Jacksonville State head football coach Jack Crowe announced that 24 players have signed national letters of intent to play for the Gamecocks in 2008.

“We're very excited about the class that we've signed,” Crowe said. “We feel like we've met all our needs for next season and the years to follow with this talented group of recruits.”

The class is highlighted by two very highly touted quarterbacks in Marques Ivory and Casey Weston that combined for three State Championships and an unbelievable prep record of 45-0, with neither ever losing a high school game.

Ivory played at Northside High School in Warner-Robbins, Ga. He has never played in a losing game as a starter, leading the team to 30 straight wins and back-to-back state championships. Northside was ranked 7th nationally. He passed for 1,404 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior and 1,823 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior.

Weston played his senior year at Prattville High School, leading the Lions to their second straight Class 6A state championship and extending the team's winning streak to 30 games. He passed for 1,711 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Lions were ranked No. 3 nationally.

“Our top priority was quarterbacks,” said Crowe. “And, we signed two very good
ones that will fit right in and help this team contend for the OVC Championship.”

JSU's next priority was offensive linemen and again the need has been filled,
according to Crowe.

"We wanted some big, physically tough guys and I think we got them," Crowe said.
"I think we got some players that a lot of other schools wanted. You don't solve problems in the offensive line with freshmen, you sign for the future."

However, at least two or three of the signees may contend for playing time this fall. They include Matt Jones (6-3, 315) of Hoover, D. J. Lashus (6-2, 280) of Dalton Ga., Tori Mobley (6-3, 280) of Columbus, Ga., and Tylor Chambers of Red Bank High School in Chattanooga.

Crowe said this class of signees included defensive backs, linebackers, defensive lineman, running backs, quarterbacks and receivers plus some players listed as "athletes" who are capable of playing more than one position. Two of those players that Crowe describes as “athletes” include Jarius McFarland of Fairfield and Keginald Harris of Hazelwood.

Crowe pointed out that Jacksonville State is doubling its recruiting effort to
build for the future; and that the goal is to win back-to-back conference championships as it did when the team first joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2003.

Here's a complete list of the signees and bio sketches on each signee.


Baylor Bennett (6-3, 235, DE) Auburn, Ala./Auburn HS
Played at Auburn High School for Tim Carter…was an All-Region performer as a senior, where he finished with seven sacks, 34 tackles…had his best game of the year against Theodore…was named to the Opelika-Auburn News All-Area team…also lettered in basketball, where he won the Tiger Award…also recruited by Georgia Southern.

Taylor Chambers (6-3, 280, OL) Hixson, Tenn./Red Bank HS
Played for Tim Daniels at Red Bank High School as a junior and senior and helped the Lions to a 24-2 record…played two years at Lakeview High School in Ft. Oglethorpe…was a three-year starter…graded out at 90 percent and had 27 pancake blocks and 59 knockdowns as a senior to earn All-Region honors…was a five-time Player of the Week…also earned All-Region honors as a junior…also recruited by Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Appalachian State, Chattanooga and Marshall.

Tylor Chambers (6-3, 290, OL) Hixson, Tenn./Red Bank HS
Played for Tim Daniels at Red Bank High School as a junior and senior, and helped the Lions to a 24-2 record…played two years at Lakeview High School in Ft. Oglethorpe…was a three-year starter…was named Class 4A All-State as a senior after recording 36 pancake blocks and 63 knockdowns…was team captain in 2007…was selected to play in the East-West Tennessee All-Star game…was named All-Region Lineman of the Year as a senior and also selected to the 4A Dream Team…was an All-Region selection as a junior and named to the Best of the Preps in 2006…also recruited by Marshall, Eastern Kentucky, Army, MTSU, Appalachian State and Chattanooga.

Kevyn Cooper (6-1, 197, WR) Warner Robins, Ga./Northside HS
Played at Northside High School in Warner-Robbins (Ga.) for Conrad Nix and never lost a high school football game after winning 30 straight, including back-to-back State Championships…the Eagles finished ranked No. 7 in the country in 2007…finished with 582 yards on 29 catches and five touchdowns as a senior and led the team with a 20.1 yards per reception average…was named team's Best Receiver as a senior…was a first-team All-District selection as a senior and was a second-team All-Region performer…finished his career with 952 yards on 55 receptions and eight touchdowns…posted his best game of the season with 187 yards on five catches to help the Eagles to a 31-28 win over Tucker in the semi-final round of the state playoffs as team rallied from a 21-point deficit…was named Who's Who Among American High School Students.

Darius Gaither (6-2, 215, DL) Mableton, Ga./Pebblebrook HS
Played at Pebblebrook High School for Mike Collins…was an All-Region selection as a senior after recording 83 tackles and six sacks…was a three-year starter…was named to the Cobb County All-Star team…posted his best game of the season with 13 tackles vs Woodstock to earn Player of the Week honors…the Falcons posted an 8-2 record and won the region championship his junior season…was a five-time Cobb County Player of the Week…also recruited by Georgia Military College.

John Guthrie (6-1, 210, LB) Cullman, Ala./Cullman HS
Played at Cullman High School for Mark Britton…finished with 61 tackles as a senior and helped lead the Bearcats to a 13-1 record and the Class 5A Region 6 Championship…team advanced to the semi-finals of the state playoffs, winning their first 13 games of the season…had 10 tackles in a 35-14 win over Scottsboro…helped the Bearcats rally from 14 points down in fourth quarter to score 21 points and defeat Hartselle in playoffs.

Keginald Harris (6-3, 190, QB/SAF) Town Creek, Ala./Hazlewood HS
Played at Hazlewood High School for Aaron Goode…was a first-team All-Area and All-Region selection as a junior and senior…helped the Bears to a 12-1 record as a senior after finishing with 54 tackles, six interceptions and 14 pass break-ups…finished his four-year career with 114 tackles, 16 interceptions and 31 pass break-ups…was an honor student and class president…his father, Tony, played football at Mississippi State.

Chris Hood (6-2, 185, DB) Birmingham, Ala./Huffman HS
Played for Alan Plump at Huffman High School…helped the Vikings post an 8-2 record as a senior…had his best game of the year against Clay-Chalkville and was named the Birmingham Touchdown Club Player of the Week…also played quarterback, where he finished with 25 touchdowns…also recruited by UAB, Clemson and Jackson State.

Jason Horton (6-0, 190, SAF) Birmingham, Ala./Huffman HS
Played for Alan Plump at Huffman High School…was an All-State selection as a senior after recording 188 tackles, eight interceptions and three sacks…also had 152 interception returns yards and one touchdown as the Vikings finished 8-2 in 2007…was team captain as a senior…earned All-Area and All-Region honors as a senior and posted his best game of the year with three interceptions and 10 tackles against Pinson Valley…finished his career with 222 tackles, eight interceptions…was a three-time Defensive Player of the Week honoree…an honor student…also recruited by Vanderbilt, Arkansas State and Tennessee Tech.

Marques Ivory (6-1, 235, QB) Warner-Robbins, Ga./Northside HS
Played at Northside High School in Warner-Robbins (Ga.) for Conrad Nix and never lost a high school football game after winning 30 straight, including back-to-back State Championships…the Eagles finished ranked No. 7 in the country…passed for 1,404 yards as a senior and 11 touchdowns as team went a perfect 15-0…was 76-125-3 for a 60.8 completion percentage and averaged 140.4 passing yards…had 45 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown…had his best game of the season, going 11-for-16 for 293 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 31-28 win over Tucker in the semi-final round of the state playoffs as team rallied from a 21-point deficit…was 9-for-16 for 136 yards and a touchdown for a 20-14 win over Ware County in the state finals…as a junior, was 116-for-178 for 1,823 yards and 27 touchdowns…averaged 121.5 yards per game…threw for three or more touchdowns in three games, while throwing for two touchdowns in seven other games…passed for more than 100 yards in 10 games, with a season-high 191 against Westside…also had 109 carries for 545 yards and four touchdowns…holds school record for career passing yards and career passing touchdowns…finished his career with 4,595 passing yards and 45 touchdowns…named Who's Who Among American High School Students…also recruited by Georgia Southern, Western Michigan, Kent State and Akron.

Nick Johnson (5-11, 185, RB) Fort Payne, Ala./Fort Payne HS
Played for Paul Ellis at Fort Payne High School…was named the Region 7 Most Valuable Player as a senior after rushing 82 times for 655 yards and 22 touchdowns…also had 934 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns to earn honorable-mention All-State honors as a senior…was an All-County wide receiver and was team captain as a senior…helped the Wildcats to back-to-back Regional Championships and 11-1 records…finished his career with 1,4087 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns, while hauling in 101 passes for 1,679 yards and 26 touchdowns…holds school records for most career touchdowns (58), most career receptions (101), most career yards receiving (1,679) and most touchdown receptions in a game…also lettered in baseball and track, where he was the Class 5A Indoor Long Jump Champion…also recruited by Navy, Samford and Valdosta State.

Matt Jones (6-3, 315, OL) Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS
Played for Rush Propst at Hoover High School…was a second-team All-State selection as a senior after helping the Bucs advance to the Class 6A Championship game…was a first-team All-Area and All-Region selection after recording 52 pancake blocks and allowing just one sack in 2007…was selected for the Alabama All-Star game in 2007…also recruited by Troy, MTSU and Georgia Southern.

Tae Keith (6-3, 210, WR) Talladega, Ala./Talladega HS
Played for Bill Granger at Talladega High School…was a four-year letterwinner…named first-team All-State as a senior after rushing for 1,116 yards and having more than 800 yards receiving…also was an All-Area and All-Region selection…holds the school record for touchdowns in a single-game, rushing yards in a single-game and is the all-time leading receiver in school history…an honor student…also recruited by UAB, Alabama State and Alabama A&M.

D.J. Lashus (6-2, 280, OL) Dalton, Ga./Dalton HS
Played for Ronnie McClury at Dalton High School as a junior and senior after playing two years at Lakeview High School in Ft. Oglethorpe…was a two-time All-Area selection and All-North Georgia…was named to the All-region 7-AAAA team as a junior and senior, while also earned All-Tri-State honors…named to the Chattanooga Free Press Best of Preps team, both as a junior and senior…graded at 90 percent as a senior and finished with 18 pancake blocks…also recruited by Western Kentucky, Chattanooga and The Citadel.

James Massey (5-11, 195, LB) Marietta, Ga./Wheeler HS
Played for Paul Lombardo at Wheeler High School…was named team captain and team Defensive Player of the Year as a senior…was selected for the Cobb County All-Star Game, where he finished with 12 tackles and one sack…finished season with 140 tackles, five sacks and blocked five punts…posted his best game of the year with 15 tackles against Lithonia…was named to the Marietta Daily Journal All-County team…helped the Wildcats to the Region Championship as a junior, finishing 8-4…also recruited by Georgia Southern, MTSU and Southern Miss.

Jarius McFarland (5-10, 175, ATH) Fairfield, Ala./Fairfield HS
Played for Jim Vakaks at Fairfield High School…was an All-State honorable mention selection as a senior…was team Most Valuable Player in 2006 and 2007 and was team captain as a senior…finished his senior season with 957 rushing yards and 1,123 passing yards to earn first-team All-Metro honors…finished his career with 2,357 rushing yards and 1,932 passing yards…helped the Tigers to back-to-back Class 5A Region Championships in 2004 and 2005…named an ABC 33/40 Player of the Week and also named a Scholar-Athlete…an honor student…also recruited by Troy, Louisville and UAB.

Calvin Middleton (5-11, 220, RB) Acworth, Ga./North Cobb HS
Played for Shane Queen at North Cobb High School…was named County Runningback of the Year as a senior after rushing for 1,138 yards on 135 carries…was a first-team All-County selection and team offensive Player of the Year…was also team captain…named the Atlanta Journal Constitution Player of the Week twice…also named the CSS Player of the Year after helping the Warriors to the Regional 5A Championship and a 10-1 record as a senior…also recruited by UAB, Georgia Southern, The Citadel, Alabama State, Southern Illinois and Richmond.

Tori Mobley (6-3, 280, OL) Columbus, Ga./Carver HS
Played at Carver-Columbus for Dell McGee…was a first-team All-Region selection as a senior after helping the Tigers to the AAA State Championship with a perfect 15-0 record in 2007…finished season with more than 70 pancake blocks…was named to the All-Bi City team…an honor student.

Jarquise Peoples (6-0, 210, LB) Athens, Ala./Tanner HS
Played at Tanner High School for Laron White…was a two-time first-team All-Region selection…finished with more than 1,400 rushing yards as a senior on offense and 92 tackles on defense…was named to the Decatur Daily All-Area team…helped the Rattle Snakes post a three-year record of 27-9…also recruited by Alabama A&M and Catawba.

Mike Powers (6-5, 280, OL) Eastman, Ga./Dodge County HS
Played for Greig Roberson at Dodge County High School…was a first-team All-State selection in 2007 as a senior…helped the Indians to a 9-3 record as a junior and senior…was named the Dodge County News Player of the Week and has his best game against Tanall County…also recruited by Troy.

Ledarius Simmons (6-2, 315, DL) Brighton, Ala./Hueytown HS
Played for former JSU player Jeff Smith at Hueytown High School…was named to the Birmingham News All-Metro team as a senior after helping the Golden Gophers to a 10-2 record and the region runner-up finish…named team's Most Valuable Defensive Lineman…finished his three-year career with more than 150 tackles and 20 sacks…also recruited by Samford and Alabama A&M.

Dimetrio Tyson (6-2, 250, DL) Elba, Ala./Elba HS
Played for Scott Tials at Elba High School…was a four-year lettermen…was an All-State selection as a senior, where he helped the Tigers advance to the state playoffs…was team captain and most valuable defensive lineman his senior season…named All-Area and All-Region…named to the Southeast Sun Super 12 in 2007 after finishing with 77 tackles and four sacks…had his best game vs Straughn, where he recorded 16 tackles in a 25-0 shutout win…named Who's Who Among American High School Students…also recruited by Alabama State, UNA and Harding.

Casey Weston (6-2, 200, QB) Prattville, Ala./Prattville HS
Played his senior season at Prattville High School for JSU graduate Bill Clark and helped the Lions to their second straight Class 6A Championship and a 30-game team winning streak…led Prattville to a No. 3 national ranking after finishing with a 15-0 record as a senior…was 125-for-93 for 1,711 yards and 22 touchdowns to earn All-State honorable mention honors…had 123 carries for 220 yards and two touchdowns running the ball…was named the Montgomery Quarterback Club Player of the Year…was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star game…also recruited by UAB and MTSU.