Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s football program is preparing for the future after signing a group of high school seniors who will join the program next season. This recruiting class brings a mix of skills that coaches believe will add depth to the team.
Head football coach Blaine McCorkle explained that the freshman class is expected to play an important role in the long-term development of the program.
“High school recruits are your long-term players that we bring in to grow and develop,” McCorkle said.
In the past two seasons, NSU football relied heavily on younger players. McCorkle said the team played a roster with about 65 freshmen and sophomores, which created a competitive gap against other teams with more experienced players.
“They were just not ready to compete at that level because an older player is a better player,” McCorkle said. “They were playing against juniors and seniors.”
This freshman class differs from others because of its geographic makeup.
“This class has fewer kids from Louisiana than we’ve had in the past,” McCorkle said. “This year we signed 12 freshmen, only three of them from Louisiana.”
While the class includes fewer in-state players than usual, McCorkle explained that the majority of the team is close to home. Besides a handful of players, they are all Louisiana or East Texas natives. Usually they expect to bring in more in-state players, but East Texas players were quite prevalent in this recruiting class.
Texas players in this recruiting class consists of offensive line Issac Aranda and defensive line Jayden Curry from Houston, tight end Vincent Canzano from The Colony, defensive back Harrison Carter and wide receiver Jonny Craven from Spring, running back Marcus Gadlinn III from Katy, linebacker Damarion Cooper from Waxahachie and defensive back Will Ashworth from Rockwall.
Louisiana recruits include offensive line Graham Harris from Baton Rouge, quarterback Luke Delafield from Stonewall and defensive back Reggie Roberson Jr. from Mangham.
As of now, the only recruit outside of Louisiana and Texas is linebacker JR Dockery II from Memphis, Tenn.
Offensive coordinator Carson Stewart explained the process of high school recruitment, saying that the coaching staff focuses on recruiting players from successful high school programs.
“The first thing that we look at when recruiting is where they are coming from and if it is a program that has had success in the past,” Stewart said. “You always want to try and recruit winners.”
Defensive coordinator Matt Conner said that the defensive staff focused on adding depth with this recruiting class. He explained that the defensive focus for this class was defensive backs and linebackers.
“I think this recruiting class will add some depth to the team, and this class is full of special team value,” Conner said.
Along with the freshman class, NSU Football also signed 21 transfer players to fill immediate roster needs.
Transfers are coming from Dartmouth College, McNeese State University, Jones College, Liberty University, Gannon University, University of North Texas, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Tulane University of Louisiana, University of Texas at El Paso, Navarro College, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of Texas Permian Basin, East Texas A&M University, Trinity Valley Community College, Saddleback College, Arkansas Tech University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Tulsa, Colorado State University and University of South Alabama.
Transfers joining the Demons this season include Jamal Cooper Jr., Joseph Cryer, Bryston Dixon, Donovan Dozier, Blaine Duncan, Blake Fann, Mikel Hines, Harold Lawson, Tyrone McDuffie III, MarJayvious Moss, Kamron Norwood, Geoffrey Ojeh, Jason Otah, Jake Peveto, Brandon Ross, Diego Sanchez, Kameron Thomas, Zach Wilcke, Jace Williams, Payne Williams III and Taiwan Wray Jr.
Coaches believe the combination of incoming freshman and transfer players will help strengthen the roster in both the short and long term as the program continues to grow and develop. For NSU, the incoming freshman class represents the next step in building the future of Demon football.
