lot of Dan Mozes the way his intesnity was and the way he worked. We're very excited about him and he can probably play a couple of different positions on the o-line. He's another very intelligent player and one of the most intense high school linemen I've seen. Big Ben is going to be a nice addition up front."

Mortty Ivy, Ath, 6-2, 205, Monroeville, Pa.
No. 33-rated player in Pennsylvania by SuperPrep … No. 41-rated player in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com … PrepStars East all-region … Harrisburg Patriot News Pennsylvania Platinum 33 team … Big 33 game ... twice named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 Teams … WPIAL Quad South first team … Pennsylvania Football News Class 4A first team all-state as an athlete … Pennsylvania Keystone Club Award … accumulated 2,004 yards of total offense in 11 games as a quarterback at Gateway High School … completed 65 of 123 passes for 1,476 yards and 19 touchdowns while not throwing an interception … rushed 78 times for 528 yards … also played defensive back … led the Gators to a 9-2 record before losing to Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Quad A quarterfinals … preseason next 100 players to watch in the East by Student Sports … had 11 rushing TDs as a junior … Gateway scholar-athlete … also a basketball letterman … son of Mortty and Andrea Ivy … “He does so many things,” said Gateway coach Terry Smith. “I think he can fit into their system as a quarterback, but long term, I see him on the defensive side. I can see him playing strong safety or growing into an outside linebacker.”

Rodriguez: "Mortty Ivy was a quarterback at Gateway and he played for Coach Terry Smith. Also one of Mortty's coaches was Harvey Smith, who played here. Mortty was at our camp and we recruited him as an athlete on either side of the ball. He'll probably start out on defense at outside linebacker or safety. We think he can grow into a true outside linebacker type. Mortty, I think, has a chance to be a great player for us on defense."

Chad Mayse, LB, 6-3, 230, Mentor, Ohio
No. 124-rated player in the Midwest by SuperPrep … No. 41-rated player in Ohio by Rivals.com … No. 46-rated player in state by Ohio High Magazine … Cleveland Plain Dealer Defensive Player of the Year … Cleveland Plain Dealer Lake-Geauga Defensive Player of the Year … AP Ohio Division I first-team all-state … Big 33 game ... recorded 8 ½ sacks and 17 quarterback hurries as a senior at Mentor High School … Mayse also had 79 tackles and 22 tackles for losses … helped Mentor to a perfect 10-0 regular season … Mentor was the top team in Cleveland and advanced to the Division I regional finals for the second year in a row before being upset … … preseason next 100 players to watch in the Midwest by Student Sports … also lettered in track … son of Jeff and Debbie Mayse … “He has that pure talent,” said Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno. “His speed is very good and it allows him to run down quarterbacks. When he sees a sack coming, he accelerates to a different gear, and that’s what the great ones do.”

Rodriguez: "Chad comes from one of the biggest, if not the biggest, high school in Ohio. Chad and his entire team was down here for our team camp and we got to know him and he got to know us. He's an outstanding student and a great football player. He's a 230-pound guy who can move. (Linebacker) is a need position for us: we needed to get some bigger linebackers and Chad fits that mold."

Alton McCann, DB, 6-0, 205, Leaksville, Miss.
Played at Jones County Community College in Ellisville, Miss., the same school that produced current Mountaineer backup quarterback Charles Hales … recorded 72 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions this year as a sophomore … a former high school running back, McCann moved to safety for Jones County and helped them to a 7-2 record this season … earned junior college all-state honors … coached at Jones County by Parker Dykes … prepped at Green County High School … appears to be an excellent fit in West Virginia’s 3-3 stack defense … son of Ernest and Alternette McCann.

Rodriguez: "We've known Alton for a while. Coach (Rick) Trickett was recruiting him out of high school and we've got a good relationship with Jones Junior College. He's going to have an opportunity to play early in his career and he can probably play corner or safety. We'll wait until after spring ball to see where our most immediate need is and then have Alton learn either corner or safety."

T.J. Mitchell, QB, 6-3, 190, Virginia Beach, Va.
No. 14-rated player in Virginia by SuperPrep … PrepStars Mid-Atlantic all-region … No. 14-rated player in Virginia by the Roanoke Times … 2003 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year … AP Group 3A second-team all-state … completed more than 60 percent of his passes for 3,618 yards and 46 touchdowns as a senior …helped Landstown advance to the Virginia Group 3A Division 6 state title game … passed for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns in a four-game run in the state playoffs … against L.C. Bird in the state semifinals he threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a fifth … finished the season ranked in the top 10 in nine Virginia state prep passing categories … his 46 TD passes broke the state single season record and he also owns the state record for completions in a game with 36 against First Colonial High School … Mitchell’s 3,618 passing yards fell 13 shy of the state record of 3,631 set by Mike Biehl at Salem High School in 2001 … passed for 6,168 yards and 65 touchdowns for his career … Landstown has a wide open passing offense … also a basketball letterman … son of Daisy Shaw and Terry Mitchell … “He made everything go for us,” said Landstown coach Chris Beatty. “He’s a great athlete. And he picked up our system really fast. I think he’s got the potential to be a three-time all-Big East kind of player.”

Rodriguez: "T.J played in a very similar offense to ours: shot gun, no-huddle. He led his team to the state finals. He's a big, tall guy who has a great release and can run. He had an extremely productive high school career. Both quarterbacks we've got in this class we're very excited about. They can run and throw and they've got all of the qualifications you need. T.J. is a very competitive young man. He's not a guy who worries about how many quarterbacks we've got coming back. He's going to come in and try to compete and learn the system."

Marcus Platt, RB, 6-0, 180, Venice, Fla.
PrepStars Southeast all-region … No. 72-rated player in Florida by the Orlando Sentinel … was picked as one of the state’s top 10 athletes according to FloridaVarsity.com … led Venice High School to a 9-4 record and into the Class 5A state semifinals … also recorded five interceptions as a defensive back … was a Class 6A third-team all-state pick after rushing for 1,431 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns as a junior … had a season-high 177 yards on just 16 carries in a loss to Fort Myers during his senior season … led the Indians in rushing with 1,080 yards and nine touchdowns on 208 carries … also led the team with 23 receptions for 345 yards and three touchdowns … ranked fourth in the area in rushing and seventh in receiving as a senior … finished his career with 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns … son of Claudine Anderson … “Look at how many times he’s carried the ball,” said Venice coach Nick Coleman. “Look at him playing defense. Look at the plays he’s made when the game is on the line. That’s the difference between good players and average players.”

Rodriguez: "Marcus is a defensive back who is a very good athlete. We're still not sure if Marcus will qualify or not but either way we think he will be able to get into school. Marcus was a very productive player and was probably one of the best players on that coast of Florida. He's an exciting return man and we think he can be an outstanding player. He kind of reminds us a little bit of Pac-Man Jones when we watched his high school film, so that's a big compliment."

Darius Reynaud, WR, 5-10, 190, Boutte, La.
No. 44-rated wide receiver in the country by Insiders.com … No. 46-rated wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com … No. 14-rated player in Louisiana by Rivals.com … No. 28-rated player in Louisiana by SuperPrep … PrepStars Southeast all-region … No. 28-rated player in Louisiana according to Dandy Don’s Top prospects … Baton Rouge Advocate Louisiana Super Dozen second team … St. Charles Herald Parrish Offensive MVP for Coach Lou Valdin … rushed for 1,636 yards with 1,039 of that coming during the regular season … scored 33 rushing touchdowns and 36 total for the year … had nine 100-yard rushing games and scored 10 touchdowns in the state playoffs to help Hahnville High School to an undefeated season and the Louisiana state title … scored three TDs in state championship game against Evangel and was named the game’s MVP with 184 yards rushing and 86 yards receiving … in the state semifinals Reynaud rushed for a season-high 210 yards and scored three touchdowns on 26 carries against Carencro … produced these heady numbers despite missing three games during the regular season … preseason next 100 players to watch in the Southeast by Student Sports … won the state long jump title last year as a junior with a leap of 24 feet … son of Katrina and Michael Reynaud.

Rodriguez: "He was the MVP of the state championship game and Coach Magee recruited him. Darius was a very productive player, an excellent running back, but he's got great hands, too. We think he can play the slot receiver and also return kicks. He probably has an opportunity to play early because of our needs and because of his ability. Darius was a guy a lot of people started recruiting for a long time but toward the end more and more people were after him. Coach Magee did a good job of holding on to him. We're real excited about Darius. He probably has the best hands of any running back I've seen on film in the last four years and that's why we think he can play receiver."

Matt Sinclair, DB, 6-3, 200, Crowley, La.
No. 98-rated player in Louisiana according to one on-line rating service … earned first team 5-3A all-district and all-parish … recorded 64 tackles and four interceptions while also scoring four touchdowns on defense … academic all-state … lettered in basketball and track … Merit Award winner … son of Helen and Joseph Sinclair.

Rodriguez: "Matt is a big defensive back from Crowley, La. We may greyshirt him or we may bring him in depending upon how the numbers fall. He's probably going to be an outside linebacker here. He's big enough and athletic enough to play safety but he'll probably be either an outside linebacker or an inside linebacker before it's all said and done. He's a very physical player and a great character guy."

Doug Slavonic, DE, 6-6, 235, Pittsburgh, Pa.
No. 37-rated player in Pennsylvania by SuperPrep … No. 67-rated defensive end in the country by Insiders.com … Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 team … WPIAL Quad North first-team … Pennsylvania Football News Class 4A third team all-state … Big 33 game ... finished third on the team with 58 total tackles … made 5 tackles for losses … helped Mount Lebanon to an 8-3 record and a WPIAL Quad A North regular season title … the Blue Devils lost to Penn Hills in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals … son of Tom and Gloria Slavonic … coached at Mount Lebanon by former WVU standout linebacker Chris Haering, “Doug is a guy who plays very hard,” said Haering. “He’s an excellent football player. He understands that defense is about being around the football.”

Rodriguez: "Doug played for the legendary Chris Haering who played linebacker here. If you play for Chris Haering you know you're going to get tough, hard-nosed guys that play full speed. Doug is that way. Coach (Tony) Gibson recruited him and Coach Haering said he can play at this level. If Chris tells you that then you know he can do it. Doug is 6-6, 235 who will probably be 280 or 290 in a few years. He reminds me a lot of Mike Fox: kind of a tall, thin guy with a great motor. If he can turn out as good as Mike we'll be okay. We got in early on him and some people tried to recruit him late. I think Doug has a chance to turn into a big-time player."

Ryan Stanchek, OL, 6-5, 265, Cincinnati, Ohio
No. 137-rated offensive lineman in the country by Insiders.com … No. 26-rated player in state by Ohio High Magazine … Ohio Division I first-team all-state … Big 33 game ... Anthony Munoz Foundation conference offensive lineman of the year … earned first team Greater Catholic League (GCL) honors while helping LaSalle to a 7-5 record and a third place finish in the GCL South … LaSalle was knocked out of the Division I regional quarterfinals by Colerain … coached at LaSalle by Tom Grippa … high school team plays a spread offense similar to West Virginia’s … Stanchek plays forward on the Lancers basketball team that recently knocked off top-ranked Moeller High School … also throws discus on the LaSalle tack team … preseason No. 14-rated offensive lineman in the Midwest by Student Sports … active in student government, Teen Life Coalition and Lancer Leaders … son of John and Debra Stancheck.

Rodriguez: "Ryan Stanchek is a big athlete Coach (Bruce) Tall recruited. Ryan is also a pretty good basketball player; an athletic guy who can play tackle or guard. We think he's going to grow into a 290 pounder in a couple of years."

Tyree Suber, DT, 6-2, 295, Concordville, Pa.
Harrisburg Patriot News Pennsylvania Platinum 33 team … Philadelphia Inquirer All-Southeastern Pennsylvania first team … Pennsylvania Football News Class 4A first team all-state as a defensive lineman … Big 33 game ... helped the Bulls to a 7-3 record this season … one of the country’s premiere weight throwers in track … had the nation’s second-best throw in the shot put last year as a junior, coving a distance of 61 feet, ½ inch … came to Glen Mills when he was 14 years old, went back to Philadelphia’s Simon Gratz High School, and later returned to Glen Mills … grandson of Saundra Long and son of Yasmin Suber.

Rodriguez: "Of all the young d-linemen he might have the earliest chance to play because, physically, he's 6-2, 295. He's a very strong young man and he's also president of the student body at Glen Mills. All of his peers respected him and I think Tyree has a chance to make an impact early. If he can learn we'll see. He's just a little bit taller version of Craig Wilson."

Brandon Tate, WR/DE, 6-4, 215, Macon, Miss.
Clarion-Ledger Best of the Rest Top 40 Mississippi prospects … named to the Clarion-Ledger Mississippi all-state first team … caught 46 passes for 825 yards and 10 touchdowns and logged 32 tackles and two interceptions as a defensive back … played on the same prep team as quarterback Omarr Conner and Joey Saunders, both of whom signed last year with Mississippi State … three-time all-district choice … four-year starter at Noxubee High School … helped his team to an 8-6 record … son of Linda and Earnest Harmon … also a standout on the Noxubee basketball team averaging 16.4 points per game through Feb. 1 … “Brandon is strong and has good speed,” coach M.C. Miller says. “He's a mismatch for most cornerbacks.”

Rodriguez: "Brandon goes by the nickname of Mookie. We were recruiting some guys from his high school last year and we went down to see two other recruits at a basketball game, he was playing, and he was the best athlete on the floor. We've been recruiting him for a couple of years now. We're very excited about him. He's a big, physical receiver who knows how to get the ball. If Mookie can learn early and get into our system he could be a physical receiver out on the perimeter for us."

Pat White, QB, 6-1, 180, Daphne, Ala.
PrepStar Southeast all-region ... ranked No. 7 on the Mobile Register Alabama Elite 18 team and the No. 54-rated player in the Southeast … finished third in Mr. Football voting by Alabama Sports Writers Association … according to Mobile Register, his recruiting stock has risen faster than any player in the South … Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 6A first-team all-state … also made the Super all-state team for all classes … Mobile Register all-region team as an athlete … No. 55-rated player in the country as an athlete by Rivals.com … No. 53-rated quarterback in the country by Insiders.com … led Daphne High School to a 14-1 record … Daphne has reached the state championship finals three times in the last four years in football and baseball … rushed 188 times for 1,905 yards and 31 touchdowns and completed 59 of 118 passes for 1,488 yards and 15 scores … racked up more than 3,400 all-purpose yards as a senior … White is also a professional prospect in baseball … son of Bo and Vonametrius White … has an older brother who plays at West Liberty … “He is just a great athlete,” said Daphne coach Steve Savareese. “And he’s a greater person than he is a football player.”

Rodriguez: "Some people were recruiting Pat as an athlete and some were recruiting him as a quarterback. We thought after watching the film that there was no question in our minds that he could play quarterback. He committed to LSU about a week ago but Coach Trickett was persistent and wouldn't take no for an answer. I think he had a great visit and got to know the players real well. He's the fastest quarterback I've ever recruited who can also throw. He's an oustanding young man, has great character and a great leader. With the two quarterbacks we got everything we need in a quarterback. It's hard to get one down South from a school like LSU but Coach Trickett did a good job of recruiting him."

Pernell Williams, RB, 5-11, 195, New Lebanon, Ohio
No. 44-rated running back in the country by Rivals.com … No. 21-rated player in Ohio by Rivals.com … No. 130-rated running back in the country by Insiders.com … No. 107-rated player in the Midwest by SuperPrep … PrepStars Midwest all-region … No. 44-rated player in state by Ohio High Magazine … AP Division IV first-team all-state … Southwest District Division IV player of the year … Big 33 game ... lived in Cleveland before moving to Dayton at age 13 to live with a foster family … ran for a Jefferson High School-record 1,789 yards and scored 23 touchdowns as a senior … had for a school-record 316 yards in one game … had 90 tackles, three sacks and an interception on defense … the Broncos won their final four games to finish the season with a 5-5 record … in his final game against Yellow Springs High School, Williams scored on touchdown runs of 30, 42, 65 and 79 yards and also returned a punt 82 yards for a TD … coached at Jefferson by Robby Moon … preseason No. 10-rated running back in the Midwest by Student Sports … also a track letterman … attended Chaminade-Julienne High School his junior season … son of William Jackson.

Rodriguez: "Pernell is another guy who had a great career. He's a physical runner who was also a very good DB but we're going to play him at running back. He can run, he's very physical, and he knows how to finish off runs. He's got an opportunity to come in and give us immediate depth right away at running back."