Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Adds Eight Players to Class of 2023
12/21/2022 7:30:00 PM | Football
Huff excited about quality of Herd's new family members
Fresh off a 9-4 season and victory in the Myrtle Beach Bowl that ended the year with a five-game winning streak, Marshall head coach Charles Huff said the additions of the eight players announced fills several needs due to graduation losses while building a baseline for the rest of the class as well.
"Obviously, we are extremely excited about the young men joining our team," Huff said. "A lot of these young men, we've developed relationships with them and their families over the past year, so to finally bring a birthdate to them joining our family is exciting. There's a good variety of talent, size, speed, strength and toughness – aspects that we were looking for in players to join our family."
Of the eight members announced on Wednesday, three were defensive backs, solidifying the Thundering Herd's losses due to graduation after the 2022 season.
Those players include Ohio's Caleb Clark-Glover, Indiana's C.J. Davis and Florida's Ahmere Foster – all of which were listed as three-star recruits coming in.
"The flexibility that we were able to create this year, keeping healthy guys on the field and playing the type of defense we play, you have to have multiple skill-set guys," Huff said. "We fixed some of our questions. We lost some DBs due to graduation and this helps us restock some of those positions."
In addition to the three defensive backs, Marshall added a player whose name will bring up memories within the Thundering Herd fanbase – Ohio linebacker Jaden Yates, the son of former Marshall linebacker Max Yates.
"It's important to always be able to keep the legacy train connected," Huff said. "We have to mindful in creating lanes in where the young men coming can create their own path of success, just like their parents did."
The Thundering Herd also added a local product to its family today in offensive lineman Shawn Rouse, a standout at Cabell Midland High School, which also produced starting center Logan Osburn.
Other offensive additions announced include Morehead State transfer quarterback Colin Parachek and South Carolina-based product Tracy Stephens, who brings a 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame to the tight end room.
Marshall also added Kentucky-based defensive lineman Beni Tshita, a 6-3, 260-pound product from Dupont Manual High School, on Wednesday. Tshita is one of five three-star recruits included in Wednesday's announced signing class.
Huff said that Marshall will continue to be aggressive in its recruitment of the NCAA Transfer Portal, as the program looks to continue the success in the portal that has been seen in each of his first two years as head coach of the Thundering Herd.
The final National Signing Day for the Class of 2023 is set for Feb. 1.
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Members of the Class of 2023
12:46 p.m.: Jaden Yates, LB, 6-1, 220, Chicago, Ill./Columbus, Ohio, Gahanna Lincoln H.S.
10:30 a.m.: Colin Parachek, QB, 6-4, 210, Dexter, Mich., Morehead State
10:30 a.m.: Beni Tshita, DL, 6-3, 260, Louisville, Ky., Dupont Manual H.S.
10:24 a.m.: Tracy Stephens, TE, 6-5, 260, Columbia, S.C., Ridge View, H.S.
9:03 a.m.: Caleb Clark-Glover, DB, 5-11, 165, Springdale, Ohio, Cincinnati Princeton H.S.
8:59 a.m.: Ahmere Foster, DB, 5-9, 165, Miami, Fla., Christopher Columbus H.S.
8:50 a.m.: Shawn Rouse, OL, 6-4, 260, Milton, W.Va., Cabell Midland H.S.
7:27 a.m.: C.J. Davis, DB, 6-0, 175, Fort Wayne, Ind., Bishop Dwenger H.S.
Biographical information for players, who are arranged in alphabetical order
Caleb Clark-Glover
Position: DB
Height: 5-11
Weight: 165
Hometown: Springdale, OhioÂ
School: Cincinnati Princeton H.S.
Rated a three-star prospect and a 2nd Team All-Ohio selection after finishing with 32 tackles and nine pass breakups this year for Princeton. Also ran track. Committed to Marshall in June 2022. Chose Marshall over offers including Air Force, Army, Navy, Old Dominion and Toledo, among others.
C.J. Davis
Position: DB
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.Â
School: Bishop Dwenger H.S.
Rated a three-star prospect and the No. 24 prospect from Indiana by 247Sports after a season in which he registered 70 tackles while adding five interceptions and two forced fumbles. Also had 23 receptions for 340 yards and scored seven total touchdowns on the year. Committed to Marshall in June. Chose Marshall over offers including Air Force, Army, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
Ahmere Foster
Position: DB
Height: 5-9
Weight: 165
Hometown: Miami, Fla.Â
School: Christopher Columbus H.S.
Rated as a three-star recruit after a season in which he helped lead Christopher Columbus to a state championship. For the year, he registered 53 tackles while adding four interceptions and one forced fumble. He also scored four touchdowns this season. Committed to Marshall in July. Chose Marshall over offers from Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Florida Atlantic and Akron.
Colin Parachek
Position: QB
Height: 6-4
Weight: 210
Hometown: Dexter, Mich.Â
School: Morehead State
The Morehead State transfer attended Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy after serving as a three-sport athlete in high school. As a freshman at Morehead State, Parachek appeared in four games, starting two of them. In his senior year, he led Michigan in passing yards (2,451) and TDs (25). Was an All-State, All-Conference and All-Region selection his senior year.
Shawn Rouse
Position: OL
Height: 6-4
Weight: 260
Hometown: Milton, W.Va.Â
School: Cabell Midland H.S.
A local talent, Rouse helped Cabell Midland's offense to recover from a slow start to make the Class AAA postseason. Rouse was a First Team All-MSAC selection that committed to Marshall in June. Rouse chose Marshall from offers including James Madison, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State.
Tracy Stephens
Position: TE
Height: 6-5
Weight: 260
Hometown: Columbia, S.C.Â
School: Ridge View H.S.
Huge target makes for a formidable two-way talent at tight end. Caught 10 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns this season at Ridge View. The big-bodied tight end chose Marshall over offers from USF and Georgia State.
Beni Tshita
Position: DL
Height: 6-3
Weight: 260
Hometown: Louisville, KYÂ
School: DuPont Manual H.S.
Rated a three-star prospect after finishing with an impressive statistic line in his final season. Tshita finished with 43 tackles, including 13.5 tackles for loss with 7.5 sacks, and seven blocked kicks to his credit. Chose Marshall over offers from Central Michigan, Eastern Kentucky and several others.
Jaden Yates
Position: LB
Height: 6-1
Weight: 220
Hometown: Chicago, Ill./Columbus, OhioÂ
School: Gahanna Lincoln H.S.
All-Ohio First Team selection, as well as an All-Region selection and the Conference Player of the Year. Son of former Marshall standout linebacker Max Yates, Jaden kept on his father's playmaking ability, finishing with 122 tackles, including 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Yates chose Marshall over offers from Kentucky, Ohio and Toledo, among others. Also received heavy interest from Minnesota and Wisconsin.
