Signees List

SAVANNAH, Ga.- On the first day of the football signing period, 20 players, all from the Peach State, signed National Letters of Intent to play for Savannah State University head football coach Robby Wells next season.

 

“I am really excited about this class,” said Wells. “I thought the 2008 class was good but this class will be able to hold their own at Savannah State as one of the best recruiting classes in school history.”

 

“I take pride in that every one of these players came from the state of Georgia,” he added.

 

“My hat goes off to my coaches for doing a fantastic job of locating talent and recruiting these kids to become a part of the Savannah State University family,” said Wells.

 

Two of the players are transfers and the other 18 are from the high school ranks.

 

Included are three players from the Coastal Empire in Jenkins High School graduate Franklin Green, a running back who transferred to SSU from Georgia Military College; Calvert “C.J.”Smith, a safety from Savannah's Memorial Day School and Ricky Rivera, a wide receiver from Long County High School in Ludowici, GA.

 

The Tigers will see eight new offensive players and 12 new defenders. Ten of the 18 high school stars earned All-State, All-Region or All-County accolades as seniors.

 

Wells expects to improve on his 5-7 inaugural season with the help of today's signings and those to follow.

 

In total, the Tigers have added five linebackers, four offensive linemen, four defensive backs, three wide receivers, three defensive linemen and one running back.

 

Defensively, the Tigers added depth with the addition of linebackers Phillip Gaines, Anthony Thomas, Quenton Pooler and cousins Leland and Dustin Russell. Providing help in the secondary will be corner backs Antonio Martin, Justin Cooper and free safety DeShawn Printup. On the defensive line, you will find Tavarus Butler, Brian Forde and Furman transfer Channing Welch.

 

The jewel of the recruiting class maybe Rivera. The 6-1, 170-lb. wide-out caught 71 passes for 1,134 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior. Other wide receivers signing were Blair Austin and Kevin Davenport. While Green was the lone running back signed, the Tigers have strengthened their offensive line with the addition of Kenneth James and Cedar Grove High School products Cedric Brown and Terrick Ransom.