Coach Hope talks about the 2006 recruiting class

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University head football coach Danny Hope announced today that 17 student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to play football for the Colonels next fall. The class includes four offensive linemen, three defensive linemen, three wide receivers, two tight ends, two quarterbacks, one linebacker, one corner back and one running back.

“I had one marching order for our staff this year – recruit passionate players that love to play football and are fun to be around,” Hope said. “Those are the same type of players that were on our championship teams in the past. I’m certainly grateful for the resources we have at EKU to bring in a recruiting class of this quality, both on the field and academically.”

Six of the signees earned all-state accolades including wide receiver Chris Fulmer and defensive lineman Yameen Thomas. Fulmer, a three-time all-state selection from Nitro, W.Va., finished his prep career with 329 receptions, 5,082 receiving yards and 45 touchdowns. His reception total is the most in United States high school football history while his receiving yards rank second all-time. Thomas, hailing from Charlotte, N.C., was the Defensive Player of the Year as well as Student-Athlete of the Year in North Carolina. He notched 78 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 22 hurries and 12 tackles for loss during his prep career.

Three of the incoming student-athletes come from the same high school as current Colonels. Tight end Andrew Motes, hailing from Winter Garden, Fla., and junior safety Victor Nichols both played at West Orange High School. Kherryl O’Brien, a tight end from Palm Bay, Fla., and sophomore Marcus Pearson each competed at Bayside High. Offensive lineman Tejon Washington and sophomore defensive lineman Bakahri Thornton both played football at Bartow High School in Bartow, Fla.

Meanwhile, five newcomers played in the Central Florida East-West High School All-Star game this past fall – wide receiver Ryan Aldrin (Orlando, Fla.), linebacker Jordan Dalrymple (Oviedo, Fla.), offensive lineman Chris Krack (Winter Springs, Fla.), Motes and O’Brien. Dalrymple has family ties to Eastern as his uncle, Brooks, played on the Colonel offensive line in the late 1980s. He was the 2005 Central Florida Defensive Player of the Year.

Eastern Kentucky finished the 2005 season 7-4 overall and 7-1 in the OVC, its third consecutive second-place finish in the conference. The Colonels return five first team All-OVC players for 2006, including All-American tight end Patrick Bugg and OVC Offensive Player of the Year Josh Greco. EKU will be in search of its 29th consecutive winning season and its first league title since 1997.

Student-Athlete Profiles

Ryan Aldrin
WR, 6-2, 200
Orlando, Fla., Bishop More High School
--Central Florida East-West High School All-Star game participant
--Senior team captain
--All Friday Night Football Team selection
--Carries a 4.0 GPA
--Honor Roll 9th through 12th grade
--Senior year totals: 22 catches for 525 yards (23 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns
--Junior year totals: 24 catches for 410 yards (17 yards per catch) and six touchdowns
--Recruited by New Hampshire, Colgate and Illinois State

Aaron Bradley
RB, 5-11, 195
Charlotte, N.C., Myers Park High School
--Finished senior season with 1,858 yards, 380 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns (23 rushing, three receiving)
--Broke school’s single-game rushing record with a 256-yard performance
--All-conference selection
--In two seasons as a starter, rushed for more than 3,000 yards
--Recruited by Michigan, Boston College, Illinois, Appalachian State and East Carolina

Ervin Bynes
CB, 5-9, 180
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dillard High School
--Ranked number two defensive player in South Florida at the Miami Dolphins Perfect Competition Camp
--During the 2005 football season, opponents only threw Bynes’ way four times
--49 tackles, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries as a senior

Jordan Dalrymple
LB, 6-1, 215
Oviedo, Fla., Oviedo High School
--Team captain and MVP during both junior and senior seasons
--First team all-district linebacker and punter
--First team all-conference linebacker
--Central Florida Defensive Player of the Year
--Central Florida East-West High School All-Star game selection
--Jordan’s uncle – Brooks Dalrymple – played football at EKU
--Chose EKU over Army, Temple and numerous Division I-AA teams

Chauncey Debose
DL, 6-2, 280
Jonesboro, Ga., Mundy’s Mill High School
--Recorded 45 solo tackles, 40 assists and nine sacks as a junior
--40 solo tackles and nine sacks in 2005
--First team all-region selection two years in a row
--Chose EKU over Alabama A&M, Middle Tennessee State and Georgia Southern

Vantrel England
QB, 6-2, 190
Maiden, N.C., Maiden High School
--A/B Honor Roll during senior year
--Conference Offensive Player of the Year
--Golden Helmet Award Player of the Year
--Threw for 2,537 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior to go along with five rushing touchdowns
--First team all-conference safety
--Led league with 10 interceptions

Chris Fulmer
WR, 6-1, 180
Nitro, W.Va., Nitro High School
--Number one wide receiver in United States high school football history with 329 career receptions
--Number two all-time in United States high school football history with 5,082 career receiving yards
--45 career touchdowns
--Three-time first team all-state selection
--Four-time first team all-conference selection
--Max Emfinger All-American Bowl selection
--Chose EKU over West Virginia and Marshall

Michael Howard
OL, 6-2, 275
Warner Robbins, Ga., Northside High School
--Honor Student who is also a member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America, an organization for dedicated students aiming for a successful future in business
--Georgia North-South All-Star game selection
--First team all-district
--First team All-Middle Georgia
--All-state selection and a preseason All-American
--Led his team to the 2005 4A Georgia state championship game
--Recruited by UAB and Western Kentucky

Andy Johnson
OL, 6-2, 280
Stone Mountain, Ga., Stephenson High School
--Three year starter
--All-county selection
--Led team to a 12-2 record and appearance in the Class 5A state championship game
--As a long snapper, Johnson did not allow a blocked kick
--Chose EKU over East Carolina, Howard, North Carolina A&T, Jacksonville State, Tuskegee, Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky

Chris Krack
OL, 6-2, 275
Winter Springs, Fla., Winter Springs High School
--Ranked number one center at Florida State Nike Camp
--Also starting long snapper
--Carries a 3.6 GPA and heavily involved in community service
--Central Florida East-West High School All-Star game participant
--2005 first team all-conference and all-district
--All-State selection in Florida
--Picked EKU over Wofford, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State and Western Kentucky

Andrew Motes
TE, 6-4, 245
Winter Garden, Fla., West Orange High School
--A/B Honor Roll
--Central Florida all-conference tight end
--Central Florida East-West High School All-Star game selection
--Averaged 14 yards per reception
--Picked EKU over New Mexico, Florida Atlantic, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State and Troy State

Kherryl O’Brien
TE, 6-2, 220
Palm Bay, Fla., Bayside High School
--First team all-district and all-conference
--Central Florida East-West High School All-Star game selection
--Averaged 22.4 yards per catch (27 catches for 605 yards) and scored seven touchdowns

Garnett Phelps
WR, 5-10, 175
Louisville, Ky., Ballard High School
--Louisville Courier-Journal all-state wide receiver
--(Sports Writers) all-state defensive back
--All-county wide receiver and defensive back
--Honorable mention all-state selection as a junior
--First team AP all-state selection as a sophomore
--Governor’s Scholar and Academic All-State for 2005
--A/B Honor Roll 10th through 12th grade
--Finished the season with more than 800 yards of total offense and intercepted five passes on defense
--Chose EKU over Western Kentucky

Andrew Soucy
DL, 6-3, 265
Woodstock, Ga., Woodstock High School
--All-county and all-region selection
--Named county’s Defensive Lineman of the Year
--58 tackles, 16 sacks and blocked six kicks during his senior year
--Chose EKU over Murray State, Western Carolina, Air Force and Charleston Southern

Yameen Thomas
DL, 6-3, 235
Charlotte, N.C., West Charlotte High School
--A/B Honor roll 9th through 12th grade
--(Roman Gabrial) Student Athlete of the Year in North Carolina
--(Donnie Shell) Defensive Player of the Year in North Carolina
--Ranked among the top 100 defensive ends/linebackers in the country by Rivals.com
--Fist team all-conference and all-county
--78 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 22 hurries and 12 tackles for loss as a senior prepster

Tejon Washington
OL, 6-4, 260
Bartow, Fla., Bartow High School
--All-state selection
--First team all-district
--Started 11 games in 2005 at offensive tackle and graded out more than 90 percent with no sacks allowed
--Polk County All-Star game participant and selected Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in game
--Selected EKU over Florida Atlantic, Akron, Florida A&M and Western Kentucky

Cody Watts
QB, 6-2, 185
Powell, Tenn., Powell High School
--Tennessee Football Coaches Association all-sate selection
--First team Class 3-4A all-region
--First team Class 3-4A all-conference
--Named Player of the Week 10 times by four different organizations
--Max Emfinger All-American Bowl selection
--Recruited by Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga and Marshall