Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Football Announces 2017 Recruiting Class
2/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
2017 Signing Day Central
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.- Marshall coach Doc Holliday has announced the Thundering Herd's 2017 football recruiting class. The group features 19 student-athletes and includes nine who are already enrolled at Marshall.
"We're extremely excited about the young men we have coming in," said Marshall head coach Doc Holliday. "We had needs. We felt we met those needs and are eager to get them started in our program."
In what has become the norm for the program, Marshall has two of its newcomers ranked as four-star prospects and 11 more as three-stars by ESPN.com, Rivals.com, 247Sports.com or Scout.com - or some combination of the four.
Below are biographical capsules on each Marshall newcomer:
Position, Height, Weight: WR, 6-3, 200
School: South Dade High School/University of Miami
Hometown: Homestead, Fla.
Recruited by: Alex Mirabal
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com and ESPN.com ... Also had offers from Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi State, UCF, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic and FIU ... Transferred to Marshall in summer of 2016 ... Played in 10 games and made three starts for the Hurricanes ...Caught nine passes for 112 yards with one touchdown ... Made 39 catches for 600 yards and 10 TDs at South Dade ... Led Buccaneers to 2013 Class 8A state championship, defeating Apopka ... Caught 6 passes for 69 yards and a TD in state title game ... Played wide receiver, rush end and also covered kickoffs and returned kicks on special teams ... Florida Class 8A Preseason All-State second team in 2013; honorable mention on Postseason All-State Team.
Janiero Crankfield
Position, Height, Weight: WR, 6-0, 170
School: Clearwater Academy International High School
Hometown: Clearwater, Fla.
Recruited by: Adam Fuller
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com ... Also had offer from Eastern Kentucky ... Committed to Marshall on June 17 ... Also played corner, quarterback, and running back in high school ... Passed for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns, ran for 752 yards and eight touchdowns, caught 12 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns and had 19 tackles (11 solo) with six interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries ... Claimed 2A all-state honors as a senior.
Position, Height, Weight: DL, 6-3, 235
School: Winton Woods High School
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Recruited by: Sean Cronin
A three-star prospect by 247Sports.com ... Committed on July 9, 2015 ... Already enrolled at Marshall ... Also had an offer from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Bowling Green, Ball State and Toledo ... Had 47 tackles and one sack for Winton Woods as a junior ... Had 35 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior.
Position, Height, Weight: DL, 6-3, 240
School: Carol City High School
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Recruited by: Alex Mirabal
A two-star prospect according to Scout.com ... Also had offers from Kansas, Colorado State, FIU and Southern Illinois ... Committed to Marshall on January 28 ... Played defensive end and outside linebacker at Carol City ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.82 seconds ... Bench presses 315 pounds and squats 415 pounds ... Named first-team All-Dade County and third-team all-state ... Helped lead Carol City to a state title and an 11-2 record as a senior.
Sheldon Evans
Position, Height, Weight: RB, 5-11, 205
School: Roswell High School
Hometown: Roswell, Ga.
Recruited by: Pepe Pearson
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com ... Ranked the 36th-best running back in the nation and the 54th-best player in the state of Georgia ... Also had offers from Illinois, Minnesota, East Carolina, Tulane, WKU, Ohio, Miami (Ohio), Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and South Alabama ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds and the shuttle in 4.31 seconds ... Has a 30-inch vertical, bench presses 275 pounds and squats 475 pounds.
Position, Height, Weight: QB, 6-2, 203
School: Langston Hughes High School
Hometown: Fairburn, Ga.
Recruited by: Pepe Pearson
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com and 247sports.com ... Also had offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Gardner-Webb, East Tennessee State ... Committed to Marshall on June 10 ... Threw for 6,894 yards in his four years on varsity for Langston Hughes with 57 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions ... Also posted 667 rushed yards with 21 additional scores on the ground ... Threw for 2,337 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in leading Langston Hughes to an 8-4 record.
Darius Hodge
Position, Height, Weight: LB, 6-2, 248
School: Wake Forest High School
Hometown: Wake Forest, N.C.
Recruited by: Dave Dunn
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com ... Rated the 16th-best player in North Carolina and the 19th-ranked inside linebacker nationally ... Also had offers from NC State, Virginia, Pittsburgh and North Carolina ... Bench presses 300 pounds and squats 450 pounds ... Named the North Carolina Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year as a senior ... Helped lead Wake Forest High School to a 4AA state championship as a senior ... Voted the title game's MVP after posting 17 tackles and two blocked punts in a 29-0 shutout of Greensboro Page ... Posted 136 tackles, nine sacks, eight interceptions, seven blocked punts and two forced fumbles as a senior.
Position, Height, Weight: WR, 6-1, 176
School: Walnut High School
Hometown: Walnut, Ms.
Recruited by: Todd Goebbel
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com ... Rated the 15th-best prospect in the state of Mississippi ... Also had offers from Mississippi State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, South Alabama and Tennessee-Martin ... Originally committed to Mississippi State ... Also lined up at running back, defensive back, linebacker and punter at Walnut ... Caught 25 passes for 673 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior to go with 1,140 rushing yards and 12 more scores on the ground ... Had 45 tackles and three interceptions on defense with a kickoff and punt return touchdown ... Named first-team all-state ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and has a 38 inch vertical leap ... Bench presses 255 pounds and squats 350 pounds ... Also competed in track and basketball at Walnut, where is currently averaging 8.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals.
Position, Height, Weight: LB/S, 6-1, 210
School: Reedley Community College
Hometown: Lott, Tx.
Recruited by: Adam Fuller
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com and 247sports.com ... Committed to Marshall on December 10 ... Tenth-best JUCO safety according to Scout.com ... Named Region II All-California First Team Defense at defensive back in 2015 ... Led team to a 6-4 record in 2015 after redshirting in 2014 ... Also played "wildcat" quarterback and returned kicks (22.5 yards per kick return) ... Leading tackler in 2015 with 57 stops (43 solo) to go with 8.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions ... Posted 52 tackles in 2016 (38 solo), including 8.5 tackles for loss and a sack ... Also had two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and an interception ... On offense, he rushed for two touchdowns and threw another as a sophomore ... Returned three punts for an average of 21.3 yards as a sophomore ... Attended Rosebud-Lott High School in Lott, Texas.
Position, Height, Weight: TE, 6-4, 245
School: Laney Community College
Hometown: Pittsburg, Ca.
Recruited by: Dave Dunn
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com and 247sports.com ... Committed to Marshall on December 10 ... Caught 16 passes in 2016 for 186 yards and six touchdowns ... Snared 15 passes for 204 yards and one score in 2015 ... Attended Pittsburg Senior High School in Pittsburg, California where he began his career as a quarterback and also played basketball.
Kereon Merrell
Position, Height, Weight: DB, 5-11, 175
School: Dodge City Community College
Hometown: Vienna, Ga.
Recruited by: Todd Goebbel
A two-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com ... Committed to Marshall on December 10 ... Posted 27 tackles (17 solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions (one returned for touchdown) in 2016 ... Also had offers from Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe ... Attended Dooly County High School in Vienna, Georgia where he also competed in track and field.
Position, Height, Weight: LB, 6-2, 220
School: Hartnell Community College
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
Recruited by: Adam Fuller
A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com ... Committed to Marshall on December 12 ... The fifth-best inside JUCO linebacker and 49th-best overall JUCO prospect according to Scout.com ... Also had offers from Ole Miss, ECU, Utah State, UTEP, Georgia State, ULM, Northern Colorado and SE Louisiana ... Posted 90 tackles in 2016 with eight sacks and two forced fumbles to earn first-team All-Northern California Football Conference honors ... Attended Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, Maryland.
Darian Owens
Position, Height, Weight: WR, 5-11, 188
School: Clovis West High School
Hometown: Fresno, Ca.
Recruited by: Todd Goebbel
A four-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com ... Originally committed to UCLA ... Also had offers from Nebraska, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, California, Illinois, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, UNLV and Wyoming ... Rated the 27th-best player in the state of California and the 37th-best wide receiver in the nation ... Caught 43 passes for 882 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014 at Clovis West ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds and the shuttle in 3.7 seconds ... Has a vertical leap of 34 inches and squats 425 pounds ... Enrolled at Marshall in the fall of 2016.
DeCavilon Reese
Position, Height, Weight: RB, 5-10, 188
School: Benedictine High School
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Recruited by: Pepe Pearson
A three-star prospect according to 247sports.com ... Also had offers from Syracuse, Miami (Ohio), Toledo and Western Michigan ... Committed to Marshall on January 22 ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds ... A three-year starter who ran for back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons, including his junior campaign where he missed about six weeks due to injury ... Bench presses 225 pounds, squats 485 pounds and deadlifts 512 pounds ... Won a football state title as a sophomore ... Also ran track, finishing second in his district and fifth in his region in the 100-meter dash ... Member of the 4x100 district champion relay team.
Naquan Renalds
Position, Height, Weight: WR, 6-2, 180
School: Vision Educational Learning Center
Hometown: Winter Garden, Fla.
Recruited by: Sean Cronin
A two-star prospect according to Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Also had offers from Tennessee, Kentucky, Syracuse, South Florida, Florida Atlantic and Kent State ... Committed to Marshall on January 28 ... 17th-ranked player in the Orlando Sentinel's 2017 Central Florida Super60 ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds.
Position, Height, Weight: OL, 6-2, 271
School: South Dade High School
Hometown: Homestead, Fla.
Recruited by: Alex Mirabal
A two-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com ... Also had offers from UCF, Temple, Southern Miss, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia State, East Tennessee State and Valdosta State ... Committed to Marshall on January 22 ... Played guard and center at South Dade ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds with a shuttle of 3.5 seconds ... Bench presses 420 pounds and squats 505 pounds ... Also wrestled at South Dade, amassing a record of 41-11 with 22 pins in the 285 pound division.
Shurod Thompson
Position, Height, Weight: S, 6-2, 195
School: Pittsburg High School
Hometown: Antioch, Ca.
Recruited by: Chuck Heater
A four-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com ... Rated as the seventh-best safety in the nation, the 23rd-best player in the state of California and the 148th-best player in the nation ... Originally committed to Oregon State in 2016 ... Also had offers from Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State, Indiana, Kansas, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming ... Named to the Semper Fidelis All-American Game and played for the U.S. Under-19 national team ... Had a combined 122 tackles and six touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons while also competing as a sprinter in track and field ... Enrolled at Marshall for the spring semester ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds ... Played for Victor Galli at Pittsburg High School.
Position, Height, Weight: DB, 6-1, 170
School: Desoto County High School
Hometown: Arcadia, Fla.
Recruited by: Adam Fuller
A two-star prospect according to Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Committed to Marshall on September 26 ... Also played wide receiver, running back and receiver in high school ... Racked up 57 tackles with 11 passes broken up and two interceptions on defense ... Caught 25 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown on offense with 67 passing yards and another touchdown through the air ... Also ran 36 times for 375 yards and three scores ... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds ... Squats 375 pounds ... Named Desoto's offensive MVP ... Participated in the Central Florida All-Star Game.
Position, Height, Weight: WR, 5-10, 170
School: Ellsworth Community College
Hometown: Palm Coast, Fla.
Recruited by: Todd Goebbel
A two-star prospect according to Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com ... Committed to Marshall on August 12 ... Caught 20 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns in 2015 ... Sophomore season was cut short due to injury, but not before he snared 33 passes for 351 yards and three scores in seven games ... Also averaged 23.2 yards per kick return and 11.6 yards per punt return ... Attended Flagler-Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast, Florida where he was an all-area first team selection as a senior, catching 30 passes for 520 yards and five touchdowns.
