Missouri State has announced the receipt of National Letters of Intent from 16 high school students who have committed to play football at Missouri State this fall. In addition, the Bears have received commitments from five transfer students, including four already enrolled and attending classes this semester.
"The players who have committed to our program are a perfect fit for our needs," said head coach Terry Allen. "The 2009 class has the potential to rival our class from two years ago that brought so many impact players to our program."
Missouri State’s high school signees are:
Justin Aumen (6-5, 285, OL, Junction City, Kan.) helped Coach Randall Zimmerman’s Junction City (Kan.) High School squad to a Kansas Class 6A state title and perfect 13-0 season this fall. He was recognized by four organizations as a first-team all-state performer in 2008 as well as earning first-team All-Centennial League honors his junior and senior seasons. The Kansas Shrine Bowl selection also garnered second-team all-state honors in 2007 and guided his teams to a collective 22-2 record the past two seasons. He was a three-time letterman in football and track as a standout shot putter.
Antonio Brown (5-10, 170, DB, Midwest City, Okla.) was a second-team All-State defensive back the past two seasons at Midwest City (Okla.) High for Coach Steve Huff’s Bombers. He earned first-team all-conference honors in 2008 after helping his squad to back-to-back 12-1 seasons, both of which culminated in the Class 6A semifinals. On the defensive side, he tallied 41 tackles in 2008, but was also a versatile offensive player. He rushed for 279 yards on 46 carries and collected 12 receptions for 205 yards (17.1 yards per reception) with five touchdowns, earning him the team’s Both Sides Award. He is also a two-time all-state track performer.
Raymondrick Brown (6-1, 215, LB, Texarkana, Texas) posted 86 tackles, 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and five interceptions this season for Coach Barry Norton’s Texas (Texas) High school team. Brown was an all-Northeast Texas, all-district, and all-conference pick for the Tigers in 2008, helping his team to a 9-2 record and Class 4A playoff trip. A three-sport standout, Brown has sensational 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, and is also a standout basketball and track performer.
Ryan Callender (6-1, 210, LB, Dallas, Texas) is a two-time all-district linebacker at Hillcrest (Texas) High who also played wide receiver as a standout prep performer. He was team captain as a senior and helped Coach Andy Todd’s Panthers to a 7-4 record in 2008 and berth in the Texas Class 4A playoffs.
Mikael Cooper-Falls (5-11, 195, TB, Springfield, Mo.) averaged 9.4 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns as a tailback for Coach John Beckham’s Hillcrest High School Hornets in 2008. The second-team Class 5 All-State standout rushed for 1,200 yards, earning all-Ozarks Conference, all-region and second-team all-area honors this season, while guiding Hillcrest to the Class 5 state playoffs. He was also a first-team All-Ozarks Conference pick as a junior and qualified for the Class 4 state track meet in the long jump and 100-meter dash.
Cadarrius Dotson (5-9, 165, WR/PR, Memphis, Tenn.) averaged 20.4 yards per punt return as a senior at Kirby High School in Memphis, Tenn., earning him all-region and All-Memphis Metro laurels. He was also a prolific wide receiver, gathering in 37 passes for 709 yards (19.2 yards per reception) for Coach Chester Flowers, Jr.’s Cougars. He accounted for seven receiving touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns and a punt return score this season.
Anthony Grady (6-6, 270, DT, Texarkana, Ark.) helped Arkansas (Ark.) High to back-to-back Class 6A state championships in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, the Razorbacks were 5-7, but made the state playoffs behind a solid defensive effort. Grady recorded 58 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, nine sacks and broke up 14 passes his senior season. He will play in the Arkansas All-Star Game on June 26 in Fayetteville and was named to the Arkansas Class 6A All-State squad as well as claiming All-Southwest Arkansas and All-6A South Conference honors for Coach Bill Keopple.
Kyle Hahn (6-7, 300, OL, O’Fallon, Mo.) was an All-AAA Conference pick in 2008 for Coach Bob Leonard’s Crusaders at St. Dominic High School in O’Fallon, Mo. The sizeable standout also helped his team to a 6-4 record in 2008 while earning East Central All-District laurels by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
Curtis King (6-2, 265, DT, Memphis, Tenn.) was an All-Memphis Metro defensive tackle in 2008 who was also named to the All-Tennessee Defensive team. He helped guide Coach Teli White’s Bears to the Class 3A playoffs and a 6-5 record this season while recording 86 total tackles, including 54 solos, with 16 sacks. He was also named to the all-Mid South team in 2008.
Kurt Kutter (6-3, 275, OL, Wentzville, Mo.) was named to the Post-Dispatch Top 20 players list after helping Wentzville Timberland High School to a 10-1 record and Class 5 district title this season. He was an all-Gateway Conference performer in 2008, in addition to earning Class 5 All-State laurels and second-team St. Louis All-Metro distinction for Coach Craig Collins’ Wolves.
Joey Mendel (6-1, 200, RB, Springfield, Mo.) will join the Bears this fall as a walk-on after proving to be a versatile standout for Coach Joel Heman at Glendale High School. In 2007, he was an All-Ozarks Conference punter and running back, while claiming Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association second-team honors at both positions. He is also a distinguished discus thrower for the Falcons’ track team.
Howard Scarborough (5-9, 175, DB, Tulsa, Okla.) captained Tulsa (Okla.) Union High School to the 2008 Class 6A state championship after registering 96 tackles, four interceptions and a fumble recovery this season. He will play in the Oklahoma All-State Game on July 31 in Tulsa and was named to four different all-state squads his senior season. The Redskins had back-to-back 13-1 seasons with Scarborough guiding Coach Kirk Fridrich’s defense, including a state runner-up showing in 2007.
Chris Scott-Cline (6-4, 245, DE, Little Rock, Ark.) was a Class 7A Central all-conference pick for the Tigers of Little Rock (Ark.) Central High School. He has 4.68 speed off the edge and is also a standout performer in basketball and track. He claimed Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week honors once in 2008 for Coach Bernie Cox.
Matt Swan (6-3, 215, WR/TE, Springfield, Mo.) is an all-around athlete who was a three-sport letterman last year at Glendale High School. In 2007, the large-framed receiver and tight end garnered All-Ozarks Conference honors in 2008 for Coach Joel Heman’s Falcons and was also named to the Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association team. He is also a standout in basketball and track.
Adrian Williams (5-11, 175, WR, Jacksonville, Fla.) possesses a great blend of speed and toughness, collecting 500 receiving yards on 28 catches and eight touchdowns this season at First Coast High School. He clocked a 4.47 40-yard dash at the Scout.com combine in March 2008, earning first-team all-combine honors at receiver. He helped Coach Marty Lee’s Buccaneers to a 6-5 season that culminated in the Florida Class 4A playoffs, earning him second-team All-Gateway Conference and all-district honors.
Trevor Wooden (6-2, 215, QB, Gainesville, Fla.) was a Florida Class 5A second-team All-State quarterback in 2008 after throwing for 1,899 yards with 16 touchdowns while compiling more than 2,300 yards total offense and accounting for 24 touchdowns. He threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns in a game on 9/4/08 against Eagle View (Fla.) Academy. He helped Coach Ryan Smith’s Hurricanes to a 5-5 finish this season and earned all-district honors by the Gainesville Sun and FACA.
Newly-announced junior college transfers who will attend Missouri State this fall:
Antoine Wilkinson (6-2, 220, LB, Magnolia, Miss.) will transfer to Missouri State from Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Miss., where he tallied 50 total tackles and 6.5 sacks for Coach Charles Anthony’s Bears this season. He played in the Mississippi Juco All-Star Game in December and is noted as a great pass rusher and tackler. He attended Amite County High School where he was an all-district tight end and linebacker in 2006 in addition to helping two sprint relay teams qualify for the state meet in track.
Previously-announced transfers already enrolled and attending classes at Missouri State are:
Michael Keck (6-4, 215, So., DE, Harrisonville, Mo.) will join the Bears this spring after departing Gary Pinkel’s Missouri team one game into the 2008 season. Keck was redshirted in 2007 at Missouri and was No. 2 on the Tigers’ depth chart in the 2008 preseason. He played in the Missouri’s 2008 season opener against Illinois and then departed the team. He was rated the state’s No. 2 player from the 2007 recruiting class by Rivals.com, just behind Columbia Rock Bridge tight end Aron White, who now plays at Georgia. He was a four-year starter at Harrisonville High School and helped coach Fred Bouchard’s teams to a collective 53-3 record in four seasons, including three Missouri Class 3 titles and one runner-up finish.
Erik Dahl (6-3, 275, Jr., OL, Shawnee, Kan.) was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., which won back-to-back national juco championships in 2007 and 2008. He was also a two-time all-Jayhawk Conference and all-Region VI selection, while helping the Grizzlies to a 23-1 record in his two seasons. Butler’s ball carriers averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored 26 touchdowns this season behind its talented offensive line, while accounting for 2,332 passing yards and 23 aerial touchdowns. Dahl (DOLL) attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High School where he was team captain and a second-team all-conference performer for coach Aaron Barnett.
Robert Shapel (6-4, 300, Jr., OL, Iola, Kan.) was also a member of the Butler Community College program the past two seasons and helped Dahl anchor the team’s highly-touted offensive line. He was an all-Jayhawk League offensive tackle in 2008 and was instrumental in the team’s 16-0 run through the league the past two seasons, in addition to the pair of Region VI and NJCAA national titles. Shapel (SHAY-pull) was a four-year starter at Iola (Kan.) High School for coach Dean Taylor and was an all-conference lineman, also earning first-team all-area defensive honors as well as Kansas 4A all-state honorable mention distinction.
Adam Beauchamp (6-0, 235, Jr., LB, Prescott Valley, Ariz.) comes to the Bears from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College where he was a first-team all-Western States Football League and all-Arizona Community College Athletics Conference pick as a senior as well as NJCAA all-region. Coach Mickey Bell’s Gauchos finished the season with an 8-2 record and No. 9 nationally ranking in 2008 after a 6-4 campaign in 2007. Beauchamp (BEE-chum) was a standout running back at Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley, Ariz., rushing for a school record 2,220 yards and earning Arizona running back of the year honors after leading the state in rushing. He also was a three-time all-region selection and was named Arizona’s Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year in 2006 for coach Chuck Apap’s Bears.
Missouri State finished the 2008 season with a 4-7 record and 3-5 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bears were 3-3 on the road this season and claimed their most conference victories since 2004. Coach Terry Allen’s squad opens the 2009 season in Little Rock, Ark., on September 5 against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Courtesy: Missouri State athletics
