Tulsa’s Blankenship Inks First Recruiting Class
Tulsa, Oklahoma –– University of Tulsa first-year head football coach Bill Blankenship’s initial recruiting class includes a total of 23 players, two of whom are already attending classes, it was announced today.
Winning championships is one of the primary goals of Tulsa football, and a common theme can be seen with Blankenship’s first recruiting class – prep seniors who have been a part of “a lot of championships – state champions, district champions and conference champions.”
“In this class you’ll see players from winning programs – a lot of championships won by these guys. There are a lot of state champions, district champions and conference champions in this group. In a lot of cases, we feel like we’ve gotten the guys off of those championship teams that were the playmakers and leaders of those teams,” said Blankenship
“Far and away, I think these young men are a great fit at The University of Tulsa. We have kids with strong athletic ability that will help us win championships, but they bring to the table very strong academic backgrounds. I love the character of this bunch,” added Blankenship.
Tulsa’s signing class includes 12 Oklahomans, eight players from Texas and one each from Arkansas, Kansas and Mississippi. Nine players played on state championship or runner-up teams in the 2010 season. Among the signees, 11 are on offense, 10 on defense and two have been designated as athletes. On offense, the Hurricane signed four receivers, three linemen, two running backs, one tight end and one quarterback. Defensively, Tulsa added five linemen, three defensive backs and one linebacker.
Eight newcomers were selected either first- or second-team Oklahoma all-state according to the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman –– first-team selections include Garrett Gladd (OL), Derrick Alexander (DE), Derrick Luetjen (DT), Kwame Sexton (KR) and Trent Martin (LB); and second-team honorees Garrett Stafford (OL), Nick Hall (DT) and Dwight Dobbins (DB). Alexander was also named the Tulsa World’s State Player of the Year.
Tulsa’s three offensive line signees measure at least 6’3”, while tipping the scales at an average of 301 pounds. On the defensive front, the three Hurricane interior line signees measure 6’3” or better and average 269 pounds. Not only did the Hurricane add size to the offensive and defensive fronts, but Tulsa reeled in three receivers 6’1” or better, with two of the receivers measuring 6’4” and 6’5”.
“There were a couple points of emphasis with this class. Across the board, we needed to get bigger up front. We feel like we did a good job of finding young men that were larger in the offensive and defensive lines, guys that still have the capacity to grow, but have the kind of frames that can strongly compete and are physically more prepared,” said Blankenship.
“Second, we always look for playmakers. I think we have found a few of those guys to continue adding to our offense,” said Blankenship. “Specifically, Keyarris Garrett is a dynamic playmaker as a 6’4” receiver and he was on a team that won three straight championships in the state of Texas. Kwame Sexton is a great playmaker. We have him penciled in on defense, but he’ll be touching the ball. He was a member of arguably the finest team to ever play at Holland Hall. He was their go-to guy.”
“With Keyarris and Zach Epps you have the 6’4”-6’5” receivers that cause matchup problems, then Gary Owens is lightening in a bottle. He’s a player that is closer to the Damaris Johnson-type player. He can really fly and make people miss. Michael Sorrells is in the line of Charles Clay and Willie Carter. He’s a big back with speed. Conner Floyd is a great all-around receiver. He has the speed to make plays and has tremendous ball skills and another guy coming off of three state championships,” added Blankenship. “The offensive line gets a whole lot bigger too. We have two 6’5”, 300-pound players who come in great shape. We’re excited about what they bring to the table.
“In addition to the size up front defensively, we’re excited about the athletic ability and speed of our guys on the outside, at linebacker and in the secondary,” said Blankenship. “Derrick Alexander and Brentom Todd are two guys that we feel will be able to put pressure on the quarterback. Trent Martin has played linebacker for one of the nation’s top programs at Jenks High School and will be a solid performer on the collegiate level, and we believe we have some solid cover guys in the back-end.”
Alexander was a part of the 2010 state title at BT Washington High School, while Todd played on three state championship teams at Tulsa’s Union High School. Martin’s Jenks’ team finished as the Class 6A runner-up in each of the last three seasons.
Blankenship confirmed that Tulsa’s recruiting philosophy hasn’t changed a whole lot since he was named the Hurricane head coach in January. Tulsa coaches followed the same philosophy in recruiting that has seen the Golden Hurricane win 65 games in the last eight years.
“Coach (Steve) Kragthorpe and Coach (Todd) Graham verbalized this same philosophy on starting in Tulsa, encompassing Oklahoma and Texas on a tank of gas. I think our signing class really speaks to that philosophy,” said Blankenship. “Clearly, we believe in taking the best players out of Oklahoma. We want guys that can make a difference. We’re not just looking for players that were left behind. We’re looking for the best players in Oklahoma, and we feel like we’ve gotten a great bunch of those student-athletes in this class.”
Tulsa will open the season on September 3rd at the University of Oklahoma. Season tickets for Tulsa’s six-game home schedule are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.TulsaHurricane.com <http://www.TulsaHurricane.com> , by calling 918.631.GoTU (4688) or by stopping by the TU athletic ticket office at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on the TU campus.
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2011 Tulsa Football Signees
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
Derrick Alexander DE 6-2 257 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./BT Washington
Joseph Calcagni QB 6-1 190 Fr. Springdale, Ark./Springdale
Colt Clontz TE 6-8 225 Fr. El Maton, Texas/Tidehaven
Dwight Dobbins DB 5-9 173 Fr. Midwest City, Okla./Carl Albert
Zach Epps WR 6-5 185 Fr. Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West
Conner Floyd WR 6-1 197 Fr. Austin, Texas/Lake Travis
James Floyd OL 6-3 287 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas/Paschal
Keyarris Garrett WR 6-4 185 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas/Daingerfield
Garrett Gladd OL 6-4 303 Fr. Sallisaw, Okla./Sallisaw
Nick Hall DT 6-3 259 Fr. Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow
Zack Langer RB 5-11 202 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks
Gary Lee DT 6-5 277 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Victory Christian
Derrick Luetjen DT 6-3 270 Fr. Hennessey, Okla./Hennessey
Trent Martin LB 6-2 220 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks
Michael Mudoh DB 5-10 190 Fr. Richmond, Texas/Bush
Gary Owens WR 5-9 178 Fr. Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite
Derek Patterson ATH 6-0 175 Fr. Kingfisher, Okla./Kingfisher
J.D. Ratliff* DB 5-9 174 Jr-JC Tylertown, Miss./SW Mississippi CC
Kwame Sexton ATH 5-11 170 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall
Michael Sorrells RB 6-2 205 Fr. Austin, Texas/McCallum
Garrett Stafford* OL 6-5 314 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Memorial
Brentom Todd DE 6-3 222 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Union
Darrell Williams DB 5-10 179 Fr. Houston, Texas/Westfield
*enrolled at mid-semester
Tulsa 2011 Football Signees
Derrick Alexander DE 6-1 257 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./BT Washington
Was named the Tulsa World All-State Player of the Year as a defensive end . . . also played on the offensive line . . . played and started his junior and senior seasons at Booker T. Washington High School . . . played his first two seasons at Victory Christian . . . earned Tulsa World first-team all-state and all-metro honors as a senior . . . selected to the OCA Class 5A all-state team . . . selected to The Oklahoman all-state first team as a senior . . . totaled 151 tackles and 14 sacks en route to leading his team to the Class 5A state title in 2010 . . . had 10 or more tackles in 12 of 14 games his senior season . . . collected 13 tackles and two sacks in the championship game . . . tallied 44 tackles and six sacks in four playoff games . . . was credited with 79 tackles his junior season . . . totaled 115 tackles as a sophomore in 2008 at Victory Christian . . . high school coach was Durell Hall . . . chose Tulsa over Louisiana-Monroe.
Joseph Calcagni QB 6-1 190 Fr. Springdale, Ark./Springdale
Was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at Springdale High School . . . threw for 4,718 yards and 42 TDs in his final two seasons at Springdale High School . . . threw for 2,159 yards and 16 TDs, while rushing for 288 yards as a senior . . . was named to the Class 7A all-state team by the Arkansas Activities Association . . . was also named to the all-Northwest Arkansas team by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . . . was voted team captain as a senior by his teammates . . . completed 195-of-315 passes for 2,559 yards and 26 touchdowns his junior season . . . also rushed for 389 yards and six TDs as a junior . . . earned Class 7A West all-conference team honors his junior season . . . was named the Offensive MVP in the Max Emfinger All-American Bowl, as he completed 7-of-10 passes for 195 yards and a 52-yard TD pass . . . high school coach was Shane Patrick.
Colt Clontz TE 6-8 225 Fr. El Maton, Texas/Tidehaven
Was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at El Maton High School . . . tallied 61 catches for 911 yards and seven TD in his senior season . . . earned first-team all-district 15-2A honors as a junior and senior . . . was also a first-team all-district punter in each of those two seasons . . . averaged a 43.0 average on 21 punts his senior season . . . had 84 receptions for 1,050 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games as a junior . . . high school coach was Jim Sides.
Dwight Dobbins DB 5-9 173 Fr. Midwest City, Okla./Carl Albert
Earned honorable mention all-state accolades by the Tulsa World as a senior . . . named second-team all-state by The Oklahoman . . . selected to The Oklahoman’s Big All-City First Team . . . was named to the Big All-City Defensive Team by The Oklahoman . . . was credited with 50 tackles, seven pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries in his junior season . . . also caught five passes with three TDs from the offensive side of the ball . . . high school coach was Gary Rose.
Zach Epps WR 6-4 185 Fr. Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West
Was named all-East Kansas League second team by the Kansas City Star . . . was ranked as the 20th top recruit in the Kansas City area as a senior . . . had 779 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a junior . . . was one of the top-5 performers at the Kansas State 7-on-7 Camp in the summer of 2010 . . . his father, Reggie Epps, was an all-conference linebacker for Tulsa in 1980.
Conner Floyd WR 6-0 197 Fr. Austin, Texas/Lake Travis
Earned three letters and started at receiver on three consecutive state championship teams at Lake Travis High School . . . helped lead his team to a three-year mark of 36-2 record . . . missed all but four games os his senior season due to a broken leg . . . in the final three games of the year he came back and caught 12 passes for 182 yards and one TD . . . caught 69 passes for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior as his team finished with a 16-0 record and was ranked No. 2 nationally by Rivals.com . . . selected to play in The USA vs. The World football all-star game after his senior season . . . earned first-team all-state accolades by the Texas Sports Writers Association as a junior . . . was named first-team all-district and second-team all-Central Texas in 2009 . . . had 41 receptions for 735 yards and eight TDs as a sophomore when Lake Travis was ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Today . . . was the MVP of the Texas 7-on-7 state championship in the summer of 2010 . . . high school coach was Hank Carter . . . chose Tulsa over Air Force and North Texas.
James Floyd OL 6-2 287 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas/Paschal
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at Paschal High School . . . transferred to Paschal High School from Southwest Christian School where he lettered for two years as a freshman and sophomore . . . started the 2010 season ant offensive guard and moved to tackle . . . was named first-team District 4-5A as a senior . . . earned honorable mention all-district 3-5A merits as a junior . . . high school coach was Matt Cook . . . chose Tulsa over Air Force and Louisiana-Monroe.
Keyarris Garrett WR 6-3 185 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas/Daingerfield
Was a three-year letterwinner and starter at Daingerfield High School . . . was on three Class 2A state championship teams . . . the nation’s 88th-ranked receiver by Rivals.com . . . caught 27 passes for 401 yards and 10 touchdowns in his junior season . . . his high school coach was Barry Bowman . . . chose Tulsa over Pittsburgh, Purdue, Houston and New Mexico.
Garrett Gladd OL 6-3 303 Fr. Sallisaw, Okla./Sallisaw
Earned first-team all-state honors by the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman as a senior . . . was named to the OCA all-state Class 6A team as a senior . . . ranked as the 11th best prospect in Oklahoma by Rivals.com . . . the nation’s 74th-ranked offensive lineman by Rivals.com graded 87 or above in every game as a senior . . . registered 54 pancake blocks his senior season . . . made 47 consecutive starts for the Black Diamonds . . . was the state of Oklahoma’s top offensive line prospect heading into the season according to the Tulsa World . . . high school coach was Craig Benson . . . chose Tulsa over Stanford, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico.
Nick Hall DT 6-3 259 Fr. Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow
Totaled 83 tackles, 50 solos and blocked two kicks in his senior season . . . was a second-team all-state selection by the Tulsa World his senior season . . . also earned second-team Tulsa World all-metro accolades as a senior . . . named to the OCA all-state Class 6A team as a senior . . . high school coach was Steve Spavital . . . chose Tulsa over Air Force and Army.
Zack Langer RB 5-11 202 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks
Earned honorable mention all-state merits by the Tulsa World his senior season . . . was also an all-metro selection by the Tulsa World . . . led Class 6A in rushing with 2,446 yards and scoring with 39 touchdowns as a junior . . . as a junior, rushed for a school record 320 yards against Edmond Memorial and tallied 294 yards and seven TDs against Bartlesville in his junior season . . . was a first-team Tulsa World all-state selection as a junior . . . high school coach was Allan Trimble.
Gary Lee DT 6-5 277 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Victory Christian
Earned second-team Tulsa World all-metro accolades as an offensive lineman his senior season . . . was an honorable mention all-state selection by theTulsa World . . . high school coach was Brent Marley . . . chose Tulsa over Wyoming and Louisiana Tech.
Derrick Luetjen DT 6-3 270 Fr. Hennessey, Okla./Hennessey
Ws a four-year letterwinner and starter at Hennessey High School . . . started at offensive tackle and defensive tackle all four years . . . helped lead his team to the Class 2A state championship in 2010 . . . earned first-team Tulsa World all-state honors as a defensive end as a senior . . . was named to The Oklahoman all-state second team his senior season, and also earned first-team Little All-City honors by The Oklahoman . . . earned OCA all-state honors as a senior . . . was named the District Defensive MVP . . . was credited with 107 tackles, 12 sacks, 14 stops for lost yardage, 26 QB pressures and three forced fumbles his senior season . . . completed his career with 268 tackles and 29 sacks . . . totaled 64 tackles, nine sacks, 10 TFLs and 16 QB pressures in his junior season . . . earned honorable mention all-state merits as a junior by The Oklahoman . . . high school coach was Shannon Watford . . . also lettered four years in powerlifting and two years in track . . . was the Class 2A state champion in the shot put as a junior . . . chose Tulsa over Louisiana-Monroe and Army.
Trent Martin LB 6-2 220 Fr. Jenks, Okla./Jenks
Earned second-team Tulsa World all-metro accolades as a senior . . . was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Tulsa World his senior season . . . named to The Oklahoman all-state first team as a senior . . . had a team-leading 75 tackles his senior campaign . . . was ranked as the 25th best prospect in Oklahoma by Rivals.com . . . suffered a broken leg in Game 4 as a junior and missed six games before returning for the state playoffs . . . had 32 tackles that season . . . totaled a season-high 10 tackles against Edmond Memorial in the 2009 Class 6A state quarterfinals . . . high school coach was Allan Trimble.
Michael Mudoh DB 5-10 190 Fr. Richmond, Texas/Bush
A three-year letterwinner and starter at Bush High School . . . credited with 96 tackles, seven TFLs, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his senior season . . . a two-year all-district selection . . . was named the District Newcomer of the Year his sophomore season . . . high school coach was Allen Aldridge . . . chose Tulsa over Baylor, Colorado State and UTEP.
Gary Owens WR 5-9 178 Fr. Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite
Had 60 receptions for 763 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior . . . ranked as the 69th best prospect in the Dallas-area by the Dallas Morning News . . . earned all-district 15-4A first team accolades his senior season . . . caught 47 passes for 726 yards and four TDs his junior season . . . high school coach was Michael Overton.
Derek Patterson ATH 6-0 175 Fr. Kingfisher, Okla./Kingfisher
Was a three-year letterwinner and starter at quarterback . . . was an honorable mention all-state quarterback by Tulsa World and The Oklahoman his senior season . . . threw for 1,870 yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,230 yards and 16 TDs his senior season . . . was named the District 3A-3 MVP as a senior . . . earned OCA all-state mention and was selected to play n the Oil Bowl . . . high school coach was Jeff Myers.
J.D. Ratliff* DB 5-9 174 Jr. Tylertown, Miss./SW Mississippi CC
Earned first-team all-MACJC South Division honors as a sophomore . . . collected 38 tackles and eight pass break-ups in his sophomore season . . . was a first-team NJCAA All-America selection in 2009 . . . totaled 40 tackles and 10 interceptions in his freshman season . . . his 10 interceptions led the nation . . . junior college coach was Charles Anthony . . . was a three-year starter on offense and defense at Tylertown High School . . . played cornerback and receiver in high school . . . chose Tulsa over Marshall, Alcorn State and Tennessee-Martin. (first name is Jeremy)
Kwame Sexton ATH 5-11 170 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall
Earned first-team Tulsa World all-state and all-metro accolades as a kick return specialist his senior season . . . selected to The Oklahoman honorable mention all-state team as a senior running back . . . helped lead his team to a 10-1 record as a senior . . . rushed for 842 yards, 17 touchdowns and a 7.9 average per carry as a senior . . . caught 11 passes for 233 yards . . . also averaged 25.8 yards and 16 punt returns with two TDs and averaged 26.5 yards on six kick returns his senior campaign . . . on defense, totaled 28 tackles and four interceptions from his cornerback position . . . gained 1,251 yards and 16 touchdowns on 148 carries his junior season . . . rushed for over 200 yards in each of his final five games in 2009 . . . high school coach was Tag Gross . . . chose Tulsa over Illinois.
Michael Sorrells RB 6-2 205 Fr. Austin, Texas/McCallum
Was a three-year letterwinner at McCallum High School . . . played running back and returned punts and kickoffs . . . rushed for 1,634 yards and 24 touchdowns, while catching three passes for 39 yards and one TD his senior season . . . gained 1,352 yards and 22 TDs rushing as a junior . . . also caught seven passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns his junior campaign . . . high school coach was Todd Raymond . . . chose Tulsa over Pittsburgh, Utah, Louisiana Tech and Virginia. (pronounced Soar – rells)
Garrett Stafford* OL 6-5 314 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Memorial
Enrolled at spring semester . . . was a three-year letterwinner and started at Memorial High School . . . started at both offensive tackle and nose guard in each of his three years . . . was a second-team all-state selection by the Tulsa World his senior season . . . earned Tulsa World first-team all-metro honors as a senior . . . was the state of Oklahoma’s fourth-best offensive line prospect heading into the season according to the Tulsa World . . . was credited with 118 pancake blocks in his career, along with 55 tackles and 10 TFLs . . . had 54 pancake blocks and 19 tackles as a senior . . . competed at the U.S. Army All-American Combine in January 2010 . . . was nominated for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl . . . high school coach was Tony Daniels . . . chose Tulsa over Houston and Vanderbilt.
Brentom Todd DE 6-3 222 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Union
Was credited with 60 tackles, six quarterback sacks and three fumble recoveries as a senior . . . played on three straight Class 6A state championship teams . . . was an honorable mention all-state and all-metro selection by the Tulsa World as a senior . . . high school coach was Kirk Fridrich.
Darrell Williams DB 5-10 179 Fr. Spring, Texas/Westfield
Was a two-year letterwinner at Westfield High School . . . missed his junior season with a broken leg . . . started his senior season at cornerback . . . collected 48 tackles, nine pass-break-ups, one interception and one forced fumble as a senior . . . earned first-team all-District 13-5A honors his senior season . . . high school coach was Corby Meekins.
Updated 02-02-2011
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