Many of the 24 athletes who make up the Cougars’ 2014 recruiting class likely won’t need directions to The Galleria after arriving on campus.
UH, like much of the college football world, focused on recruiting Texas and the Houston area when putting together its next crop of recruits. The Cougars signed 22 student athletes from Texas and 13 from the greater Houston area to National Letters of Intent on the first day of the national signing period. The Cougars utilized their proximity to the Bayou City to recruit the fertile Texas recruiting grounds for bigger and stronger players that can handle the more physical play of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars have been looking to transition to the American’s physical style without sacrificing speed since the change in conference was announced.
“While we’re never going to neglect speed and are still going to recruit guys that can run fast, we’re looking at the component of size, and that’s something we’re continuing to address,” said head coach Tony Levine at his signing day press conference.
Levine and staff put words into action. The Cougars added six defensive linemen whose average frame is 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds. UH’s five receiver prospects have an average height of 6-foot-3.
However, the competition for elite recruits in Texas is fierce. On top of in-state rivals Texas and Texas A&M, most programs across the nation dip their hand in the Texas recruiting jar.
“Sometimes you feel like if you ever want to have a college coaching convention, you could do it right here in Houston sometime in December or January, because … the vast majority of programs fly into Intercontinental or Hobby, and they’re going all over the city of Houston trying to find young men for their program,” Levine said.
The class includes two players — quarterback Bear Fenimore (Westwood) and offensive lineman Carter Wall (Navarro Junior College) — already enrolled at UH.
The Cougars had three players sign from Hightower — linebacker Matthew Adams, defensive back Khalil Williams and defensive back Joeal Williams.
The class was ranked No. 76 in the nation and No. 7 in the conference by Rivals.com, but Levine said preseason rankings don’t mean much to him.
He said he feels the same way about this class that he did about the 2012 class that produced Trevon Stewart and Deontay Greenberry, who contributed as freshmen and the 2013 group that included quarterback John O’Korn.
“We don’t look at what a young man is ranked, in terms of stars. We don’t look at who has offered him … We talk to countless people in the schools. We talk to opposing coaches because they see him on film, and they may have friends on the staff,” Levine said.
“Once we get a great feel for them and then they fit what we’re looking for in all areas, then we recruit them.”
Positional breakdown
Defensive Line (6)
Davious Ballard | DT | 6-4 | 300 | Irving, Texas | Irving HS
Jerard Carter | DL | 6-3 | 266 | Houston, Texas | Dekaney HS
Mason Denley | DL | 6-5 | 255 | Columbus, Texas | Columbus HS
Darius Joiner | DL | 6-4 | 270 | Temple, Texas | Temple HS
Michael Moana | DL | 6-3 | 260 | Lawton, Okla. | Eisenhower HS
Zach Vaughan | DL | 6-5 | 248 | Round Rock, Texas | McNeil HS
Defensive Backs (6)
Garrett Davis | DB | 6-0 | 188 | Red Oak, Texas | Red Oak HS
Tarrin Mitchell | DB | 5-10 | 175 | Dallas, Texas | Roosevelt HS
Joeal Williams | DB | 5-10 | 185 | Missouri City, Texas | Hightower HS
Khalil Williams | DB | 6-0 | 180 | Missouri City, Texas | Hightower HS
Howard Wilson | DB | 6-1 | 175 | DeSoto, Texas | DeSoto HS
Jeremy Winchester | DB | 6-0 | 175 | Spring, Texas | Klein Collins HS
Wide Receivers (5)
Romello Brooker | WR | 6-4 | 205 | Houston, Texas | Alief Taylor HS
Steven Dunbar | WR | 6-3 | 182 | Metairie, La. | Rummel HS
Elton Dyer | WR | 6-3 | 195 | South Houston, Texas | South Houston HS
Isaiah Johnson | WR | 6-3 | 185 | Bryan, Texas | Rudder HS
Latrell Martin | WR | 6-1 | 196 | Pflugerville, Texas | Hendrickson HS
Offensive Linemen (3)
Colton Freeman | OL | 6-4 | 293 | San Angelo, Texas | Central HS
Marcus Oliver | OL | 6-4 | 275 | Houston, Texas | Westfield HS
Carter Wall | OL | 6-4 | 304 | Richmond, Texas | Navarro JC
Linebackers (2)
Matthew Adams | LB | 6-2 | 205 | Missouri City, Texas | Hightower HS
Ja’Von Shelley | LB | 6-3 | 220 | Klein, Texas | Klein Oak HS
Quarterback (1)
Bear Fenimore | QB | 6-2 | 222 | Austin, Texas | Westwood HS
Running Back (1)
Kaliq Kokuma | RB | 6-0 | 180 | League City, Texas | Clear Creek HS
Great depth @ DL, DB, WR for years now.