Head coach reviews 2011 recruiting haul
2/3/2011 7:05:00 AM | Football
National signing day was a little less hectic for Sam Houston State head coach Willie Fritz this time around.
Last year, the newly hired Fritz had to juggle recruiting with finalizing his staff and everything else that comes with taking over a new program.
The Bearkats did not do too shabby either and landed a signing class which had several players step in and contribute right away for a Sam Houston squad which put together a remarkable turnaround this past season.
Wednesday after the last letter of intent had been faxed to the SHSU athletic department, everyone seemed more relaxed as Fritz and his assistant coaches spoke about the 18 high school seniors and one junior college transfer who will play football for the Bearkats next season.
"I appreciate all the hard work these coaches did," Fritz said. "We are very, very excited about having these student-athletes. When you bring guys in we want them to fit our profile. For us that means being an outstanding student - a guy who wants to get a college degree - and a kid who wants to be the best football player he can be and be part of a championship team."
The Bearkats signed 10 defensive players and nine more on the offensive side of the ball as part of the 2011 class.
Defensively, linebacker Collin Callahan (Cy Ridge High School), end Casey DeVries (Dalhart), safety Tristan Eche (Waco), defensive back Desmond Fite (Tatum), lineman Gavareon Marshall (Brazosport), defensive back Andre Moseley (Wylie), end Emmanuel Omoegbele (Alief Taylor), cornerback Drew Smith (Del City, Okla.) and lineman Ishmael Thorns (Dallas Woodrow Wilson) join an SHSU unit which made great strides in 2010.
On offense, the Kats added linemen Antonio Chimney (Crockett), Dylan Johnson (Cy Creek) and Joey White (Wimberly); wide receivers Greg Johnson (Del City, Okla.), Brandon Wilkerson (La Grange) and Stephen Williams (Round Rock Stony Point); quarterbacks Chris Grett (Oak Ridge) and Si'Darius Blackshire (Carthage/Trinity Valley Community College); running back Keshawn Hill (Klein); and tight end Beau Smith (Cedar Park).
As was the case last season, the new recruits are going to be given the opportunity to compete for playing time the moment they arrive on campus.
A number of the members of the 2010 class helped Sam Houston finish with a 6-5 record and a tie for third place in the Southland Conference with a 4-3 league mark. But this group might not be needed to make as big of an immediate impact as last season's recruits since the Kats only graduated a handful of seniors and return nearly every starter.
"We are going to open it up for all of them when they report to camp," Fritz said. "I tell each and every kid that they better be prepared like they are going to play next season.
"... Redshirting is tough for a new guy. It really is, so I tell them to prepare like they are going to play. We have a lot of kids coming back. We have 20 starters coming back, we redshirted a very good class, we have a bunch of guys who played for us but didn't start, ... so we are really excited about the returning players we have," the coach added. "I know there will be four or five of these guys who will have an opportunity to play for us next season, I just don't know which four or five that will be."
The Bearkats have certainly left themselves open to many options with the versatility of this year's class. Quite a few of the new recruits played both offense and defense in high school.
There are also guys who excelled in other sports as well such as basketball, baseball and track and field.
"I really don't like guys who play just one sport," Fritz said. "I like guys who play a lot of different sports. I think the linemen, in particular, really need to play another sport. We watch a lot of basketball games and probably saw more of those than we did football games as far as high school is concerned. That is also a great indicator of what kind of athletes these guys are."
One of the main target areas for this year's class was on the defensive front. The Bearkats boasted the SLC's top rushing defense in 2010 and was second in the league in sacks with 31.
But the majority of those sacks and most of the pressure came from blitzing defensive backs and linebackers. Sam Houston is hoping to generate more of a pass rush from the big boys up front and the coaching staff believes DeVries, Marshall, Omoegbele and Thorns could address this in the future.
"I really feel like what we looked at with all these guys is how they get off on the ball," Fritz said. "... We are a pressure-package type team. We do a lot of blitzing and man coverage.
"Another goal our ours is being able to play zone as effectively as we can and provide pressure with four rushers. That is something else we want to improve on as well. When we went out and recruited, we wanted to find defensive linemen who have the ability to rush the passer and stay at the line of scrimmage and play a gap."
Coach Fritz and his staff will give all the lowdown on the Bearkats' 2011 recruiting blitz on Monday, Feb. 7, at a special "Chalk Talk" session for Bearkat Champions at McKenzie's Barbeque in Huntsville. The event begins at 12 noon. Admission is $10 and includes a buffet lunch.
The football staff also will meet with Houston area Bearkat fans at a special Kat Pack meeting schedule Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Fox and Hound located at 19189 Interstate 45 South in Shenandoah (Reseearch Forest exit) approximately a quarter mile south of Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.
Complete list and bios on Sam Houston's 2011 football signings.
