Football Inks Thirteen

Texas State head football coach Brad Wright announced that two transfers and 11 high school players have signed to play with the Bobcats.

One transfer is  Jarrad Stewart, a former standout safety from Pearland who spent last season at the University of Utah.

“We had Jarrad Stewart come in between semesters so we only had 12 scholarships to offer,” Wright said. “We talked to a lot of people who told us that he went to class, and worked hard. He just needed to be closer to his family. He is enrolled here and leading us through drills now.”

One of those 12 scholarships went to Thaddeus Watkins, a junior college offensive lineman from Diablo Valley College in California.

“Thaddeus is one of those guys whose best football is ahead of him,” Wright said. “He is 6’ 4” and up to 260 pounds. He looks like he weighs 180. He is going to fill out to 285-290 easily. He has quick feet and athletic. That is the type of player who you want to play at the tackle position.

The high school players include one of the nation’s Top 32 high school quarterbacks, a running back, three wide receivers, two tight ends, along with one defensive lineman, two linebackers and a defensive back.

The quarterback on the list is Tyler Arndt, who ESPN has listed as one of the top 32 quarterbacks in the nation and who threw for over 7,100 yards and 75 touchdowns during his high school career. Arndt also led Cuero High School to a 36-5 record during his career, including a 13-1 mark in 2009.

“Tyler is one of those guys who we feel very fortunate in getting when you see the list of schools that offered him,” said Wright. “We really feel he can come in here and be a difference maker right away if he can handle the mental part of it. He has all of the physical tools to be great quarterback. He is as big of a recruit that we have had around here.

“He has the complete package. He is 6’ 4”, weighs 205 pounds and completed 63 percent of his passes during his career. He took his team to the State semifinals three years in a row. Then you look at him reading a zone and pulling the ball down and out-running folks. He can do it all.”

The Bobcats signed three wide receivers in Michael Gilmore of La Marque, Deche Milburn of Clear Springs in League City and Marquis Walker from Austin Lanier., while, and Walker rushed for 986 yards. Milburn caught 81 passes for 1,378 yards and 16 touchdowns. Gilmore was named the District 24-4A Special Teams MVP.

“Deche is a bigger and stronger version of Cameron Luke, who was a pretty good receiver for us,” Wright said. “He is a physical receiver that when the ball is in the air, he just goes up and gets it. He is one of the best blocking wide receivers I have seen at any level. Cal was calling him during the week so we feel fortunate to get him as well.

“Michael Gilmore is the prototypical body type of an inside receiver,” Wright said. “What he can do is make you miss. He is an excellent punt and kickoff returner. Marquis is a guy who can stretch the field as a 10.5 guy.”

The running back is Terrence Franks of Angleton High School. Franks ran for 688 yards as a senior.

“Terrence Franks ran a time of 10.39 seconds in the 100 meters during AAU track last year,” Wright said. “We actually had Angleton’s highlights for the season and he was back-up to a player who signed with Missouri. When we were watching the highlight tape, all of a sudden, we asked ‘who was that’ when he was making a run into the line, jumped out to the left, and ended up running down the sideline for a touchdown. He might be a diamond in the rough for this class.”

The two tight ends are Trent Guiberteau of Taylor High School in Katy and David Lewis from King High School in Kingsville. Guiberteau was listed among the Top 25 recruits in the Greater Houston area and Lewis caught 22 passes for 320 yards as a senior. He also played quarterback and threw for 543 yards and rushed for 645 yards as well.

“We are looking to be more versatile and not so one-dimensional at the tight end position,” Wright said. “We want to have someone who can block, but also get out and run routes on passing plays. Both Trent and David are very athletic players who we feel will help us become more versatile.”

DeShun Williams is an All-State defensive lineman who helped lead Carthage High School to two consecutive State championships.

“We signed a bunch of defensive linemen last year, so we had targeted nose guards,” Wright said. “DeShun was the Player-of-the-Year in East Texas. For a defensive lineman to get that award, he has to be a special player. ”

The two linebackers are Drew Hamilton of Lake Dallas High School in Hickory Creek and Byron Hudson from DeSoto High School. Hamilton has been selected to play in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game in San Antonio, while Hudson averaged nearly 11 tackles per game while playing for former Bobcat record-setting running back Claude Mathis.

“The way Drew Hamilton runs and hits, he is what you want in a linebacker,” Wright said. “Byron was a quarterback and running back before moving to linebacker at DeSoto. He can definitely runs to the football and makes contact when he gets there.

The defensive back is Craig Mager, who played on both sides of the football at Luling. As a running back, he gained 814 yards and scored six touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for 841 yards and 10 TDs.

“We are excited to sign him in that he is from right down the road in Luling,” Wright said. “He will start out as a cornerback because he is a physical player who can run. That is what we look for in a cornerback.”

Overall, Wright was very pleased with this year’s recruiting class even though he and his staff had just 12 scholarships to offer.

“We feel like we did good job in signing some players who have good character and can make us more athletic as a team,” Wright concluded. “When you have 25 scholarships, you can miss on one or two guys, but when you are offering only 12, you better get it right. I think our coaches did a good job in getting the right guys.”

TEXAS STATE FOOTBALL SIGNEE CAPSULES

Tyler Arndt, QB, 6’4”, 205, Cuero, Texas (Cuero High School)

Ranked among the Top 32 quarterbacks in the nation by ESPN…named All-District 28-3A and District MVP as a junior and senior…chosen All-Area First-Team and All State Third-Team in 2008…Named All-State First-Team in 2009…led Cuero to a 13-1 record as a senior with the lone loss coming in the State semifinals under head coach Mark Reeve… finished his high school career passing for 7,100 yards and 75 touchdowns…completed 154 of his 251 passes for 2,362 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior…completed 134 of 212 passes for 2,210 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2008…completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,400 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2007…led Cuero to a three-year record of 36-5…also earned All-State honors as an outfielder for Cuero’s baseball team ..  also earned All-District and All-Area recognition in baseball…major at Texas State will be business… is the son of Nancy and Michael Arndt…chose to attend Texas State after being recruited by Houston, Vanderbilt, Missouri, TCU, Virginia, Arizona and Purdue.

Terrence Franks, RB, 5’10”, 184, Angleton, Texas (Angleton High School)

Helped Angleton High School finish with a record of 12-2 in 2009 under coach Finis Vanover…earned All-District 24-4A Second Team honors in 2009 after being named an Honorable Mention selection as a junior…rushed for 688 yards in 2009… two-time All-State selection in track after helping Angleton win District 24 championship in the 4×100m and 4×200m relays…the 4×100m relay team was state champions in 2009…plans to major in sports management at Texas State…son of Clem and Alice Franks…his relatives include current Orlando Magic forward RashardLewis, current Tennessee Titan fullback Ahmard Hall, former Texas A&M cornerback Arkeith Brown and former Baylor standout guard and Harlem Globetrotter Andre Branch…signed with Texas State after being recruited by Northwestern State, UTSA, Utah State, Montana, UTEP and Lamar.

Michael Gilmore, WR, 5’7”, 160, La Marque, Texas (La Marque High School)

Starting wide receiver  who earned All-District 24-4A First-Team honors in 2008 and 2009…named the District Special Teams MVP in 2009…also named a two-time All-County selection…earned Honorable Mention All-State Honors as a senior…chosen team and offensive MVP in 2008…also named Track Team MVP in 2009 after running on the 200m, 4×100m and 4×400m relay teams…the 1600m relay team qualified for the Regional Championships…is a member of the National Honor Society… son of Michael and Jocelyn Gilmore…signed with Texas State after being recruited by Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State and Northwestern State.

Trent Guiberteau, TE, 6’3”, 235, Katy, Texas (Taylor High School)

Named All-District 17-5A as a junior and senior…played for coach Flint Risien… also played baseball at Taylor…was named one of the Top 25 players in the Houston area by VYPE magazine…is the son of Ray and Karen Guiberteau…his father was a two-year letterman as a fullback at LSU…chose Texas State after being recruited by Tarleton State and Southeastern Louisiana.

Drew Hamilton, LB, 6’0”, 210, Hickory Creek, Texas (Lake Dallas High School)

First team All-District 5-4A selection who played for coach Mike Young…also named a All-Area First-Team performer and chosen Honorable Mention All-State in 2009…led Lake Dallas to a 10-2 record in 2009…also participated in power lifting and track…son of James and Louise Hamilton…signed with Texas State after being recruited by Baylor, Stephen F. Austin, NIU and North Texas…plans to major in engineering at Texas State… selected to play in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game in San Antonio.

Byron Hudson, LB, 6’1”, 191, DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto High School)

Averaged 10.8 tackles and 7.0 per game while playing for former Texas State record-setting running back Claude Mathis at DeSoto High School…recorded 136 total tackles during his senior year while leading his team to a 9-3 record  his team…recorded a season-high 17 tackles against Cedar Hill and Mesquite…also had 16 tackles versus North Mesquite and 15 versus Bryan…named All-District 11-5A First Team selection in 2008 and 2009…chosen DeSoto’s defensive MVP three times…is the son of Myron and Merla Hudson…his brother Ryan was a football player at Grambling State.

David Lewis, TE, 6’4”, 250, Kingsville, Texas (H.M. King High School)

Two-time All-District 31-4A performer in 2007 and 2009….played quarterback and tight end as a junior and senior…during his senior season, he threw for 543 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns on 106 carries…recorded 22 receptions for 320 yards while playing as a tight end… played for coach Andy Hrncir…his mother is Sharon Lewis…signed with Texas State after being recruited by Baylor.

Craig Mager, DB, 5’11”, 181, Luling, Texas (Luling High School)

Named the 2009 District 27-3A MVP and an Honorable Mention All State selection…played for coach Robert Dean…had 46 receptions with 841 yards and 10 touchdowns…also gained 814 yards and six touchdowns on  88 carries…also played basketball and competed in track and field…grandmother is Sue Ellis.

Deche Milburn, WR, 5’11”, 185, League City, Texas (Clear Springs High School)

Caught 81 passes 1,379 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2009…named All-District 24-5A and All-Greater Houston area selection…also chosen All-County and All-State…was a Houston Touchdown Club Award finalist…played for coach Clint Hartman…, also earned All-District honors in basketball…plans to major in journalism at Texas State…son of Karen and Printez Milburn…father played at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Jarrad Stewart, DB, 5’9” 189, Houston, Texas (Pearland High School/Utah)

Transfer from Utah who is already attending Texas State…returned to his home state after sitting out the 2009 season as a redshirt…named All-State Second-Team and All-VYPE First-Team selection in 2008…played at Pearland High School for coach Tony Heath…also named District 22-5A and Brazoria County Defensive MVP after recording 57 solo tackles, 62 assisted stops, six interceptions, four pass break-ups and two tackles for losses as a senior…returned one of the interceptions back for a touchdown…served as team captain as a  junior and senior…helped lead Pearland to the Class 5A Division I Region III finals…Pearland finished with a 12-1 record in 2008…chosen the Houston Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year in 2008…two-time All-District 24-5A selection…was the District Newcomer of the Year in 2006…named one of the Top 100 recruits in Texas by the Houston Chronicle…had 13 interceptions during his high school career…four-year letterman in football and two-time letterman in track at Pearland…received the school’s Principal Award in 2007 and named the 2007 Pearland Geography Student of the Year…son of Donald Jiles and Tiffany Milo.

Marquis Walker, WR, 6’1”, 170, Austin, Texas (Austin Lanier High School)

Played  football, basketball and was a member of the track and field team…football coach was Odis Jones…named Second-Team All-District 26-4A in 2008 and an All-District 26-4A First-Team selection in 2009…rushed for 986 yards…best game was  against Elgin where he ran for three touchdowns and 181 yards in one half…named to the Second Honor Roll…earned All-District First Team honors as a junior in basketball…regional qualifier in track and field as a junior as well…member of the yearbook and  Journalism Club…major at Texas State will be kinesiology at Texas State… son of Rod Walker.

Thaddeus Watkins, OL, 6’5”, 270, Pleasant Hill, California (College Park HS)

Transfer student from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California…played for coach Mike Darr at Diablo Valley…earned All-Northern Cal Conference honors in 2009…plans to major in sociology and exercise science and sports at Texas State…son of Thaddeus and Kathy Watkins.

Deshun Williams, DL, 5’11”, 280, Carthage, Texas (Carthage High School)

Two-time All District 18-3A and All State selection for head coach Scott Surratt…played an instrumental role on two consecutive Class 3A state championship teams at Carthage…named the District 18-3A MVP  in 2009…recorded 132 tackles, 30 TFL, 17 QB pressures, six sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass break ups, one fumble recovery, and one rushing touchdown as a senior….named the Longview News-JournalDefensive MVP on the All-East Texas football team….chosen First Team defensive lineman on the All-Smoaky.com team….throws the shot and discus in track….participates in power lifting…selected to play in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game in San Antonio…son of Abura and Vanessa Williams….also recruited by Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State.