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SUU Football Inks 14 To Letters Of Intent
2005 SUU National Signing Day Release in PDF Format
CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah University has signed 14 student-athletes to football letters of intent during the January signing period, according to SUU head football coach Wes Meier. Included in the group are 11 high school and three junior college athletes. All 11 of the high school signees earned all-state recognition last year, with nine of them first-team honorees. "We're really excited about the class we've recruited this year," Meier said. "We feel like we've been able to bring in great classes the last two years and this year is no different. The three JC players we've signed during this period should all be able to step right in and help right away and we think some of the freshmen will contribute next year as well. This is an excellent class and combined with the players we signed during the early period and the players we have returning we're optimistic about next year." Two of the players have local ties as running back Kyle Coop and defensive lineman T.J. Hardy all hail from St. George. Coop, a first-team all-stater who rushed for 1,855 yards with 17 touchdowns, is a senior at Snow Canyon High School, while Hardy is a senior at Dixie High. Hardy played both ways at DHS, where he earned all-state honors as a running back as well. The Thunderbirds signed more players at defensive line, four, and linebacker, three, than at any other position. Linebackers Drew Willard (Roy HS), Alex Richardson (Brighton HS) and Robert Takeno (Hillcrest HS) all earned first-team all-state recognition. In addition to Hardy, the Thunderbirds will welcome defensive linemen Jeremy Cowart, a native of Tacoma, Washington, who played at Snow College; Austin Curtis (Layton HS) and Ryan Roberts (Bingham HS). Curtis and Roberts both earned first-team all-state honors. SUU also signed two wide receivers and two offensive linemen, as well as one defensive back and one kicker during the January signing period. Craig Gritton (Copper HIlls HS) and Trevor Higley (Fremont HS), a duo of first-team all-state wide receivers signed, as did first team all-state offensive linemen Dan Gardner (Springville HS) and OL Mark Taylor (Bountiful/Dixie State College). Gardner was a first-team all-state selection. David Bailey, who was a second-team all-state honoree out of Davis HS, was the lone defensive back signed, and kicker Joseph Mack (Duluth, Ga./Snow College) round out the SUU signees. SUU signed four players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. The Thunderbirds inked three players from Utah junior colleges and another from Arizona and all four are currently enrolled. Two came in as tight ends while the other two are wide receivers. The tight ends are Ryan Larsen, a 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from Dixie State College and Layton's Northridge High School and Brett Johansen, a 6-2, 230-pound native of Nampa, Idaho, who played his junior college ball at Snow College. Kevin Tallman, a 6-4, 205-pound transfer from Idaho Falls, Idaho (Snow College); and Jeff McKane, a 6-1, 180-pound transfer from Mesa, Ariz. (Mesa Community College) are the wide receivers. The entire class, including the early signees and the January signees, are listed below.
Southern Utah's 2005 Football Signees: Player Pos Ht Wt Hometown Previous School David Bailey DB 5-11 185 Kaysville, Utah Davis HS Kyle Coop RB 6-0 175 St. George, Utah Snow Canyon HS Jeremy Cowart DL 6-3 240 Tacoma, Wash. Snow College Austin Curtis DL 5-11 275 Layton, Utah Layton HS Dan Gardner OL 6-3 285 Springville, Utah Springville HS Craig Gritton WR 5-10 170 West Jordan, Utah Copper HIlls HS T.J. Hardy DL 6-2 250 St. George, Utah Dixie HS Trevor Higley WR 6-3 180 Hooper, Utah Fremont HS Brett Johansen TE 6-2 230 Nampa, Idaho Snow College Ryan Larsen TE 6-2 230 Layton, Utah Dixie State College Joseph Mack K 5-9 170 Duluth, Ga. Snow College Jeff McKane WR 6-1 180 Mesa, Ariz. Mesa Community College Alex Richardson LB 6-3 225 Sandy, Utah Brighton HS Ryan Roberts DL 6-3 225 South Jordan, Utah Bingham HS Robert Takeno LB 5-11 210 Sandy, Utah Hillcrest HS Kevin Tallman WR 6-4 205 Idaho Falls, Idaho Snow College Mark Taylor OL 6-8 290 Bountiful, Utah Dixie State College Drew Willard LB 6-2 195 Roy, Utah Roy HS |
