Tulsa Football Signs 16 to National Letters-of-Intent

AN INSIDE VIDEO LOOK AT FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY
TULSA FOOTBALL SIGNEES LIST & BIOS
COACH MONTGOMERY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

Tulsa, Oklahoma –– The University of Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery called the first-ever early signing period for collegiate football 'a success' as the Golden Hurricane signed a class of 16 student-athletes for 2018.

"We really didn't know how things would work out with the early signing period. It's new to all of us," said Montgomery. "I thought overall our coaches did a great job in identifying the right fit for our university with this class, and we were focused in on trying to sign most of our class today."

Tulsa's class includes five junior college student-athletes and 11 high school seniors, while 10 are defensive players and six on offense. Among the signees, six will be mid-year enrollees, including all five junior college signees and prep quarterback Davis Brin.

JC transfers Malik Welch, a cornerback from Long Beach City College, and Blinn Junior College defensive end Cullen Wick will each have three years of eligibility remaining. Tulsa added Navarro JC linebacker Yohance Burnett as well as a pair of players from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – defensive end Cade Baumann and offensive lineman Judge Hartin. Baumann and Hartin, who are both from Oklahoma high schools, helped lead NEO to a 9-3 record and a fourth-place national ranking in 2017.

Brin leaves Boerne Champion (Texas) High School after throwing for 6,524 yards and 57 touchdowns in his career.

"We're excited about the entire class, but we're certainly pleased that six of the 16 will be able to get acclimated to school in January and participate in spring practice," said Montgomery. "This will be a huge spring for us, and having this number of newcomers getting a jump on what we're doing is important when we get started in the fall."

Among the 11 high school signees, three are from the state of Oklahoma and seven from Texas. The three Oklahoma student-athletes were all listed on The Oklahoman's Super 30 list as the state's top college prospects.

Running back TK Wilkerson, who is from nearby Skiatook High School, rushed for 1,785 yards and 24 touchdowns on 262 carries for a solid 6.8 average per carry. From the western part of the state, the Hurricane signed Jones High School tight end Dalton May and Del City linebacker Anthony Goodlow. May was a four-year letterwinner and as a senior caught 16 passes for 273 yards, a 17.1 average and three TDs. In his prep career, Goodlow, at 6'5", played safety, linebacker and defensive end for the Eagles, and as a senior totaled 105 tackles, 30 TFLs, 19 sacks and 13 QB pressures.

Receiver Imiee Cooksey had two-year career totals of 71 receptions for 1,262 yards and 19 touchdowns at Haltom High School. Tulsa also added X'Zauvea Gadlin to the offensive side of the ball. As a lineman, Gadlin played four of the five offensive line positions in his three years as a starter at Mansfield Summit High School.

Tulsa added five prep defensive players from the state of Texas, including tackle Jaxon Player, cornerback Jabari James, safety Kendarin Ray and linebackers Grant Sawyer and Justin Wright.

Player totaled 117 tackles, 22 TFLs and eight sacks as a senior while helping his Waco Midway team post a 14-0 record. James and Ray are two extremely athletic players who will start out on defense in college after playing quarterback in high school. James put up over 5,000 yards of total offense in his final two seasons at Fort Bend Marshall High School, while Ray passed for 1,598 yards, rushed for 1,953 yards and totaled 35 TDs in his final two years at Brenham High School.

Sawyer played tight end and receiver on offense and on defense was credited 104 tackles and five interceptions as a senior safety. Wright totaled 91 tackles and 15 TFLs his senior season at Abilene Cooper High School.

Tulsa Football Signs 16 to National Letters-of-Intent

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