Courtesy of Savannah State Athletics
SAVANNAH, Ga. — On National Signing Day, Savannah State Football inked 18 new recruits, adding to a roster that will see a host of student-athletes from last year return.
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Since taking over in 2019, Head Coach Shawn Quinn has followed a modus operandi of recruiting local and regional high-school players and transfers. Of this year’s class, 17 are from Georgia, one is from Florida and five are from the Savannah area.
“We’ve been able to upgrade every year and this year was no exception,” Quinn said in a press conference. “We’re really excited about the guys we got. We really tried to do a good job recruiting the home grown guys an hour or two near us and the majority of the class reflects that.”
On offense, the Tigers added local stand-out quarterback Jadon Adams from Islands High School, as well as Jordan Clark out of Richmond Hill High School, two players who could have immediate impact on the program.
“We’ve really made an emphasis on recruiting 100/150 miles around Savannah and making sure those guys don’t get out and go to different schools,” Assistant Head Coach Russell DeMasi said in the press conference. “Our coaches did a great job staying in touch with those guys. We had a chance to get more, but the 18 we got on signing day we’re very happy with.”
Savannah State also signed wide receiver Tyrease Jones from Brunswick High School, running back Derrick “DJ” Mincey out of Toombs County High School, tight ends Terriyon Moore (Bacon County High School) and Ryan Burkhart (McIntosh County High School), Johnathan Coleman (Jenkins County High School), and Josh Darsainvil (Ridgeview High School, Jacksonville, Fla.).
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On the other side of the ball, local defensive standout Nathaniel “Bubba” Chisholm signed with Savannah State on Wednesday. The 6-1, 245 linebacker out of Islands High School could also have immediate impact on the team.
“We got the city’s defensive player of the year in Bubba Chisholm and some would say the city’s offensive player of the year in Jadon Adams,” Quinn said. “Very excited about that.”
Defensive back/safety Austin Wainwright signed with the Tigers. The 6-0, 180lbs freshman comes to Savannah from North Gwinnett High School. On the defensive line, Savannah State added 6-3, 273lbs Tony Rountree, Jr. out of T.W. Josey High School. Linebacker Daniel Whitehead also inked with the Tigers. The 5-10, 210lbs freshman comes from Tift County High School.
The Tigers also added some size to their offensive line in Jonathan Gunter and Jakestal Lee. Gunter transfers in from Georgia Military College at 6-5 and 290lbs. Lee, 6-4 and 295lbs, comes from Jenkins County High School.
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Another huge pickup for the Tiger’s defense is NCAA Division I transfer cornerback Le’Vonte Larry. Larry joins Savannah State from Kennesaw State. Savannah State also added freshman cornerback Meon’Tavious McLeod out of Liberty County High School.
Savannah State football is scheduled to have two games this spring. They play the University of West Alabama in the Gulf Coast Challenge on March 13 and will play a yet-to-be-announced team at home on March 27.