PaladinFan
February 6th, 2008, 12:28 PM
Feb. 6, 2008
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head football coach Bobby Lamb announced today the signing of 16 recruits to national letters of intent.
The 16 high school seniors who signed with Furman on Wednesday include seven offensive additions and nine defensive performers.
The Paladins' recruiting class features four players from both South Carolina and Georgia, two each from Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina.
Seven of the 16 signees earned first, second, or third team all-state honors, and two recruits from the Carolinas were Shrine Bowl selections.
Among Furman's higher profile additions are 5A all-state wide receiver Matthew Gordon (Birmingham, Ala./Briarwood Christian School), 4A all-state quarterback Dakota Derrick (Conway, S.C./Conway H.S.), 1A all-state tailback Walt Lenard (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian School), 3A all-state cornerback Ryan Steed (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Pinewood Prep), and a pair of former cross-town rivals, including Shrine Bowl linebacker Chris Wiley (Anderson, S.C./Westside H.S.) and South Carolina's top rated tight end prospect, Phillip Silverstein (Anderson, S.C./T.L. Hanna H.S.).
Gordon, an Alabama Sportswriters Association 5A All-State selection, caught 37 passes for 1,107 yards and 18 touchdowns and also tallied 55 tackles and two interceptions as a safety on a Briarwood Christian School squad that went 14-1 and finished as state runner-up in 2007. He chose Furman over scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Air Force, Duke, and Samford.
Derrick passed for 2,472 yards and 27 touchdowns en route to earning South Carolina High School Sports Report 4A All-State accolades on a 9-3 team in 2007. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller led his team to a state runner-up finish in 2006 and set school records for career passing yards (4,882) and passing touchdowns (49).
A 2007 Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1A All-State pick, Lenard rushed for 1,318 yards (9.5 ypc) and 16 touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 550 yards and five TDs for Landmark Christian Academy this past fall.
Steed registered 1,275 yards in total offense and 20 touchdown responsibilities as a quarterback at Pinewood Prep, where he garnered all-state honors in both football and basketball.
Wiley landed a prestigious Shrine Bowl invitation after garnering 136 tackles for a Westside squad that notched a 10-3 record last fall. Silverstein, meanwhile, starred at T.L. Hanna and was rated as the state's top tight end and a national Top 100 tight end prospect by ESPN.
Also included in the class are former teammates, cornerback E.J. Vinsang and Tennessee Sportswriters Association All-State safety Nathan Wade, from 2007 Division II 2A state champion Montgomery Bell Academy, which fashioned a perfect 13-0 campaign.
Furman, which opens spring practice on March 3, returns 12 regulars off its 2007 squad, which posted a 6-5 record and 4-3 Southern Conference mark good for a third place league finish.
2008 FURMAN FOOTBALL SIGNEEES
Kenny Beck, DE, 6-4, 233, Salem, Ala. (Smiths Station H.S.)
Matt Blades, OT,6-6, 272, Laurel Hill, N.C. (Richmond County H.S.)
Dakota Derrick, QB, 6-5, 200, Conway, S.C. (Conway H.S.)
Matthew Gordon, WR, 6-1, 191, Birmingham, Ala. (Briarwood Christian School)
Jordan Griffin, CB, 5-10, 162, Fairburn, Ga. (Sandy Creek H.S.)
Walt Lenard, TB, 6-0, 201, Atlanta, Ga. (Landmark Christian School)
Daniel McFadden, WR, 6-2, 178, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland H.S.)
Mitch McGrath, S, 6-2, 178, Longwood, Fla. (Lake Brantley H.S.)
Bryan Poole, DT, 5-11, 278, Marietta, Ga. (Kennesaw Mountain H.S.)
Phillip Silverstein, TE, 6-5, 228, Anderson, S.C. (T.L. Hanna H.S.)
Daniel Spisak, C, 6-1, 250, Charlotte, N.C. (Z.B. Vance H.S.)
Ryan Steed, CB, 5-11, 179, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Pinewood Preparatory School)
Tersoo Uhaa, RB/LB, 5-8, 198, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Riverside Military Academy)
E.J. Vinsang, [/B]CB, 5-10, 183, Nashville, Tenn. (Montgomery Bell Academy)
Nathan Wade, S, 6-0, 172, Nashville, Tenn. (Montgomery Bell Academy)
Chris Wiley, LB, 5-10, 191, Anderson, S.C. (Westside H.S.)
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head football coach Bobby Lamb announced today the signing of 16 recruits to national letters of intent.
The 16 high school seniors who signed with Furman on Wednesday include seven offensive additions and nine defensive performers.
The Paladins' recruiting class features four players from both South Carolina and Georgia, two each from Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina.
Seven of the 16 signees earned first, second, or third team all-state honors, and two recruits from the Carolinas were Shrine Bowl selections.
Among Furman's higher profile additions are 5A all-state wide receiver Matthew Gordon (Birmingham, Ala./Briarwood Christian School), 4A all-state quarterback Dakota Derrick (Conway, S.C./Conway H.S.), 1A all-state tailback Walt Lenard (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian School), 3A all-state cornerback Ryan Steed (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Pinewood Prep), and a pair of former cross-town rivals, including Shrine Bowl linebacker Chris Wiley (Anderson, S.C./Westside H.S.) and South Carolina's top rated tight end prospect, Phillip Silverstein (Anderson, S.C./T.L. Hanna H.S.).
Gordon, an Alabama Sportswriters Association 5A All-State selection, caught 37 passes for 1,107 yards and 18 touchdowns and also tallied 55 tackles and two interceptions as a safety on a Briarwood Christian School squad that went 14-1 and finished as state runner-up in 2007. He chose Furman over scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Air Force, Duke, and Samford.
Derrick passed for 2,472 yards and 27 touchdowns en route to earning South Carolina High School Sports Report 4A All-State accolades on a 9-3 team in 2007. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller led his team to a state runner-up finish in 2006 and set school records for career passing yards (4,882) and passing touchdowns (49).
A 2007 Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1A All-State pick, Lenard rushed for 1,318 yards (9.5 ypc) and 16 touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 550 yards and five TDs for Landmark Christian Academy this past fall.
Steed registered 1,275 yards in total offense and 20 touchdown responsibilities as a quarterback at Pinewood Prep, where he garnered all-state honors in both football and basketball.
Wiley landed a prestigious Shrine Bowl invitation after garnering 136 tackles for a Westside squad that notched a 10-3 record last fall. Silverstein, meanwhile, starred at T.L. Hanna and was rated as the state's top tight end and a national Top 100 tight end prospect by ESPN.
Also included in the class are former teammates, cornerback E.J. Vinsang and Tennessee Sportswriters Association All-State safety Nathan Wade, from 2007 Division II 2A state champion Montgomery Bell Academy, which fashioned a perfect 13-0 campaign.
Furman, which opens spring practice on March 3, returns 12 regulars off its 2007 squad, which posted a 6-5 record and 4-3 Southern Conference mark good for a third place league finish.
2008 FURMAN FOOTBALL SIGNEEES
Kenny Beck, DE, 6-4, 233, Salem, Ala. (Smiths Station H.S.)
Matt Blades, OT,6-6, 272, Laurel Hill, N.C. (Richmond County H.S.)
Dakota Derrick, QB, 6-5, 200, Conway, S.C. (Conway H.S.)
Matthew Gordon, WR, 6-1, 191, Birmingham, Ala. (Briarwood Christian School)
Jordan Griffin, CB, 5-10, 162, Fairburn, Ga. (Sandy Creek H.S.)
Walt Lenard, TB, 6-0, 201, Atlanta, Ga. (Landmark Christian School)
Daniel McFadden, WR, 6-2, 178, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland H.S.)
Mitch McGrath, S, 6-2, 178, Longwood, Fla. (Lake Brantley H.S.)
Bryan Poole, DT, 5-11, 278, Marietta, Ga. (Kennesaw Mountain H.S.)
Phillip Silverstein, TE, 6-5, 228, Anderson, S.C. (T.L. Hanna H.S.)
Daniel Spisak, C, 6-1, 250, Charlotte, N.C. (Z.B. Vance H.S.)
Ryan Steed, CB, 5-11, 179, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Pinewood Preparatory School)
Tersoo Uhaa, RB/LB, 5-8, 198, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Riverside Military Academy)
E.J. Vinsang, [/B]CB, 5-10, 183, Nashville, Tenn. (Montgomery Bell Academy)
Nathan Wade, S, 6-0, 172, Nashville, Tenn. (Montgomery Bell Academy)
Chris Wiley, LB, 5-10, 191, Anderson, S.C. (Westside H.S.)