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After a very up and down 8-5 season, Middle Tennessee has already made a couple of changes in hopes that the 2017 season brings bigger and better things, most notably hiring former Syracuse HC Scott Shafer last month.
National Signing Day was the next step as MTSU locked down it’s fifth straight Top 6 recruiting class in Conference USA according to 247sports.com and focused on areas where the Raiders struggled last year.
Middle Tennessee 2017 Signing Class
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Previous School | 247 Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Previous School | 247 Composite |
| Zack Dobson | WR | 5'9" | 165 | Fulton | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Cain McWilliams | LB | 6'3" | 225 | Marshall County | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Zeke Cobb | WR | 6'3" | 190 | Dalton (GA) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Cody Smith | S | 6'2" | 187 | Martin County (FL) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Jordan Ferguson | TE | 6'3" | 240 | Norcross (GA) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| John Turner | QB | 6'1" | 197 | Smyrna | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Reed Blankenship | S | 6'2" | 180 | West Limestone (AL) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Raheme Fuller | CB | 6'3" | 180 | Boyd Anderson (FL) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Maurice Gordon | RB | 5'11" | 200 | Navarro College (TX) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Rosheem Collins | DT | 6'1" | 300 | East Central C.C. (MS) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| D.J. Delfendahl | OT | 6'5" | 270 | Mount Juliet | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Jimmy Marshall | WR | 6'4" | 215 | Tattnall Square Academy (GA) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Wesley Bush | S | 6'2" | 185 | Northwest Mississippi C.C. (MS) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| DQ Thomas | S | 6'1" | 190 | Oxford (MS) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Brad Anderson | ATH | 5'8" | 170 | Bob Jones (AL) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Wayne Parks | S | 6'1" | 210 | Sebastian River (FL) | ⭐⭐ |
| Chaton Mobley | LB | 6'2" | 230 | Fulton | ⭐⭐ |
| Tyrese Johnson | WR | 5'8" | 163 | Halls | ⭐⭐ |
| Amir Luckett | OT | 6'3" | 266 | Scottsdale C.C. (AZ) | ⭐⭐ |
| Kamau Farrell-Burke | CB | 6'2" | 180 | Arizona Western College (AZ) | ⭐⭐ |
| Elijah Dobbins | OG | 6'4" | 270 | Oakland | ⭐⭐ |
| Cole Kirby | OT | 6'4" | 283 | Franklin-Simpson (KY) | ⭐⭐ |
| O.J. Johnson | CB | 6'0" | 195 | Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. (MS) | ⭐⭐ |
| Tavares Thomas | LB | 6'0" | 235 | Navarro College (TX) | ⭐⭐ |
The biggest story of this recruiting class is Zack Dobson, brother of Zaevion Dobson who was shot and killed shielding his friends from gunfire in December 2015. In honor of that, Zack will wear his brother’s high school number 24 at Middle after current MT WR Ty Lee agreed to let Zack have it.
Dobson, a small but speedy wide receiver out of Knoxville, TN, plays hard and will look to find a starting spot in a receiving corps that struggled with injuries in 2016. Middle also added three other receivers in the class, which is nothing but good news for a receiving corps that was absolutely cursed with injuries the entire 2016 season.
The defensive backfield was another unit that struggled in 2016, giving up on average 251 yards per game (95th in FBS). With the departure of star Jeremy Cutrer, MTSU responded by signing eight defensive backs in the 2017 recruiting class. It will be interesting to see which of these players can step up and make an immediate impact on a defense that is looking to improve and support one of the best offenses in Conference USA.
As a whole, this recruiting class is a solid group that seems underrated by those outside of MTSU. Rick Stockstill and his staff has expressed a lot of enthusiasm about the talent in this class, despite what people outside of the MTSU community think. Likewise, I believe MT fans should be excited moving forward as well because the future seems bright at Middle Tennessee.