Tulsa Signs 22 to National Letters-of-Intent
2/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 5, 2003
Tulsa, Okla. - University of Tulsa first-year Head Football Coach Steve Kragthorpe announced today the signing of 22 players to national letters-of-intent on the first day of the national signing period.
Among the signees are eight prep players from the state of Oklahoma, nine players from Texas High Schools and three junior college players. The junior college players include one Oklahoman and two Texans, thus giving the Hurricane nine Oklahoma signees and 12 from Texas. Tulsa also has one signee from the state of Alabama.
Fourteen players are projected to play on defense, including seven in the secondary, six linebackers and one defensive end. Eight offensive players were signed, including four receivers, two tackles, one running back and one quarterback.
"Our coaches did a tremendous job of getting organized, hitting the road and put together, what I think, is an excellent class," said Kragthorpe. "We had official visits from 28 recruits and signed 22 of them. I think that speaks highly of our campus, The University of Tulsa and the community.
"We wanted speed, athleticism and playmaking ability on both sides of the ball. I feel like we've found it with this class."
Among the Oklahoma High School players are three Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman all-state selections, including the state's all-time passing leader, Paul Smith of Owasso High School. Smith threw for a career 9,574 yards and 83 touchdowns. He also added 947 career rushing yards and 23 TDs. As a senior, Smith completed 237-of-398 yards for 3,806 yards and 35 touchdowns.
In addition, East Central defensive back Bobby Blackshire and Holland Hall linebacker Nick Bunting were all-state selections by the Tulsa World. Daily Oklahoman all-state players included Smith, Blackshire and Oklahoma City Douglass linebacker Kevin Hudson. Blackshire and Smith were named to the Tulsa World's Blue-Chip List. Smith and Edmond Santa Fe receiver Roland Garrett are PrepStar magazine all-region performers.
Texas' 5A Defensive Player of the Year, Kinny Spotwood, highlights a solid group of student-athletes from Texas. Spotwood, who is projected as a linebacker at Tulsa, totaled 89 tackles and seven sacks his senior season at Abilene Cooper High School. In addition, defensive back Cortney Fields did not play his senior season due to age-semester requirements, but was rated among the top-100 players in the state by the Dallas Morning News and Lone Star Recruiting following his junior season. Receiver Broderic Jones was the Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year in the 2001 season, but did not play last season after enrolling at a junior college.
The three junior college players are Northeastern Oklahoma A&M defensive end Brandon Jones, who played his prep football at Bishop Kelley High School, and a pair of defensive backs from Trinity Valley Community College, Michael LeDet and Oliver Fletcher. Also included in this class is West Virginia University transfer Shane Graham, who earned two letters for the Mountaineers at linebacker. As a prep senior at Allen (Texas) High School, he was ranked 35th in the state of Texas by SuperPrep magazine, 127th by Max Emfinger's Blue Chip Recruiting and was ranked among the top-50 linebackers nationally by Rivals.com.
2003 University of Tulsa Football Signees
Bobby Blackshire DB 6-3 190 Fr. Tulsa, Okla. East Central HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at East Central High School . . . started both his junior and senior seasons at free safety and wide receiver . . . named to the all-state and all-metro teams by the Tulsa World as a senior . . . was one of 20 players named to the Tulsa World Blue-Chip List . . . was a second-team Daily Oklahoman all-state selection . . . had 99 tackles with four sacks, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries as a senior . . . also caught 15 passes for 293 yards and four TDs as a senior . . . helped lead his team to a 10-2 record and state quarterfinal finish as a senior . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . had career totals of 289 tackles, 10 sacks, 10 interceptions, four fumble recoveries and blocked six kicks . . . also had 41 career receptions for 709 yards and seven TDs . . . also lettered three years in track, finishing second in both the high hurdles and high jump at the Class 5A state meet . . . high school coach was Travis Hill.
Nick Bunting LB 6-1 205 Fr. Tulsa, Okla. Holland Hall HS
A three-year letterwinner at Holland Hall High School . . . started for three years at both running back and linebacker . . . helped lead his team to a 7-2 record as a senior . . . led the Dutchmen in rushing (1,094), touchdowns (14), tackles (86) and sacks (12) in his senior season . . . also had two interceptions as a senior . . . was an all-state and all-metro selection by the Tulsa World . . . earned Daily Oklahoman honorable mention all-state accolades his senior season . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . completed his career with 1,500 rushing yards and 18 TDs, as well as 121 tackles and 16 sacks . . . was injured as a junior and played in only three games . . . also lettered three years in track and basketball . . . high school football coach was Tag Gross.
Nelson Coleman LB 6-2 220 Fr. Dallas, Texas Skyline HS
Was a Rivals100.com all-region selection as a senior . . . had 120 tackles to lead the team his senior season . . . also added two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception . . . was a first-team all-District 10-5A selection as a senior . . . was named to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Coca Cola All-Star team . . . was team captain his senior season . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . academically is ranked among the top-10 percent of his high school class . . . high school coach was Que Britton.
Brandon Diles RB 5-11 190 Fr. Abilene, Texas Cooper HS
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at Abilene Cooper High School . . . helped lead his team to a two-year record of 21-3 . . . rushed for 3,145 yards and 44 touchdowns in his career . . . rushed for over 1,666 yards and 22 TDs his senior season . . . also caught 26 receptions for 280 yards and two touchdowns as a senior . . . led the district in scoring and rushing his senior season . . . set a school single-game rushing record with a 275-yard performance against Odessa as a senior . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . rushed for 1,315 yards and 17 TDs as a junior . . . was a two-time all-district selection and honorable mention all-state performer . . . high school coach was Randy Quisenberry.
Cortney Fields DB 6-1 215 Fr. Dallas, Texas Roosevelt HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Roosevelt High School . . . did not play his senior season due to age requirement . . . started at tailback and in the secondary for three seasons . . . had 12 interceptions his junior season . . . earned all-district honors as a junior . . . rated as top-100 by the Dallas Morning News and Lone Star Recruiting following his junior season . . . totaled 70 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore, while rushing for 670 yards . . . high school coach was Darryl Coleman.
Oliver Fletcher DB 6-1 185 Jr. Cleveland, Texas Trinity Valley CC
Was a two-year letterwinner at Trinity Valley Community College . . . helped his team post a two-year record of 20-3 . . . his team was ranked fifth nationally in 2002 . . . earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors as a cornerback . . . his junior college coach was Chuck Langston . . . played his prep football at Cleveland High School.
Blair Frederick OT 6-5 270 Fr. Houston, Texas Langham Creek HS
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at Langham Creek High School . . . helped his team register a two-year record of 17-5 . . . averaged eight knockdowns per game and graded at 90-percent as an offensive tackle as a senior . . . also played defensive tackle . . . had six knockdowns per game and graded out at 85-percent his junior season . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . earned all-district honors his senior campaign . . . high school coach was Dennis Demel.
Roland Garrett WR 6-1 170 Fr. Edmond, Okla. Santa Fe HS
Was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at wide receiver . . . ranked 11th on the Rivals.com Oklahoma top-30 list . . . was an all-region selection by PrepStar magazine . . . ranked sixth among Class 6A receivers his senior season with 35 receptions for 695 yards and seven touchdowns . . . was named honorable mention all-state by the Daily Oklahoman . . . was a second-team Big All-City performer as a senior . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . was an all-district selection as a junior and earned all-city both his junior and senior seasons . . . had 61 catches for 1,008 yards and 13 TDs his junior season . . . received all-region mention by Rivals.com . . . high school coach was Dan Cocannouer.
Nick Graham DB 5-10 180 Fr. Oklahoma City, Okla. Millwood HS
Was a three-year letterwinner and starter . . . helped lead his team to three straight Class2A state titles, including 15-0 as a senior . . . was a Rivals100.com all-region selection . . . was ranked 26th on the Rivals.com Oklahoma top-30 list as a senior . . . was a second-team Little All-City performer . . . was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Daily Oklahoman . . . earned all-district honors . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . ran on the Class 2A state championship 4x100-meter relay team in 2002, and placed third in the 100m and fourth in the 200m . . . high school coach was Don Willis.
Shane Graham LB 6-1 230 Jr-JC Allen, Texas West Virginia Univ.
Transfers to Tulsa from West Virginia University . . . was a two-year letterwinner at linebacker for the Mountaineers . . . totaled 12 tackles in nine games at WVU in 2002 . . . saw his first collegiate action in 2001 against Miami (Fla.) . . . played his prep football at Allen High School . . . had 137 tackles, eight sacks, six forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and four interceptions his senior season . . . was ranked 35th in the state of Texas by SuperPrep magazine as a high school senior . . . rated 127th in the state of Texas by Max Emfinger's Blue Chip Recruiting . . . ranked among the top-50 linebackers nationally by Rivals.com . . . earned PrepStar magazine all-region honors . . . was ranked among the top-100 players in Texas by the Dallas Morning News . . . earned Gridiron Golden all-state, all-district 9-5A and all-Dallas metro accolades his senior campaign . . . high school coach was his uncle, Todd Graham.
Kevin Hudson LB 6-1 220 Fr. Oklahoma City, Okla. Douglass HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Douglass High School . . . Led the Trojans to the Class 5A semifinals his senior season . . . named first-team all-state linebacker by the Daily Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Coaches Association. . . . was the Big All-City Defensive Player of the Year . . . was a first-team all-District 5A-1 linebacker . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . played every down on defense as a senior . . . recorded 86 tackles, 12 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions . . . at quarterback, rushed for 1,416 yards, passed for 568 yards and accounted for 19 touchdowns . . . high school coach was Stanford White.
Cauvey Jackson RB 6-0 183 Fr. Louisville, Ky. Pleasure Ridge Park HS
Was a two-year starter at Louisville's Pleasure Ridge Park High School . . . missed all but three game of his senior season after suffering a knee injury in September of 2002 . . . still managed to rush for 552 yards, a 13.1 average per carry and eight TDs . . . also had nine receptions for 272 yards . . . had three kickoff returns for 194 yards and one TD and two punt returns for 46 yards . . . was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Louisville Courier-Journal his senior season . . . had 823 rushing yards, 400 receiving yards, and accounted for 23 touchdowns as a junior . . . returned four kickoffs and four punts for TDs his junior season . . . earned all-area and all-conference performer as a junior . . . high school coach was Danny Leasor.
Donnie Johnson WR 5-9 185 Fr. Dallas, Texas Skyline HS
Was a Rivals100.com all-region selection . . . had 34 receptions for 694 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior . . . earned first-team all-District 10-5A and all-state honors . . . was named to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Coca Cola All-Star team . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . academically is ranked among the top-10 percent of his high school class . . . high school coach was Que Britton.
Brandon Jones DE 6-4 240 Jr. Tulsa, Okla. NE Oklahoma A&M
Was a two-year letterwinner at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . junior college coach was Dale Patterson . . . played his prep football at Tulsa's Bishop Kelley High School . . . was a three-year prep letterwinner and started two years at defensive end . . . tallied 227 career tackles, 26 stops for lost yardage, 18 sacks and eight fumble recoveries . . . was a Tulsa World all-state selection as a senior . . . also earned all-metro first team honors his senior season . . . tallied 73 tackles his senior season and recovered seven fumbles . . . had 102 stops and 10 for lost yardage his junior season . . . high school coach was Greg Nation.
Broderic Jones WR 6-1 180 Fr. Ennis, Texas Ennis HS
Was a three-year letterwinner and starter at Ennis High School . . . named the Texas Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in the 2001 season . . . the state of Texas' all-time leading scorer with 70 touchdowns . . . was a SuperPrep All-America selection . . . was a first-team Dallas Morning News all-area selection as a senior . . . caught 58 passes for 983 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior . . . led his prep team to the undefeated seasons and the Class 4A state title his junior and senior seasons . . . was a first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior . . . named the district and area MVP as a senior . . . high school coach was Sam Harrell.
Michael LeDet DB 6-2 215 Jr. West Orange, Texas Trinity Valley CC
A two-year letterwinner at Trinity Valley Community College . . . helped his team post a two-year record of 20-3 . . . his team was ranked fifth nationally in 2002 . . . earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors at safety . . . was an honorable mention All-American selection . . . entered the 2002 season as one of the nation's top-101 junior college prospects according to jcfootball.com . . . his junior college coach was Chuck Langston . . . played his prep football at West Orange Stark High School, where he was a teammate of current TU defensive backs Jeff Thibodeaux and Jermaine Hope . . . was a second-team Class 4A all-state selection as a high school senior . . . high school coach was Dan Hooks.
Cody Madison LB 6-3 240 Fr. Chickasha, Okla. Chickasha HS
Was a four-year letterwinner at Chickasha High School . . . started three years on both offense and defense . . . started at both fullback and linebacker his senior season . . . named the District 5A-1 Linebacker of the Year as a senior . . . led his prep team to a 12-1 record and to the Class 5A state semifinals as a senior . . . was a Tulsa World honorable mention all-state selection as a senior . . . rushed for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns his senior season, while totaling 90 tackles, eight sacks and two fumble recoveries on the defensive side of the ball . . . had 67 tackles, five sacks and four fumbles caused in his junior campaign . . . also lettered three years in powerlifting and two years in basketball . . . high school coach was Tom Cobble.
Jamal McCullar WR 6-3 183 Fr. Terrell, Texas Terrell HS
Was a two-year letterwinner at Terrell High School . . . started at receiver his senior season . . . caught 28 passes for 737 yards and six TDs his senior season . . . also had a 35.0 punting average, and rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns . . . earned first-team all-district honors . . . received a three-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . was ranked 87th nationally at his position by TheInsiders.com . . . did not play his junior season . . . also was a three-year letterwinner in basketball and track . . . high school coach was Tom Gooden.
Paul Smith QB 6-2 175 Fr. Owasso, Okla. Owasso HS
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at Owasso High School . . . also lettered his freshman and sophomore seasons at Edmond Deer Creek High School . . . became the state of Oklahoma's all-time passing leader as a senior with 9,574 career yards . . . had 947 rushing yards, 83 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing TDs in his career . . . completed 237-of-398 yards for 3,806 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior . . . also punted for a 38-yard average his senior season . . . set the Oklahoma High School single-season passing record . . . named all-state by both the Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman his senior season . . . also earned all-state honors by the Oklahoma Coaches Association . . . was the District 6A-3 Player of the Year as a senior . . . was ranked 20th on the Rivals.com Oklahoma top-30 list as a senior . . . was the 49th ranked quarterback nationally by Rivals100.com . . .was an all-region selection by PrepStar magazine . . . was one of 20 players named to the Tulsa World Blue-Chip List . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . completed 182-of-309 passes for 2,691 yards and 21 touchdowns his junior season, while also rushing for eight TDs . . . as a sophomore, he led Edmond Deer Creek to the Class 3A state championship while passing for 3,077 yards and 27 touchdowns . . . also rushed for six TDs as a sophomore . . . also lettered four years in baseball . . . high school coach was his father, Ron Smith.
Burnell Smith DB 6-1 190 Fr. Edmond, Okla. Memorial HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Edmond Memorial High School . . . started all three years at receiver and safety . . . earned honorable mention Big All-City honors his senior season . . . was an honorable mention Daily Oklahoman all-state selection as a defensive back in 2002 . . . earned honorable mention all state honors as a receiver by the Tulsa World . . . had 70 career receptions for 1,246 yards and seven TDs . . . tallied 160 tackles, 12 pass breakups, six interceptions and five fumble recoveries in his career . . . caught 32 passes for 506 yards and three TDs to rank 19th among the Class 6A state receiving leaders as a senior . . . registered 53 tackles, five stops for lost yardage, six pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions his senior season . . . caught 25 passes for 510 yards and three TDs as a junior, while totaling 70 tackles and six pass breakups . . . returned two interceptions for touchdowns as a junior . . . also earned three letters in basketball and two in track . . . high school coach was Toby Daugherty.
Kinny Spotwood LB 6-1 208 Fr. Abilene, Texas Cooper HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Abilene Cooper High School . . . started three seasons at defensive end, and his senior year at running back . . . was named the Texas Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year his senior season . . . ranked as a all-regional selection by Rivals100.com as a senior . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . totaled 89 tackles, seven sacks and blocked four punts from his defensive end position as a senior . . . was a first-team all-state and all-district selection his senior season . . . named district MVP as a senior . . . recorded 14 sacks and seven tackles for lost yardage as a junior . . . earned honorable mention all-district merits his junior season . . . tallied 39 tackles, 10 sacks and forced five fumbles as a junior . . . had career totals of 180 tackles and 27 sacks . . . also lettered four years in track and three years in powerlifting . . . high school coach was Randy Quisenberry.
Terrance Thomas DB 6-0 175 Fr. Gordon, Ala. Ashford HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Ashford High School . . . was a two-year starter at receiver and free safety . . . helped lead his team to a 9-3 record and to the state quarterfinals as a senior . . . credited with 100 tackles, eight interceptions and two fumble recoveries his senior season . . . also returned two pickoffs for touchdowns . . . had 14 receptions for 406 yards and also totaled 602 return yards as a senior . . . was a first-team Birmingham News all-state selection . . . selected to the Class 4A honorable mention all-state team by the Alabama Sportswriters Association . . . named to the Dothan Eagle Super-12 team and was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior . . . tallied 74 tackles and five interceptions as a junior, and also caught 19 passes for 351 yards . . . totaled 174 career tackles, 13 interceptions and five fumble recoveries . . . also lettered three years in basketball and two years in baseball . . . high school coach was Lester Bratcher.
Wade Whitlow OT 6-4 280 Fr. Clute, Texas Brazoswood HS
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at Brazoswood High School . . . was a starting offensive tackle and also played defensive tackle . . . earned first-team all-district and all-county honors both his junior and senior seasons . . . received a two-star rating by TheInsiders.com . . . also lettered in track . . . high school football coach was Dean DeAtley.
