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While Kent State's recruiting class of 2011 finished ranked by Rivals.com
as the second best in the Mid-American Conference, at least at the time
this story was published, the Golden Flashes did sign the conference's highest-rated
prospect.
"I'm so excited about this recruiting class," said first-year
Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell. "There is a lot of talent, great
character and guys that have done an outstanding job in the classroom. We fully
anticipate that these players are going to do exceptional things for Kent State
in the near future."
Over the past three seasons, Kent State's recruiting class was ranked by Rivals.com
as no lower than third in the Mid-American Conference. In 2009, the Golden
Flashes signed the conference's top recruiting class. Coming down to the wire,
Hazell's first class made a push for the top spot but finished just behind
Toledo for the league lead.
Rivals.com ranked Trayion Durham, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder from Colerain
High School in Cincinnati, as the No. 2 fullback in the nation. Durham, a three-star
prospect, signed with the Flashes after previously being committed to Wisconsin
and drawing interest from a host of other BCS conference schools. Durham opted
for Kent State, the only program willing to give him a shot at running back
as opposed to fullback.
OhioVarsity.com ranked Durham as the No. 3 running back in the state of Ohio,
behind Ohio's Mr. Football Akise Teague, a Cincinnati signee, and
Antwan Gilbert, who signed with Toledo.
As a senior at Colerain, Durham rushed 178 times for 1,096 yards and 15 touchdowns
with a long carry of 66 yards.
While Durham headlined the Kent State recruiting class, the Golden Flashes
did a fine job of filling holes left by a handful of departing seniors.
Hazell's first recruiting class included 17 high school and one junior
college prospect, with 11 projected to play on offense and the other seven
headed for the defensive side of the ball.
Here's a look at the Kent State recruiting class of 2011:
Name
| Position
| City,
State
| School
|
| RB
| Cleveland, Ohio
| St. Edward
|
The 5-foot-9,
205-pounder rushed for 1,369 yards and scored 19 touchdowns to
help lead St. Edward High School
to a perfect 15-0 season and a state title in 2010. Bates was a second
team all-district selection as a senior.
|
| OL
| Huber Heights, Ohio
| Wayne
|
The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder was
named a second team all-conference selection in 2010 and was the recipient
of the conference Academic/Athlete Award. |
| RB
| Centerville, Ohio
| Centerville
|
A 6-foot,
188-pounder, Boykin was a first team all-conference selection as a
senior after recording 1,004 all-purpose yards
(833
rushing, 171 receiving) and 11 touchdowns. |
| ATH
| Venice, Florida
| Venice
|
A 5-foot-10, 165-pounder, Boyle was a First
team all-area selection as a wide receiver his senior and junior seasons
and was the team offensive MVP in 2009 after totaling 1,117 all-purpose
yards (646
receiving, 471
rushing)
and nine touchdowns; his 646 yards were a school record for receiving. |
| RB
| Cincinnati, Ohio
| Colerain
|
A 6-foot-2, 240-pounder, Durham
was an all-state, all-conference, all-southwest Ohio and all-city selection
after rushing
for 1,096 yards
and 15 touchdowns as a senior. He was selected to play in the 2011 Big
33 Classic. Durham finished
as the second-leading rusher in school history with 3,503 yards and he
accumulated 38 career touchdowns. |
| WR
| Solon, Ohio
| Solon
|
The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder
was a first team all-state and all-district selection as a senior and
the 2010 Northeast Ohio Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He accounted
for over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010 and also played safety
and handled punts and kick returns. |
| LB
| Gilbert, Arizona
| Perry
|
The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder
was an honorable mention all-region selection as a senior at Perry High
School and previously
played quarterback and safety. |
| LB
| Oceanside, California
| Palomar CC
|
The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder was
a defensive captain at Palomar Community College, where he posted 47
tackles (27 solo), two tackles for loss and a blocked kick in nine games
in 2010. He was
first team all-league and defensive MVP his senior season at El Camino
High School. |
| WR
| Columbus, Ohio
| Marion-Franklin
|
The 6-foot-2, 189-pounder was
named first team all-city after his senior year and second team as a
freshman, sophomore, and junior and was a four-time all-district selection.
During his senior
season he started at wide receiver, cornerback, kicker, and punter and
averaged 17.6 yards per catch to lead Marion-Franklin
High School to an 11-1 record in 2010 and the school's fourth straight
city title. |
| CB
| Akron, Ohio
| Buchtel
|
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder
was a second team all-state selection as a senior and helped his team
to an 11-4 mark and a berth in the Division III state title game. Meadows
garnered honorable mention all-state accolades as a junior and was
a three-time all-city honoree. |
Andre Parker | LB | Fork Union, Virginia | Fork Union Military Academy |
The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder was a first team all-state
linebacker and running back and was named
the Virginia Prep League Player of the Year and the All-Central Virginia
Defensive Player of the Year. He led for Fork Union
Military Academy to a state title, recording 101 tackles 10 sacks, five
forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions. |
| TE
| Hilliard, Ohio
| Davidson
|
The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder was
named second
team all-conference honorable mention in his junior and senior seasons
and was a 2010
all-metro and all-district special mention. He helped to lead Hilliard
Davdidson to back-to-back state title game appearances and a state championship
in 2009. |
| DE
| Groveport, Ohio
| Madison
|
The 6-foot-3,
270-pounder was a second team all-state selection and a first team all-conference
choice as a senior. As a senior
he recorded 19 tackles and 3 sacks. |
| QB
| Kent, Ohio
| Roosevelt
|
The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder
was a first team all-state, district player of the year and conference
MVP as a senior after compiling 3,002 yards of total offense (2,202 passing
and 800 rushing) with 28 passing touchdowns and seven on the
ground. Shimensky led Roosevelt High
School to a 24-6 mark in three seasons, finishing his career with 5,502
yards and 67 touchdowns passing and 1,950 yards and 20 scores on the
ground. |
| QB
| Grove City, Ohio
| Grove City
|
The 6-foot-2,
190-pounder was an all-conference and all-district selection as a senior,
while also being named to the Columbus Super 25 Team. He completed 168-of-288
passes for 2,369 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2010 and added 477 yards
and 11 touchdowns on the ground. |
| SS
| Columbus, Ohio
| Marion-Franklin
|
The 6-foot-2,
215-pounder was named a first team all-state, all-district, all-metro
and all-city selection and the district defensive player of the
year in 2010 after tallying 80 tackles, six interceptions and a pair
of forced fumbles. |
| QB
| Stone Mountain, Georgia
| Stephenson
|
The 5-foot-11,
195-pounder was his team's offensive player of the year and MVP
after throwing for 17 touchdowns as a senior. He also posted 1,000 yards
passing and rushing and 26 touchdowns through the air as a junior. He
led Stephenson High School to a 20-3 record in two years as the starting
quarterback. |
| DE
| Moreland Hills, Ohio
| Orange
|
The 6-foot-4,
230-pounder was a first team all-state, first team all-conference
and all-region selection as a senior and was conference and region
defensive MVP. Terhune holds the Orange High School team record
for sacks in a season (16) and finished his senior season with 118
tackles, 16 sacks, and 31 tackles for loss and his high school
career with 179 tackles, 23.5 sacks, and 41 tackles for loss. |
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