What Toledo got
What Toledo got
The following is a brief look at the Rockets' 2002 recruiting class:
* Muhammad Abdullah (DL, 6-6, 250, Detroit, MI-Central): Abdullah made second-team All-City for Detroit Central High School. He also is the starting center on the basketball team and is rated as the No. 15 center in Michigan by Prep Spotlight magazine.
* Hassan Adebesin (OL, 6-3, 275, Shaker Heights, OH-Shaker Heights): Adebesin played both center and defensive line for Shaker Heights, making 63 tackles, including 23 behind the line of scrimmage. He earned first-team All-Lake Erie League and first-team All-District honors at center, and was named to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's All-Star Team. He also was named special mention All-State by the Associated Press. As a wrestler, Adebesin is 29-1 and ranked No. 3 in the state, and was a member of last summer's Ohio Junior National Wrestling Team in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
* Jerry Aguwa (OL, 6-5, 270, Birmingham, MI-Brother Rice): Aguwa was ranked No. 36 on the Detroit Free Press Fab 50 Team and No. 37 on the Detroit News Blue Chip List. He also made the All-Catholic League team for Brother Rice, one of the perennial high school football powers in Michigan.
* Quinton Broussard (TB, 5-10, 185, Carrollton, TX-The Colony): Broussard was a 5A (biggest schools) first-team All-State and All-District selection and led the 5A level with 2,124 yards rushing. He had three games of over 300 yards rushing. He also caught eight passes for 151 yards and played cornerback on defense. He is an honorable mention All-America selection by PrepStar magazine, and is ranked as the No. 21 running back in the nation by Max Emfinger's Blue Chip Recruiting magazine. Aggie Websider listed him as a "Top 5 Athlete" in the state of Texas. At the Texas High School All-Star Game, Broussard gained 78 yards on 10 carries and was named the top offensive player of the game. His brother, Michael, is the starting strong safety at Wisconsin.
* Dontriel Coates (DL, 6-5, 280, Anahuac, TX-Anahuac): Coates is ranked as the No. 46 defensive lineman in the country by Rivals recruiting service. He also made first-team All-District at Anahuac High School. He had 93 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a senior. He played defensive end, defensive tackle linebacker, fullback, tight end and placekicker in high school. He is an All-District basketball player, a pitcher on the baseball team and throws the discus and shot put for the track team.
* Chad Diggs (OL, 6-4, 285, Dayton, OH-Chaminade-Julienne): Diggs graduated from Chaminade-Julienne in 2001 and is attending Fork Union (VA) Military Academy this year. He started every game at left tackle for Fork Union.
*Rodney Gamby (TB/LB, 5-10, 186, Temperance, MI-Toledo St. Francis): Gamby led Toledo St. Francis High School, just down the street from UT, to the Ohio Division II state championship and was named the Ohio Division II Player of the Year. He also was named district Player of the Year and was a first-team Division II All-State selection. He rushed for 2,409 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior. Gamby transferred to St. Francis from nearby Temperance Bedford (MI) High School for his senior season. He had 1,200 all-purpose yards at Bedford as a junior.
* Patrick Gray (DB, 6-5, 185, Lexington, KY-Tates Creek): Gray was a third-team All-State selection and also was named district Player of the Year as a wide receiver and defensive back. Had 31 receptions and averaged 22 yards per catch as a senior. He also averaged 21 yards on punt returns. On defense, Gray had 124 tackles and seven interceptions. He also played on the basketball and baseball teams.
* Chris Hardwick (DB, 6-1, 185, Oklahoma City, OK-Marshall): Hardwick made first-team All-City while playing tailback, wide receiver and free safety. He ran for 607 yards and five touchdowns on 109 attempts, caught 21 passes for 207 yards and three TDS, and had 57 tackles, three interceptions and four pass breakups on defense.
* Kenley Horton (QB, 6-2, 180, Riverdale, GA-North Clayton): Horton made the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Clayton/Henry County "Super 11" team, and was named All-League and All-County. A multi-position player, Horton threw for 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns, ran for 500 yards and three touchdowns and caught four TD passes as a senior. Horton joins wide receiver and teammate Frederick Wilson as a signee at UT this fall.
* Oral Hylton (LB, 6-0, 210, Detroit, MI-Cooley): Hylton played quarterback, tailback, safety, linebacker and handled the kicking chores for Cooley. He was ranked at No. 38 on the Detroit Free Press's Fab 50 list and was an All-Region selection by Rivals recruiting service. Hylton had 101 tackles and rushed for 746 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. He made All-City twice as a kicker, and was the city champion in the discus.
* Perry Ivery (WR, 6-0, 180, Fort Cherry, PA-Fort Cherry): Ivery caught 53 passes for 864 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. He also played tailback where he ran for 620 yards and scored seven TDs. He was a first-team Class AA-A All-State selection and was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Terrific 25 team. He also was Player of the Year in his league. As a junior he caught 38 passes and averaged 24.9 yards per catch. He plays high school basketball and is a sprinter on the track team. Ivery's uncle, Perry Kemp, was a receiver for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-91.
* Lantz Jeudy (DL, 6-2, 285, Irvington, NY-Irvington / Morrisville (NY) C.C.): A junior college transfer from State University of New York at Morrisville, Jeudy is rated as one of the top 20 defensive ends in the country by JCFootball.com. Last season, Jeudy had 62 tackles, including 21 tackles for loss, and made first-team All-Northeast Conference. Jeudy will be a junior for the Rockets this fall.
* Anthony Jordan (LB, 6-3, 220, Whitehall, OH-Yearling): Jordan made the Division III All-Ohio second-team and made All-District as a senior. As a junior he made All-District and had 112 tackles. He also played tight end in high school, and plays on the basketball team.
* Jamar Landrum (DB, 6-2, 200, Pontiac, MI-Northern): Landrum ranks No. 12 on the Detroit Free Press Fab 50 list as a safety, the highest of any of Toledo's seven recruits from Michigan. He also ranks No. 27 on the Detroit News Blue Chip list. As a senior, Landrum had 62 tackles and six interceptions. He also rushed for 215 yards on 30 carries and caught 12 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Landrum has 15 interceptions. He plays basketball at Pontiac Northern and is a sprinter on the track team.
* Astin Martin (TB, 5-9, 180, Grand Rapids, MI-Creston): Martin ranks No. 25 on the Detroit Free Press Fab 50 list, No. 31 on the Detroit News Dream Team list, and is the only Rocket recruit from Michigan to make the Detroit News Dream Team. He also made first-team Class A All-State by the Detroit News and was named honorable mention All-America by PrepStar magazine. As a senior he had 1,676 yards rushing and 19 TDs. He is a sprinter on the track team and runs the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds.
* Steve Odom (WR, 5-10, 175, Westerville, OH-South): Odom was a second-team All-District and first-team All-Conference selection. He had 25 receptions and six touchdowns as a senior, and 49 receptions as a junior. He also played defensive back at Westerville South.
* Raquan Pride (DB, 6-1, 190, Syracuse, NY-Corcoran): Pride made first-team Class AA All-State and first-team All-Central New York as a cornerback, though he also played quarterback in high school. He comes from the same high school as fellow Rocket signee Cedric Stevens. Pride also is an excellent basketball player with a 36-inch vertical jump.
* Seth Thitoff (LB, 6-2, 200, Delphos, OH-Jefferson): Thitoff is listed as the No. 18 runningback in Ohio by Ohio Preps magazine, but likely will play linebacker at UT. He led his team to a 9-0 record as a senior. Thitoff made Division V first-team All-State as a junior, rushing for 1,445 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also is a sprinter on the track team.
* Jerome Walker (DL, 6-6, 250, Avon, OH-Avon): Walker made first-team All-District and was named his district's defensive player of the year. He also plays basketball at Avon High School.
* Deion Washington (WR/DB, 6-1, 195, Detroit, MI-Cooley): Washington made second-team All-City in both his junior and senior seasons, and was ranked at No. 47 on the Detroit Free Press Fab 50 list and No. 51 on the Detroit News Blue Chip list. He caught 30 passes as a junior and 31 as a senior. As a senior he averaged 28.7 yards per catch. Washington is also a sprinter on the track team.
* Frederick Wilson (WR, 6-4, 190, College Park, GA-North Clayton): Wilson caught 30 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns as the favorite receiver of fellow UT signee Kenley Horton.
* Chad Mickelson (WR, 6-2, 1885, Redmond, UT-North Seveir / Snow (UT) College): A junior college transfer from Snow College in Utah, Mickelson had 67 catches for 972 yards and nine touchdowns this past fall. His brother Lance was a wide receiver at Kentucky who played alongside current Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch.
* Cedric Stevens (QB, 6-4, 225, Syracuse, NY-Corcoran / Butler County (KS) C.C.): Stevens passed for 1,266 yards and 14 touchdowns this past season, leading Butler County to the Kansas junior college championship. He redshirted in 2000 and will have sophomore eligibility next fall. As a high school player, he was an All-State selection and played in the New York-New Jersey All-Star Game. Stevens comes from the same high school as fellow Rocket signee Raquan Pride.
* Zach Kiesch (DL, 6-5, 240, Delano, MN-Delano): Kiesch played last fall at the Naval Academy Prep School in Annapolis, MD, before enrolling at UT this semester. He played defensive end and tight end in high school.