DeMeo excited about UC recruits
By Tommy R. Atkinson, Gazette staff writer
According to Tony DeMeo, when he arrived at the University of Charleston the cupboard wasn't only bare, but there was hardly a cupboard at all.
DeMeo has been stocking his roster the past three seasons and is finally in position to begin shoring up specific areas of concern. That's exactly what DeMeo and his staff did Wednesday when they inked 25 high school football recruits on national letter-of-intent signing day.
"We did a great job putting together this class,'' said DeMeo. "We were much more surgical than we were in the past. We concentrated on specific areas we needed. We just didn't mass recruit. My first year here we just needed players so we brought in a lot more numbers.
"This year we just kind of settled in on specific people we wanted. We worked on situations after next year's graduation. We're losing some defensive linemen next year so we wanted to bring some defensive linemen in. We always want to bring in some defensive backs because we play a lot of those guys.''
Six of the 25 players who signed with the Golden Eagles hail from West Virginia: Brett Curtis of Wayne, Dominique Green of Capital, Julius Holbrook of Riverside, Shane Jarrett of St. Albans, Zack Markham of Winfield and Bradley Parsons of Roane County. Curtis, Green, Holbrook and Jarrett led their teams to the playoffs last season.
Curtis, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive tackle, was a Class AA second-team all-state selection. Green, a 6-2, 210-pound defensive end, registered 44 tackles, including 121/2 for losses, six sacks, broke up eight passes, blocked four kicks and forced three fumbles. Holbrook, a 6-3, 250-pound defensive lineman, led Riverside in tackles with 91, including 10 for losses, and was a Class AAA second-team all-state selection.
Markham was a Class AA first-team all-state pick as a place-kicker after connecting on 7-of-11 field goal attempts and all 19 of his extra points. Parsons, a 6-2, 305-pound defensive lineman, was a Class AA second-team all-state pick and was offered a preferred walk-on at Louisville.
"I was really pleased with the local kids we [signed],'' DeMeo said. "Dominique Green is really a great player that I think is going to flourish here. Shane Jarrett, I saw him in the state championship game and really became a fan. Julius has been in our camp and I know him like he's one of our players already.''
DeMeo was also tickled with the signings of Lamont Lattimore of Cincinnati, Ohio; Brandon McKee of Honolulu; James Settle of Cleveland Heights, Ohio; John Varner of Lancaster, Ohio; Markel Vaughn of Warren, Ohio; and Justin Woods of Stanleytown, Va.
Lattimore, a 5-10, 165-pound slot receiver, was rated a one-star recruit by Scout.com and runs 10.7 seconds in the 100 meters. McKee, a 6-1, 185-pound defensive back, was rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com.
Settle, a 6-4, 200-pound linebacker, was rated a one-star recruit by Scout.com. Varner, a 6-1, 215-pound defensive end, was an Ohio Capital Conference first-team selection who helped his team to the Division I playoffs. Vaughn, a 5-9, 186-pound defensive back, was all-conference, all-county and all-district. Woods, a 6-1, 270-pound defensive lineman, was a first-team all-state performer and the regional co-defensive player of the year.
"We picked up some real good football players,'' said DeMeo said. "Ideally, we're going to redshirt everyone in this whole class.''
The Golden Eagles posted an 8-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the West Virginia Conference to tie for second place. UC was in the Division II playoff hunt until the final few weeks of the season.
"I think our program is a year ahead of where I'd thought we'd be,'' said DeMeo. "I just think we've got something really good going here right now.''
According to Tony DeMeo, when he arrived at the University of Charleston the cupboard wasn't only bare, but there was hardly a cupboard at all.
DeMeo has been stocking his roster the past three seasons and is finally in position to begin shoring up specific areas of concern. That's exactly what DeMeo and his staff did Wednesday when they inked 25 high school football recruits on national letter-of-intent signing day.
"We did a great job putting together this class,'' said DeMeo. "We were much more surgical than we were in the past. We concentrated on specific areas we needed. We just didn't mass recruit. My first year here we just needed players so we brought in a lot more numbers.
"This year we just kind of settled in on specific people we wanted. We worked on situations after next year's graduation. We're losing some defensive linemen next year so we wanted to bring some defensive linemen in. We always want to bring in some defensive backs because we play a lot of those guys.''
Six of the 25 players who signed with the Golden Eagles hail from West Virginia: Brett Curtis of Wayne, Dominique Green of Capital, Julius Holbrook of Riverside, Shane Jarrett of St. Albans, Zack Markham of Winfield and Bradley Parsons of Roane County. Curtis, Green, Holbrook and Jarrett led their teams to the playoffs last season.
Curtis, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive tackle, was a Class AA second-team all-state selection. Green, a 6-2, 210-pound defensive end, registered 44 tackles, including 121/2 for losses, six sacks, broke up eight passes, blocked four kicks and forced three fumbles. Holbrook, a 6-3, 250-pound defensive lineman, led Riverside in tackles with 91, including 10 for losses, and was a Class AAA second-team all-state selection.
Markham was a Class AA first-team all-state pick as a place-kicker after connecting on 7-of-11 field goal attempts and all 19 of his extra points. Parsons, a 6-2, 305-pound defensive lineman, was a Class AA second-team all-state pick and was offered a preferred walk-on at Louisville.
"I was really pleased with the local kids we [signed],'' DeMeo said. "Dominique Green is really a great player that I think is going to flourish here. Shane Jarrett, I saw him in the state championship game and really became a fan. Julius has been in our camp and I know him like he's one of our players already.''
DeMeo was also tickled with the signings of Lamont Lattimore of Cincinnati, Ohio; Brandon McKee of Honolulu; James Settle of Cleveland Heights, Ohio; John Varner of Lancaster, Ohio; Markel Vaughn of Warren, Ohio; and Justin Woods of Stanleytown, Va.
Lattimore, a 5-10, 165-pound slot receiver, was rated a one-star recruit by Scout.com and runs 10.7 seconds in the 100 meters. McKee, a 6-1, 185-pound defensive back, was rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com.
Settle, a 6-4, 200-pound linebacker, was rated a one-star recruit by Scout.com. Varner, a 6-1, 215-pound defensive end, was an Ohio Capital Conference first-team selection who helped his team to the Division I playoffs. Vaughn, a 5-9, 186-pound defensive back, was all-conference, all-county and all-district. Woods, a 6-1, 270-pound defensive lineman, was a first-team all-state performer and the regional co-defensive player of the year.
"We picked up some real good football players,'' said DeMeo said. "Ideally, we're going to redshirt everyone in this whole class.''
The Golden Eagles posted an 8-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the West Virginia Conference to tie for second place. UC was in the Division II playoff hunt until the final few weeks of the season.
"I think our program is a year ahead of where I'd thought we'd be,'' said DeMeo. "I just think we've got something really good going here right now.''