2002 SIGNING DAY
2/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
2002 SIGNING DAY Wildcats ink 9 high school players, 3 junior college transfers
Gaines likes class, which includes local standouts Ensor, Cunningham
For immediate release
Feb. 6, 2002
ABILENE, TX -- ACU's 2002 high school football signing class might lack the quantity of last year's class, but head coach Gary Gaines thinks the quality of this year's class is very comparable.
The Wildcats signed nine high school football players to binding national letters-of-intent Wednesday on the first day prep players could sign with colleges, roughly half the number that ACU signed in 2001 when Gaines inked 21 prep players in his second recruiting season.
"I really believe this year's class is comparable to last year's," said Gaines, who added that the Wildcats could sign "two or three more" players on Thursday. "We're proud of the ones we signed, and we think all of them will have a chance to be good football players and contribute to our program."
As they have in each of their first two recruiting seasons, the Wildcats were able to pick off two of the top players in Abilene by signing Cooper wide receiver Tony Cunningham and Wylie quarterback Caleb Ensor.
Cunningham, a standout two-way player who also started at safety for the Cougars, finished his career with 111 catches for 1,748 yards and 20 touchdowns, and is just the sixth player in the history of District 4-5A to finish with more than 100 career catches.
He could see quite a bit of playing time as a freshman because the Wildcats graduated their top three receivers in Jacob Pruitt, Rodney Vanduren and Nic Shepherd.
"We thought Tony was a great high school wide receiver," Gaines said. "He comes from a great program at Cooper that really does a lot of things offensively that we like to try to do. He's also got a great set of hands. We think he'll really fit in here; we're delighted to have him."
Ensor had a similarly outstanding career at Wylie where he finished his career as the only three-year starter for head coach Hugh Sandifer, who in 2001 completed his 16th season in charge of the Bulldogs. Ensor never missed a game and led the Bulldogs to a 32-6 record in three seasons, including a 14-1 mark in 2000 when they reached the Class 3A Division I state title game.
"The offense at Wylie is very similar to the one we run here," Gaines said. "He played hurt for some of his senior season (hamstring and compound fracture of a finger), but he never missed a game and displayed a lot of toughness. The learning curve for him will probably be minimal."
Ensor is the grandson of former ACU great Tommy Morris, who is a member of the school's Sports Hall of Fame.
The Wildcats, who have not finished above 11th in the Lone Star Conference in total defense since 1997, signed four defensive players, including defensive back Kendrick Muckelroy of Hallsville, who was the 80th-ranked player by the Dallas Morning-News and was considered one of the top defensive backs in the nation by several recruiting outlets.
The other defenders the Wildcats inked are defensive tackle Rahgene Cherry of Plano East, defensive back Adam Childers of Heritage Hall High School in Edmond, Okla., and defensive tackle Fred Jackson of Hallsville.
"Muckelroy was recruited very heavily by several Division I schools, so we're very glad to get him," Gaines said. "He visited Texas A&M and talked with several other big schools. You don't make visits to those kinds of places without having some talent."
Cherry was a first team all-District 9-5A performer for the Panthers in 2001, recording 51 tackles and five sacks and earning an invitation to the Coca-Cola All-Star Game. Childers helped lead Heritage Hall to a 32-6 record over the last three seasons, earning first team all-district honors as a senior. Jackson was the Hallsville Lineman of the Year and was named all-East Texas and all-state.
Rounding out the Wildcats' 2002 recruiting class are a trio of offensive players in running back Harold Jeffrey of Crane, wide receiver Anthony Nicholson of Arlington High and offensive lineman Bryce Ray of Lubbock Cooper.
Jeffrey was one of the top running backs in West Texas and was named to the Odessa American all-area team after rushing for more than 2,200 yards and leading the Golden Cranes to the Class 3A regional semifinals. He was named second team all-state on offense by the Texas Sports Writers Association and was honorable mention on the Associated Press Class 3A all-state team.
He finished his career as the all-time leading rusher in Crane history with 4,196 yards and 50 touchdowns. He was also named this year's Odessa American all-Permian Basin Team Offensive MVP.
Nicholson helped lead the Colts to a 9-3 mark in 2001 with 20 catches for 197 yards, earning honorable mention all-district honors. As a junior in 2000 he caught 14 passes for 213 yards to earn all-district honors.
Ray was an all-district defensive lineman for Lubbock Cooper, which reached the state playoffs in 2001, breaking a 29-year drought.
The Wildcats also signed three junior college athletes, including wide receiver DaRay Sims, a first team all-America selection from Navarro Junior College. Also signing with the Wildcats were linebacker Jared Dotson of Tyler Junior College and defensive back Kendrick Walker of Navarro.
None of those players will be on campus until August for two-a-days, and they will also have to pass the necessary hours to be eligible.
Sims could have a major impact on the Wildcats next season if his junior college talent holds true at the next level. He was named first team all-America by both the National Junior College Athletic Association and the Junior College Golden Circle after a 2001 season in which he caught 51 passes for 1,064 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He averaged 20.9 yards per catch and 96.7 receiving yards per game. His biggest games were 149 yards and two scores on eight catches against Tyler; 132 yards and one touchdown on eight catches against Kilgore; and 158 yards and one touchdown on seven catches against Ranger.
As a freshman at Navarro, the native of Corsicana caught 34 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns to earn honorable mention all-conference honors.
He's also an outstanding track man with bests of 49 feet in the triple jump (Class 4A state champion as a senior in 2000), 26-8 in the long jump and 6-10 in the high jump.
Dotson was a two-year starter at Tyler JC after a standout career at Hitchcock High School. Dotson was the defensive MVP of the Southwest Junior College Conference championship game last fall. In high school he was named first team all-district in each of his three seasons, and he was also an all-district baseball player and the state powerlifting champion.
Walker was a two-year letterman at cornerback at Navarro where he finished with three interceptions and 36 tackles. A three-year letterman at Corsicana High School, Walker third team all-state as a senior cornerback. Also an outstanding track man in high school, Walker has personal bests of 10.2 in the 100 meters, 20.7 in the 200 meters and 50.1 in the 400 meters.
ACU also picked up a few freshmen transfers at the break, including defensive back Danieal Manning of Corsicana who could be a major contributor in 2002.
Manning originally signed with Nebraska last year as one of the top defensive backs in the nation. However, he never enrolled at in Lincoln, Neb., instead enrolling at ACU in January. A three-year starter at Corsicana, he led the club to a 9-4 regional final appearance in 2000 by recording 67 tackles, three interceptions (two returned for scores), five fumble recoveries (one for a touchdowns), 10 pass breakups and three blocked kicks.
He was named second team all-state by both the Associated Press and Texas Sports Writers Association. He was ranked the 117th-best player in the Southwest by SuperPrep and as the 16th-best cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com. He was recruited by Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Purdue, Arkansas and Alabama.
He was also an outstanding performer on the track at Corsicana. As a senior he finished second in both the triple jump and 100 meters at the Class 4A state meet with marks of 48 feet, 11.75 inches and 10.34 seconds, respectively. He was also fourth in the 200 meters at 21.28. He finished second in the triple jump at the 2001 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays with a mark of 49-3.
He had the fourth-best 100 meter time in the nation as a high school senior and the 12th-best triple jump mark. He has been clocked at 4.3 second in the 40-yard dash.
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- HIGH SCHOOL
- Rahgene Cherry (6-2, 280, DT, Plano East HS)
- Remarks: 1st team all-District 9-5A in 2001; 51 tackles, 5 sacks
- Adam Childers (6-1, 185, DB, Heritage Hall HS / Edmond, Okla.)
- Remarks: 1st team all-district; team's leading tackler
- Tony Cunningham (6-1, 170, WR, Abilene Cooper HS)
- Remarks: Finished career with 111 catches for 1,748 yards and 20 touchdowns; one of only 6 players in District 4-5A history to have 100 or more career catches
- Caleb Ensor (6-3, 215, QB, Abilene Wylie HS)
- Remarks: Led Bulldogs to 14-1 mark and Class 3A state title game as a junior in 2000; threw for more than 4,400 yards in three years as the starting QB; Class 3A all-state in 2000 and 2001
- Fred Jackson (6-4, 285, DT, Hallsville HS)
- Remarks: All-East Texas; all-state selection
- Harold Jeffery (6-0, 200, RB, Crane HS0
- Remarks: Leading rusher in Crane HS history with 4,196 yards and 50 touchdowns; second team all-state selection by TSWA; Permian Basin Offensive MVP
- Kendrick Muckelroy (6-1, 190, DB, Hallsville HS)
- Remarks: District's defensive MVP; ranked No. 80 player in Texas by Dallas Morning-News; top 100 player by Waco Tribune-Herald
- Anthony Nicholson (6-2, 210, WR, Arlington HS)
- Remarks: Caught 34 passes for 410 yards in final two years at Arlington High; helped Colts win district title in 2001 with 9-3 mark
- Bryce Ray (6-4, 245, OL, Lubbock Cooper HS)
- Remarks: All-district defensive lineman; helped team to first playoff berth in 29 years
- JUNIOR COLLEGE
- Jared Dotson (6-1, 220, LB, Tyler JC / Hitchcock HS)
- Remarks: Defensive MVP of conference championship game; 3-year all-district performer in high school
- DaRay Sims (6-2, 190, WR, Navarro JC / Corsicana HS)
- Remarks: 1st team all-America by NJCAA and Golden Circle after catching 51 passes for 1,064 yards and 10 touchdowns as a soph in 2001; finished two-year career at Navarro with 85 catches for 1,547 yards and 12 TDs; outstanding track man with personal bests of 49-0 in the triple jump, 26-8 in the long jump and 6-10 in the high jump
- Kendrick Walker (5-8, 170, DB, Navarro JC / Corsicana HS0
- Remarks: Two-year letterman at Navarro; 3rd team all-state DB in high school; third at state meet in powerlifting
OTHER FRESHMEN- Danieal Manning (6-1, 190, DB, Corsicana HS)
- Remarks: Signed with Nebraska last year but never enrolled; ranked as the 117th-best player in the Southwest by SuperPrep and the 16th-best cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com; second team all-state after senior year in 2000; collected 67 tackles and three INTs (returning two for TDs) as a senior; outstanding track man who finished second in both the triple jump and 100 meters at the 2001 Class 4A state meet
- TRANSFERS
- Arturo Beltran (5-11, 200, RB, Texas / Abilene HS)
- Remarks: Second-leading rusher in District 4-5A history with 4,940 yards; scored 54 all-purpose TDs, which ranks fourth all-time; holds every significant Abilene HS rushing record, including most career yards (4,940), most yards in one season (2,244 in 1999) and most yards in one game (347 vs. Midland High in 1997); also holds school records for most touchdowns in a career (54), most touchdowns in a season (29 in 1999, and most touchdowns in one game (five vs. Midland High in 1997); also holds career records for most carries in a career (698), most carries in a season (350 in 1999) and most carries in a game (38 vs. Odessa Permian in 1999)
- Steven Riddley (6-4, 210, DB, Oklahoma / Plainview HS)
- Remarks: Has one year of eligibility remaining after transferring to ACU from Oklahoma where he played from 1995-97; a great HS athlete at Plainview HS, Riddley led Plainview to the Class 4A state basketball championship in 1994 and was named the MVP of the state tournament; averaged 19 points per game as a senior and was named all-state; also named all-district in football
- HIGH SCHOOL
