Football welcomes 23 on National Signing Day
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
FULTON, MS - Coach Sean Cannon and the ICC football coaching staff welcomed 23 student-athletes to the ICC Family on National Signing Day.
"We did lose some really good players off last year's squad," said Cannon. "I think we were able to get some guys to come in to replace those guys in those positions. I feel like the first official day that we were able to meet a lot of our needs."
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Offensively, the Indians signed 10 players on Wednesday. Offensive Coordinator Nick Coleman signed five wide receivers after losing four of his five top guys off last season's team. The fresh faces in the recieving core includes: Zion Ford (Caledonia); Jamel Thomas (Caledonia); Kevarious Brown (Grenada); Donte Freeman (Tupelo); and Austin Watkins (Tupelo).
After losing the nation's top JUCO running back according to 247Sports, the Indians added a pair of running backs in Ford and Kegan Huddleston III (Shannon).
Cannon added quarterback Spencer Unruh (Caledonia) and three offensive linemen in Shedkeydrick Ross (Grenada); Larry Pelison (Madison Central); and Casey Flack (Tishomingo County).
VIDEO: Cannon talks about the 2017 signing class
Defensively, ICC added nine new faces to next season's roster. Cannon, who serves as the Indians' Defensive Coordinator, added four defensive linemen in Cortavious Ivy (Amory); Sterling Stone (Gardendale, AL); Jasteven McClain (Grenada); and former Mississippi State committ Jaquavious Collins (Jackson, GA).
The Indians strengthen their linebacker core with A'Tarius Moore (Calhoun City); Malik Holbert (Northwest Rankin); Kalmorris Robinson (Noxubee County); and Rico Pickens (Southaven). while bolstering their tough secondary with the addition of Derrick Pointer II (Horn Lake).
Cannon added a pair of special teams player in kicker Caleb Comer (Caledonia) and long snapper Thomas Cox (Itawamba AHS) while added a pair of athletes from the Class 2A Champion Calhoun City Wildcats in Jessie Nabors and Tyrese Quinn, who could see action in all three aspects of the game.
2017 ICC Signing Class (click on names to see graphics of signees)
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | High School | ||||||||
| Cortavious Ivy | DL | 5'11 | 330 | Amory | ||||||||
| Caleb Comer | K | 6'1 | 160 | Caledonia | ||||||||
| Zion Ford | RB/WR | 6'0 | 180 | Caledonia | ||||||||
| Jamel Thomas | WR | 6'0 | 180 | Caledonia | ||||||||
| Spencer Unruh | QB | 6'4 | 185 | Caledonia | ||||||||
| A'Tarius Moore | LB | 6'2 | 210 | Calhoun City | ||||||||
| Jessie Nabors | ATH | 5'11 | 175 | Calhoun City | ||||||||
| Tyrese Quinn | ATH | 6'1 | 180 | Calhoun City | ||||||||
| Sterling Stone | DL | 6'3 | 275 | Gardendale (AL) | ||||||||
| Kevarius Brown | WR | 6'3 | 180 | Grenada | ||||||||
| Jasteven McClain | DL | 6'3 | 290 | Grenada | ||||||||
| Shedkeydrick Ross | OL | 6'0 | 290 | Grenada | ||||||||
| Derrick Pointer II | CB | 5'10 | 170 | Horn Lake | ||||||||
| Thomas Cox | LS | 6'2 | 170 | Itawamba AHS | ||||||||
| Jaquavious Collins | DL | 6'4 | 290 | Jackson (GA) | ||||||||
| Larry Pelison | OL | 6'2 | 350 | Madison Central | ||||||||
| Malik Holbert | LB | 6'1 | 230 | Northwest Rankin | ||||||||
| Kalmorris Robinson | LB | 5'10 | 205 | Noxubee County | ||||||||
| Kegan Huddleston III | RB | 5'11 | 210 | Shannon | ||||||||
| Rico Pickens | LB | 6'4 | 200 | Southaven | ||||||||
| Casey Flack | OL | 6'0 | 300 | Tishomingo County | ||||||||
| Donte Freeman | WR | 5'9 | 160 | Tupelo | ||||||||
| Austin Watkins | WR | 5'9 | 160 | Tupelo |
Cannon added three sophomore moving on to the next level on Wednesday. 247Sports' top JUCO running back in the country Octavious Matthews (Stevenson, AL) signed with the University of Kansas while wide receivers Dorian Gaston (Ripley) and Isaiah Howard (Ripley) signed with Lamar University.
VIDEO: Cannon talks about Indians moving on to the next level
"It's about having good players," Cannon commented on players moving on to the next level. "I think coaches want to come to our place because they know we have good players, good academics, and our kids are able to be successful not only on the football field, but also in the classroom when they move up to that next level."
In total, 13 Indians signed with 10 different programs across the coutnry from this season's squad that finished ranked No. 19 in the final NJCAA poll of the season. ICC has helped open the door for 49 football players continue their education as student-athletes on the next level over the pass three seasons.
To the Next Level
| Player | College | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | ||||||||||||||||
| Octavious Matthews | Kansas | RB | 6'1 | 205 | Stevenson, AL | VIDEO | STORY | ||||||||||||||
| Dorian Gaston | Lamar | WR | 6'1 | 185 | Ripley, MS | VIDEO | STORY | ||||||||||||||
| Isaiah Howard | Lamar | WR | 6'3 | 215 | Ripley, MS | VIDEO | STORY |
December Signees to the Next Level
| Player | College | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | ||||||||||
| Abraham Austin | Northeastern State | OL | 6'6 | 340 | Olive Branch, MS | ||||||||||
| Lee Autry | Mississippi State | DL | 6'3 | 320 | Albermarle, NC | ||||||||||
| Peyton Bender | Kansas | QB | 6'1 | 180 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | ||||||||||
| Deon Knox | Arkansas-Monticello | DB | 5'11 | 180 | Grenada, MS | ||||||||||
| Jadarius Little | Jackson State | OL | 6'3 | 330 | Horn Lake, MS | ||||||||||
| Brennon McCormick | Mississippi College | OL | 6'4 | 310 | Olive Branch, MS | ||||||||||
| DqMarcus Shaw | East Carolina | OL | 6'5 | 325 | Batesville, MS | ||||||||||
| Matthew Stewart | Alcorn State | LS | 6'1 | 205 | Kossuth, MS | ||||||||||
| Kenney Wooten | Murray State | DE | 6'2 | 245 | Meridian, MS | ||||||||||
RECAP: Nine Indians sign on the first day of the mid-term signing period
Click Here: For listings of Indians on the Next Level dating back to 1974
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