February 03, 2016

National Signing Day takes in a huge local haul

By Joseph Santoliquito
PhillyVoice Contributor

Courtesy/Timber Creek football

Timber Creek’s Tyreek Williams can't hide his enthusiasm after committing to Rutgers.

Cary Angeline couldn’t wait to make it official. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Downingtown East senior is considered one of the country’s best high school tight ends and he originally gave an oral commitment to USC. Then something happened. On October 12, 2015, Trojans’ coach Steve Sarkisian was fired, and the program seemed to be in great upheaval. USC even gave Angeline permission to begin talking again to other schools. A torrent of calls from every major college coach besieged Angeline—but he did something that he made official on Wednesday on National Signing Day and that’s to stay committed to USC.

"I think the other thing that made this special was signing before all of the people who helped me get here. I wouldn’t be here without them, and that I finally did it. My parents got emotional, and I even saw my dad cry. It’s the first time I ever saw him cry.”

Angeline was one of hundreds elite high school football players across the nation that signed their official letter of intent. For many, like Angeline, it was a great relief.

It’s the same feeling that Archbishop Wood’s Anthony Russo, Camden’s Ron Johnson and Timber Creek’s Tyreek Williams felt.

• How are Temple and Penn State's recruiting classes looking? Click here.

For Angeline, when USC retained coach Clay Helton, who was an assistant under Sarkisian, that eased the recruiting process.

“Once they kept coach Helton, that convinced me to stay with USC,” Angeline said. “There were a lot of things that were uncertain at USC and they were honest with me. They did allow me to speak to other schools. I think what I enjoyed most about the process was going to different places around the country and speaking with different coaches. This was a great relief off my shoulders. They see me as a tight end and it’s where I’d like to play. I’m happy that it’s official.”

So was Russo, an Elite 11 selection and considered one of the top 17 high school senior quarterbacks in the country last summer. He led the Vikings to the PIAA Class AAA state championship as a junior and his stock rose considerably since then. Russo first committed to Rutgers, but when Scarlet Knights’ coach Kyle Flood and his staff were fired, he felt like looking around at other schools. He chose Temple.

Courtesy/Camden Football

Camden teammates Brad Hawkins and Ron Johnson will be together again at Michigan.

“I’m happy, but I’m happy that it’s over, too,” said the 6-4, 225-pound Russo. “I’m grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had throughout this process. I had a great relationship with coach Flood and it’s why I committed there. I didn’t feel as much of a bond with the new Rutgers coaching staff, and I had a month left in this process. Temple has been there since the beginning and they were one of the first schools to give me an offer. That meant a lot to me. It showed that they had the faith in me.

“Even after I committed to Rutgers, I still had contact with Temple. I liked the fact that they didn’t try to bribe me into changing my mind; they supported my decision. I was impressed by coach (Matt) Rhule’s honesty. When I de-committed from Rutgers, coach Rhule called to tell me there was a recruit from California that was going to commit to Temple. His honesty made our relationship much stronger. It also means a lot committing to a school so close to home. That means everything to me, being able to have my family there after every home game. Coach Rhule really preached to me that I will never miss a holiday, since I’m so close to home.”

Johnson’s recruiting road to Michigan was much smoother than what Angeline and Russo experienced. For one, he’ll be joining his teammate and friend, Brad Hawkins Camden a 6-1, 205-pound wide receiver, at Michigan. When he signed on Wednesday, it struck a visceral cord with Johnson and his family. He saw a little trickle in his dad’s eyes. It’s something that the Camden 6-4, 240-pound defensive end never saw before, when he signed his national letter of intent to sign and play for the Wolverines, after speaking with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh Wednesday morning before making it official.

“I just thought about all of the people who were supposed to do this, but they didn’t have the grades or were missing something else, and I do feel gratitude over this opportunity,” Johnson said. “The Michigan coaches are looking at me as a defensive end or outside linebacker, and they want me there by June. It’s a tight schedule, but this is something I’ve worked my whole life to achieve. I think the other thing that made this special was signing before all of the people who helped me get here. I wouldn’t be here without them, and that I finally did it. My parents got emotional, and I even saw my dad cry. It’s the first time I ever saw him cry.”

Of the quartet, Williams, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker who signed with Rutgers, may have had the most interesting journey to National Signing Day. He didn’t play organized football until he was a sophomore, urged to give football a chance by Chargers’ coach Rob Hinson, who was his history teacher his freshman year. The youngest of three, his two older brothers are incarcerated and didn’t finish high school. For Williams, this was a chance to say, "you're welcome," for all that his family and coaches have done for him.

“This is unbelievable,” Williams said. “I never imaged being in this position. The people around me, like my Uncle Hershell (Williams), imaged this. It was a little emotional, seeing my mom there and the kind of season that we had winning a state championship. Coming from a family where not everyone had the opportunity to go to college is very important to me. (Rutgers coach Chris) Ash recruited me and this means a lot to live up to what he expects of me. I expect to work hard and reach my full potential. I expect to contribute any way I can to the team. I think most of all this meant a lot for my mom. I’m playing for my brothers and for my Uncle Hershell, and I’m thankful for them all being in my life. I guess you can say the football scholarship is like a reward."

••• WHERE THE BOYS ARE •••

PLAYER	SCHOOL	POS	HGT/WGT	COLLEGE
Carlton Aiken	Paulsboro	QB	6-2/180	Central Ct. St.
Cary Angeline	Downington E	TE	6-7/225	USC
Dan Archibong	Springfield	TE	6-6/250	Temple
Kyle Baskin	Quakertown	TE	6-4/210	Columbia
Christian Baumgardner	Ocean City	TE	6-5/240	Virginia
A.J. Baxter	St. Augustine	DB	6-1/175	Rhode Island
Devon Bibbens	Council Rock N	WR	6-0/180	Lehigh
Jake Bovard	Quakertown	P	6-0/210	Air Force
Colin Bradley	Radnor	OL	6-6/280	Lafayette
Drew Brennan	Downington E	PK/P	6-2/165	Penn
Cameron Brown	Simon Gratz	OL	6-4/270	Monmouth
Kimere Brown	Penns Grove	WR	6-0/180	Temple
Darian Bryant	Springside - Chestnut Hill	OL	6-6/330	Temple
Jameer Bryson	W Catholic	WR	6-2/200	S Alabama
Cameron Chambers	Timber Creek	WR	6-3/195	Michigan St.
Mikal Cherry	Del-Val Charter	OL	6-4/305	Central Ct. State
Josh Clark	Camden	LB	6-2/195	Wagner
Mike Clark	Downington E	OL	6-8/280	Syracuse
Doug Costin	Bishop Shanahan	DL	6-3/265	Miami (Ohio)
Kaiden Crawford	Simon Gratz	OL	6-4/275	Delaware State
Nick Diaco	W Deptford	TE	6-2/225	Colgate
D'Andre Dill	Chester	DL	6-3/315	Temple
Yasir Durant	Imhotep Charter	OL	6-5/340	San Diego St.
Keith Earle	North Penn	TE	6-1/230	Lafayette
Noah Ellison	Timber Creek	WR	6-3/185	Old Dominion
Justin Falcone	Haddonfield	OL	6-6/250	Bucknell
Chris Ferguson	La Salle	QB	6-4/225	Maine
Sean Foley	Penn Charter	OL	6-5/270	Lehigh
Greg Gamble	Moorestown	WR	5-11/190	Lehigh
Lawrence Garner	Nor. Burlington	LB	6-2/225	Old Dominion
Alex Gibson	Central Bucks E	RB	5-10/185	Columbia
Isaiah Graham-Mobley	Upper Merion	DB	6-2/195	Temple
Kelvin Harmon	Palmyra	WR	6-2/195	N.C. State
Brad Hawkins	Camden	WR	6-1, 205	Michigan
Thomas Hewitt	Council Rock N	DE	6-3/200	Holy Cross
Charlie Holsopple	St. Joseph's Prep	OL	6-4/265	Colgate
Maurice Jackson	Harry S. Truman	LB	6-2/210	Richmond
Jordan Jefferson	Camden Catholic	LB	6-0/190	Colgate
Ron Johnson	Camden	DE	6-4/240	Michigan
Craig Jones	West Catholic	DB	6-0/185	Central Ct. St.
Jack Lamb	Central Bucks E	LB	6-0/215	Lafayette
John Lass	Cherry Hill E	OL	6-5/280	Dartmouth
Derek Lomax	St. Joseph (NJ)	OL	6-4/270	Lehigh
Rashon Lusane	Malvern Prep	DB	6-1/190	Morgan St.
Branden Mack	Cheltenham	ATH	6-4/195	Temple
Anthony Mague	Shawnee	WR	6-3/200	Wm. & Mary
Brandon McIlwain	Council Rock N	QB	6-1/195	S. Carolina
Ahmir Mitchell	Cedar Creek	WR	6-2/210	Michigan
Andre Mintze	Imhotep Charter	DE	6-4/230	Vanderbilt
Lonnie Moore	Paul VI	WR	5-10/175	Monmouth
Stefone Moore-Green	Paul VI	WR	5-9/180	Bucknell
Ian Murray	Malvern Prep	TE	6-6/205	Lafayette
Elan Nash	Unionville	DB	5-11/190	Navy
Lamine Nouck-A-Nwal	Central Bucks E	OL	6-4/240	Columbia
Tymir Oliver	West Catholic	DE	6-4/265	Illinois
Dymelle Parker	Camden	LB	6-2/195	Towson
Jamal Parker	Camden Catholic	WR	5-9/170	Kent State
Evan Powell	Cherokee	LB	6-2/220	Monmouth
Ryan Quigley	Lansdale Catholic	RB	5-11/190	Princeton
Tyliek Raynor	Imhotep Charter	RB	5-9/170	Temple
Nick Rinella	La Salle	DB	5-9/190	St. Francis (Pa.)
Billy Ritchey	Nashaminy	TE	6-2/235	Sacred Heart
Jon Jon Roberts	West Chester E	QB	5-8/165	Navy
Tyree Rodgers	Camden Catholic	WR/DB	6-2/180	Old Dominion
Anthony Russo	Archbishop Wood	QB	6-4/225	Temple
Mack Schwartz	Archbishop Wood	DE	6-3/215	Navy
Prince Smith	Imhotep Charter	DB	5-11/170	New Hampshire
Kurt Stengel	Archbishop Wood	OL	6-4/265	Navy
Ryan Stover	Upper Dublin	QB	6-4/210	Towson
Tommy Strasburger	Central Bucks E	DB	6-2/185	Lafayette
Demian Thomas	Camden	LB	6-2/190	Maine
Raquan Thomas	Simon Gratz	OL	6-4/350	Massachusetts
Charly Timite	Simon Gratz	DL	6-3/260	Massachusetts
Shaka Toney	Imhotep Charter	LB	6-3/220	Penn State
Naseir Upshur	Imhotep Charter	TE	6-3/245	Florida State
JohnCarlo Valentin	Imhotep Charter	OL	6-5/335	Oklahoma
Benny Walls	St. Joseph's Prep	DB	6-0/200	Temple
Jake Walter	Haddonfield	TE	6-4/240	Wm. & Mary
Mike Waters	Imhotep Charter	RB	5-10/195	Delaware State
Mike Welsh	Shawnee	QB	6-2/195	Monmouth
Nyfease West	North Penn	RB	5-10/195	Delaware State
Tyreek Williams	Timber Creek	LB	6-1/205	Rutgers
Jordan Young	Coatesville	LB	6-2/215	Old Dominion