With the Owls’ first full season under their belt, the coaching staff was able to bring in an array of talent for their first regular season of recruiting.
It’s the most anticipated day of the college football offseason, and as the group signed their letters of intent on Wednesday, all signs pointed to KSU having an impressive signing class.
“When you look at this class I think you’re looking at one that’s going to be an integral part of us,” KSU head football coach Brian Bohannon said. “We talk about winning championships and I think this class is a big part of it.”
KSU signed a total of eighteen players — nine offensive, eight defensive, and a kicker — from four different states. The Owls recruiting mission was to recruit as much depth as possible, and they did just that.
“There’s no question that this is a great class from top to bottom,” Bohannon said. “When you look at this class you see us trying to establish depth, and we addressed needs of depth at each position, especially when you look at the backfield and along the offensive line. Every position on our roster has been touched.”
The Owls signed a total of ten players that were selected on their respective all-state teams. Three of them were three-star recruits who should all make an immediate impact on the field this season — along with four players who played high school football locally.
Etowah High School linebacker Bronson Rechsteiner is one of those local players that is anticipated to make huge strides leading up to this fall.
“He is tough, hard-nosed and throwback,” Bohannon said. “He can run, he can hit, and he will strike you, and I think he has a chance to have an impact early. This guy’s ceiling is going to be unbelievable.”
Another position that was filled and has the coaching staff excited is at wide receiver. The Owls signed Ezra Naylor out of North Atlanta High School and Dorian Miles out of Brookwood High School. Both players have outstanding size with heights of 6’4” and 6’2”, respectively, and will adapt very well to help balance out the run-heavy option attack.
“We signed two really good wide outs and we have some great kids coming back in the program,” Bohannon said about the depth at wide receiver. “When you go and look at that position as a whole, it’s impressive. I’m really excited about our receivers.”
Another player standing out that has coaches raving is defensive lineman Allen Johnson, who is also a local player out of Allatoona High School. He has great quickness for a player his size and has tons of potential to make an early impact.
“He’s a little bit raw and untapped, but when you really watch him running, he probably runs as good as anybody,” coach Bohannon said about Johnson. “I think he has so much potential.”
The KSU football team will begin spring practice in just a few weeks, and there’s excitement swirling all around the program leading into its second season. With their first deep recruiting class in the books and a successful season under their belt, the sky’s the limit with what the Owls can accomplish in the future.
“I’m so sold on what is going on around here and so passionate about it,” Bohannon said. “You can go and look at some of the offers these kids had, and it speaks volumes about our staff and about what Kennesaw State has to offer. When you get a kid on campus, 100 percent of them has their mouth wide open and jaw dropped. They are blown away, and that has an impact as our brand continues to move further out.”
Official List of Signees:
Adesola Abisoye; DB; 5-10; 175; Loganville
Bryson Armstrong; LB; 5-11; 195; Marietta
Tommy Bryant; QB; 6-1; 180; Northridge, Ala.
Chris Byrd; LB; 5-9; 205; Gainesville
Dustin Clabough; DB; 6-0; 180; Alcoa, Tenn.
Daniel David; QB; 6-1; 210; Hoschton
Abdul Davis; DL; 6-3; 250; Macon
Jai’len Edwards; DB; 5-11; 165; Greensboro
Nick Eldridge; OL; 6-2; 295; Hoover, Ala.
Forrest Evans; OL; 6-2; 290; Roswell
Allen Johnson; DE; 6-4; 235; Acworth
Christian Kinsley; PK; 6-3; 215; Lexington, S.C.
Dorian Miles; WR; 6-2; 195; Lawrenceville
Ezra Naylor; WR; 6-4; 190; Atlanta
Sam Outlaw; RB; 6-1; 205; Cumming
Bronson Rechsteiner; LB; 6-0; 210; Acworth
Brandon Simmons; RB; 6-0; 220; Pleasant Grove, Ala.
Shaquil Terry; RB; 5-9; 175; Bessemer, Ala.
Zach Thompson; OL; 6-4; 295; Swainsboro
