National Signing Day 2018: Texas State

Texas State was able to snag 18 commits in the early signing period back in December and utilized a few remaining spots to fill their class on National Signing Day.

The uncertainty that lasted this past month and a half from those verbal commits that didn’t sign early was put to rest when Texas State added to their recruitment campaign known as #theprow18.

Here are Texas State’s five signees from today.:

• Nico Ezidore Naaman Forest (Garland, TX) DT 6’1” 280 lbs. 2*’s

• Isaac Pope Yoakum (Yoakum, TX) ATH (WR, S) 6’2” 182 lbs. 2*’s

• Jacourtney Calvin Lufkin (Lufkin, TX) DE 6’4” 240 lbs. 2*’s

• Tyrese Heard Teague (Teague, TX) S, WR, KR 6’0” 180 lbs. 3*’s

• Clayton Stewart Flower Mound (Flower Mound, TX) P/K 6’3” 175 lbs. 2*’s

With a program desperate for help on both sides of the ball it’s now a matter of fitting these new Bobcats into the equation.

Offensive Analysis

Last year the Bobcats signed four freshman quarterbacks and a graduate transfer to fill their void at the position. This signing period they came away with just one: 6’1” MacArthur product Tyler Vitt. The pro-style quarterback put up some video game numbers through the air and on the ground. Everett Withers commented, “The day he walks on this campus he’ll be in the rotation trying to compete for a job” and I think he has a pretty good chance of getting the starting nod.

Wide receiver Jacoby Hopkins was the highest rated offensive player Texas State signed and his skills as a return specialist will be welcome as Texas State hasn’t had a kick return touchdown since 2015. Hopkins is a dangerous red zone receiver who will fit perfectly in gadget plays, jet sweeps and receiver screens. Fellow wide receivers TJ Graham and Blake Aragon bolster the receiving corp with Graham’s abilities at breaking away from coverage at the line of scrimmage and Aragon’s size which accounts for valuable blocking and a knack for picking up the hard slant route yards.

The line issues are a tired topic with the Bobcats. It’s a theme all Texas State fans have picked up on as stale topic of conversation in Bobcats news. The offensive line allowed a total of 26 sacks and 2 turnovers per game in 2017. Hopefully the woes can be discontinued. Withers and co. went out and snagged four linemen in December, including 6’5” tackle Jalen Momerelle. He’s big and quick and he has a chance to see significant playing time come fall. Also look for the very talented tackle Miles Macadory to make some waves as well. If you haven’t seen his highlights yet I do recommend taking a look.

Defensive Analysis

A very talented defensive tackle in Nico Ezidore was a valuable signing on NSD. He’s a big and fast 280 lbs. lineman who can plug up running lanes and wreck havoc in the pocket. The defense let opposing offenses break off a lot of big runs last season and his addition can stop that trend.

The linebacking corp which may the best in the Sun Belt got even more stacked with December signee Jake Lynch. This 3* linebacker is quick and a relentless run stopper who will pair nicely with Bryan London II and Frankie Griffin.

Texas State swung for the fences with secondary recruits, signing five new corners and safeties. Jarron Morris has plenty of upside as a solid cover man and he is a solid tackler. Safeties Ladarius Anthony and Pierce Withers are two ferocious hitters with plenty of swag and talent. Anthony is a gifted return man and Withers is a ballhawk who is a magnet to the football in pass coverage. Either way they lead the overhaul of the secondary.

Special teams added talented kicker Chris Kessler and highly recruited punter Clayton Stewart to add some stability to a shaky special teams unit.

Conclusion

The Bobcats’ coaching staff proved they could grind and pull in some good talent to San Marcos, landing seven three-star recruits. The culture building in the program seems to be the main selling point and if the team’s play can reflect the atmosphere in the locker room 2018 can be a promising season for Texas State.

Head coach Everett Withers is sure he can pull in “2, 3 or 5” more recruits before it’s all said and done. Withers has an intriguing quarterback battle brewing this fall regardless and some new defenders to reverse their fortunes.