Football 2/6/2008 8:00:00 PM Presbyterian College Athletics

Bentley Unveils First FCS Class

CLINTON, S.C. ? Presbyterian College head football coach Bobby Bentley unveiled PC's first ever NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision signing class on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Staying strong to his core mission of focusing his recruiting efforts in the Palmetto State, Bentley's first FCS class features 20 players from the state of South Carolina.

Bentley and his staff did manage to go out of state for some strong recruits. In fact, PC's signing class features five players from the state of Georgia and five players from North Carolina. The Blue Hose signed one player from Florida.

“I think we are bringing in a solid group of student-athletes for Presbyterian College,” said Bentley. “Our coaching staff has done an excellent job of fulfilling our priority needs at defensive back, receiver, and on the offensive line.

“We added some size and overall athleticism to our team. Making the move to Division I allowed us to bring in more high profile recruits. We were able to sign three Shrine Bowl players from the Carolinas and three North-South All Stars. Our team is excited about our new additions and we are ready to build on our success from last year. I look forward to working with our new recruits as they join the PC family.”

Sean Adegbola will join the PC Football program from Grayson High School in Grayson, Ga. Adegbola, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound receiver, played for Mickey Conn at Grayson High School. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds.

A wide receiver and defensive back at Habersham Central High School in Mt. Airy, Ga., Josh Anderson will join the Blue Hose as a defensive back. Anderson is 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds.

Anderson, who played for Gene Cathcart at Habersham Central, led his high school in 2007 with five interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He finished his career with 10 interceptions, which was the third-most in Habersham Central history.

Anderson, who also had 24 catches for 334 yards and three touchdowns on offense, was an All-Region and All-Area selection in 2007.

A true student-athlete, Anderson is ranked fifth in his graduating class of 343.

The grandson of PC graduate Art Baker, Wellington Baker played at Thomas Sumter Academy for Troy Kessinger. An Offensive Lineman, who is listed at 6-feet and 250 pounds, Baker was named SCISA All-State in 2007.

He was also chosen to the Sumter Item All-Area team.

Justin Bethel played his high school football at Blythewood High School in Blythewood, S.C. for former PC wide receivers coach Jeff Scott and Jeremy Saitz. A Defensive Back, Bethel will be reunited with PC Defensive Line Coach Reuben Wright, who was the Defensive Coordinator at Blythewood during their state championship run in 2006.

During his time at Blythewood, Bethel was named Blythewood's Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and Blythewood's Most Improved Defensive Player in the 2007 season.

An All-Region choice in 2007, Bethel is currently listed at 6-feet and 180 pounds.

A 2-AA All-State Offensive Lineman at Manning High School in Manning, S.C., Xavier Boatwright comes to PC as a Defensive End. Boatwright was a two-time All-Region performer at Manning and a three-time Manning High School Player of the Week selection as a senior.

Currently listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Boatwright played for Robbie Briggs at Manning High School.

Mickey Brewer joins the Blue Hose football program out of Butler High School in Charlotte, N.C. where he played for Mike Newsome.

A three-time North Carolina 4-A Southwestern-8 All-Conference pick, Brewer caught 20 or more passes in his final three seasons at Butler.

Brewer finished his senior season in 2007 with 52 catches for 824 yards and 10 touchdowns. He hauled in 59 catches for 1,220 yards and 15 touchdowns in his junior season in 2006 and brought in 23 catches for 352 yards and six touchdowns during his sophomore campaign in 2005.

In total for his career, Brewer caught 134 passes for 2,396 yards and 31 touchdowns.

A 2006 Rivals.com All-State selection, Brewer was also a two-time All-Charlotte Observer selection in high school. He was Butler's 2006 Best Wide Receiver and its 2007 Best Offensive Back.

Iuoli Burroughs is a 6-foot, 220-pound Defensive End. Burroughs played his High School Football for Bill Kimrey at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C.

Burroughs was All-Region in 2006 and 2007 and an Honorable Mention All-State choice in 2007. An All-Midlands selection in 2007, Burroughs is Dutch Fork's school record holder for sacks in a single season with 12 in his junior year in 2006.

He finished his career at Dutch Fork owning the school record for most career sacks with 27.

A multi-faceted student-athlete, Burroughs has received numerous accolades in Wrestling. He was the 2006 regional champion in his weight class and recently was named a 2008 North-South All-Star.

Burroughs was also an All-Area Discus Thrower and an All-State Discus finalist in 2007.

Lewis Coleman comes to Clinton out of Saluda High School in Saluda, S.C. He played for head coach Wayne Bell.

At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Coleman played Linebacker and Fullback at Saluda. He was a starting Linebacker in the 2007 North/South All-Star game.

The 2007 Defensive Player of the Year at Saluda in 2007, Coleman was an All-Region selection in 2006 and 2007 and a member of the All-Lakelands football team in 2007.

He concluded his senior season with 75 solo tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, three caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Brian Davis is a Defensive Tackle from Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C. where he played for Keith Flynn. At 6-foot-2 and 275 pounds, Davis was named 2007 NCISAA All-State and played in the 2007 NCISAA Shrine Bowl.

Davis was also named CISAA All-Conference in 2007.

One of the best Shot-Putters in the state of North Carolina, Davis was named All-Conference in Shot Put in 2006 and 2007. Davis holds the all-time Shot Put record at Providence Day at 50 feet and half an inch.

Davis took the NCISAA state title in 2007 for Shot Put.

A 6-foot-2, 235-pound Defensive End, Derren Evans will join the Blue Hose from Wesleyan School in Lawrenceville, Ga. where he played for Franklin Pridgen.

Evans led Wesleyan's defense in 2007 with 59 total stops, including 10 tackles for loss. He forced two fumbles. Offensively, Evans finished last season ranked 11th among Gwinnett County rushing leaders after rushing for 698 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries.

Justin Gillespie is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound wide receiver out of Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, N.C. Gillespie played for Isaac Marsh at Chapel Hill.

Gillespie was Class President for all four years of High School. He was also a second-team All-Conference pick in the 2007 season.

A 6-foot, 240-pound Offensive Lineman, Joe Ben Frye was part of Gaffney High School's 2006 State Championship team. An All-Region selection in 2006 and 2007, Frye played for Phil Strickland at Gaffney.

Frye was an All-Area Academic team member in 2007.

The 2007 Fort Dorchester (Charleston, S.C.) Offensive Lineman of the Year, Ryan Hall joins the Blue Hose at 6-feet and 250 pounds. Hall, who played for Steve Laprad at Fort Dorchester High School, was named All-Lowcountry and All-Conference in 2007.

He was the Most Improved Player at Fort Dorchester in 2007 and is projected as a Center for the Blue Hose.

A member of Hammond School's 2007 SCISA State Championship team, Steven Harvin comes to PC as a Defensive Back. Harvin played for Head Coach Eric Kimrey at Hammond School in Columbia, S.C.

Listed at 6-feet and 180 pounds, Harvin played in the 2007 SCISA Shrine Bowl.

PC's second player plucked out of Gene Cathcart's Habersham Central program, Bo Hatchett finished the 2007 season having passed for 2,909 yards. A tall quarterback at 6-foot-3, Hatchett completed 219 of his 357 pass attempts during his senior season.

The 26 touchdowns Hatchett passed for in 2007 coupled with his passing yards ranked as the 15th-most productive season in Georgia State football history.

Hatchett ended his career at Habersham Central owning five school records, including most completions (388), most attempts (695), most passing yards (5,500), most touchdowns (50) and most touchdowns single-game (five).

A 2007 All-Region and All-Area choice, Hatchett was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitutions' Honorable Mention All-State team and the News Channel 32 All-Northeast Georgia Second Team.

A 2007 Golden Corner All-Area First Team Offense selection, Conner Hawkins will join the PC Football program as a Defensive Lineman. Hawkins, who played for Brian Smith at Seneca High School, recorded 72 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks and one safety for Seneca as a senior.

An All-Region choice as an Offensive Lineman and Linebacker in 2007, Hawkins was Seneca's Most Valuable Linebacker in 2007.

Damon Lawrence comes to Clinton from Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, Fla. where he played for Darrell Sutherland. A 5-foot-10 and 180-pound Defensive Back, Lawrence finished with over 40 tackles during his junior and senior campaigns in 2006 and 2007.

He collected 10 interceptions in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, including seven interceptions during his senior season in 2007.

A Florida Shrine Bowl selection, Lawrence helped lead Bartram Trail to the Florida Class 5-A state semifinals for the first time in the 2007 season.

A two-sport athlete, Lawrence has been a regional qualifier in Track and Field for the last three years.

Josh Mason is a 6-foot-4 and 250-pound Offensive Lineman from Chesnee High School in Chesnee, S.C. He played for Brent Bridges at Chesnee.

Mason was an All-Conference, All-Region and All-Area selection at Chesnee. A South Carolina 2-A High School Sports Report All-State choice in 2007, Mason was named to The Spartanburg Herald-Journal's All-Academic team after his senior campaign.

Will Mathias joins the Blue Hose as an Offensive Lineman. Mathias played at AC Flora High School in Columbia, S.C. for Robin Bacon. Mathias is 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds.

Mac McCormick joins the PC Football program as an Offensive Lineman. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, McCormick played for Glenn Cook at Central Cabarrus High School in Harrisburg, N.C.

A 2007 North Carolina 4-1 MECA-6 All-Conference performer, McCormick was All-Cabarrus County in 2007. McCormick was chosen the Central Cabarrus Most Valuable Offensive Lineman in 2007.

A wide receiver out of Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, N.C., Patrick McCoy played for Russell Stone at Douglas Byrd.

He caught 40 passes for 970 yards and eight touchdowns in the 2007 season.

McCoy was a 2007 All-Conference and All-Area pick. He was also named All-Conference in Track and Field in the Spring of 2007.

Evan Merritt will join Bentley and the Blue Hose at PC as an Offensive Lineman. Merritt joins the Blue Hose football program out of Blue Ridge High School in Taylors, S.C. where he played for David Farnham.

Merrit, 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, was named Peach Blossom All-Region in 2007 and to the Greer Area Touchdown Club All-Academic Team in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Merritt was also awarded Blue Ridge's Best Blocker Award in 2007.

A 2007 Shrine Bowl participant for North Carolina, Derrick Overholt comes to PC as an Outside Linebacker. Overholt played his High School football for PC alum Bruce Ollis at Polk County High School.

The Times-News Offensive Player of the Year, Overholt was named 1-A North Carolina All-State in 2007. Polk County's Team Captain and Team Most Valuable Player in 2007, Overholt finished his time at Polk County as the team's career record holder for most passing yards and passing touchdowns.

He also owns the school record for interceptions.

He is already on campus at PC as he enrolled in January.

James “Quad” Roberts played at Dillon High School for Jackie Hayes. At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Roberts will play Defensive Back for the Blue Hose.

During his time at Dillon, Roberts was given the Most Dedicated Award in 2007 and was named to the Region 7-2A All-Conference Team in 2007.

Roberts, who tied for the lead in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina for interceptions in 2007, was also named to the Florence Morning-News All-Pee Dee squad in 2007.

A 2007 North-South All-Star and South Carolina Mr. Football Finalist, Michael Ruff will play wide receiver for the Blue Hose.

A 5-foot-8, 165-pound speedster who was clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Ruff was chosen as the Character Award Winner for the 2007 North-South All-Star game.

The 2007 1-A Back of the Year, Ruff passed for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns during his senior season. The dual threat also rushed for 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. Ruff also managed 169 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

One year earlier during his junior season he accounted for 13 rushing touchdowns, three receiving touchdowns and one passing touchdown.

His region's Player of the Year in 2007, Ruff was also All-Region in basketball in 2007.

A 5-foot-11, 190-pound Running Back, Bennett Saunders joins the Blue Hose football program from Hartsville High School in Hartsville, S.C. where he played for Jeff Calabrese.

Saunders rushed for 1,568 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 132 carries in 2007. Saunders average 11.9 yards per carry. Saunders, who caught nine passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns, also blocked three punts and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

The 2007 Hartsville High School Player of the Year, Saunders owns the Hartsville record for most rushing yards in a singe game (265) and most blocked punts in a career (6).

Saunders achieved numerous postseason accolades last season, including 2007 WDPE All-Zone Team honors, 2007 Morning News All-Area team accolades and All-Region honors in 2006 and 2007.

Named to the 2007 Gwinnett County All-Star game, Drew Swick is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound Defensive Back from Collins Hill High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. Swick played for Larry Sherrill at Collins Hill.

The team captain at Collins Hill, Swick has been clocked at 4.47 in the 40-yard dash. Swick, who was also named to the Gwinnett County All-County second team in 2007, holds the Collins Hill Shuttle Record with a time of 4.06.

A Defensive Back out of Dorman High School in Spartanburg, S.C. where he played for David Gutshall, Stephen Thomas is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds.

Thomas finished his senior season in 2007 with 103 total tackles, one interception, six knockdowns and four tackles for loss. He also had eight rushing touchdowns.

A member of the 2007 South Carolina Shrine Bowl team where he was named a team captain, Thomas was chosen to the 2007 High School Sports Report Statewide Defensive Team.

The Dorman Linebacker of the Year in 2006 and the 2007 Defensive Back of the Year, Thomas was a two-year letterman with the Cavaliers.

Thomas is a National Honors Society Beta Club Member and is an Eagle Scout.

A 2007 South Carolina Shrine Bowl performer, Max Travis played for Bill Kimrey at Dutch Fork in Irmo, S.C. Listed 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, Travis was named All-State in 2007.

Travis was also All-Midlands and All-Area in 2007. He was a two-year South Carolina AAAA All-Region in 2006 and 2007.

The final two Blue Hose signed on National Signing Day played for PC alum Wayne Green at Belton-Honea Path.

Joe Wideman was a Wendy's High School Heisman Nominee. He claimed the Scholastic Award for football and basketball at BHP in 2006 and 2007.

A 6-foot-2, 190-pound Outside Linebacker, Wideman is ranked seventh in his class among 200 graduates.

Wideman was named Anderson Independent-Mail All-Area in 2007 and All-Area in 2006 and 2007. A North-South All-Star Game selection in 2007, he was the Defensive Most Valuable Player at BHP in 2007.

Statistically, Wideman led BHP and the Upstate of South Carolina in 2007 with 179 tackles in 11 games.

Offensive Lineman Stephon Williams will join the Blue Hose at 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds. An Anderson Independent-Mail All-Area choice in 2007 and All-Region squad pick in 2006 and 2007, Williams was a four-year letterman in football at BHP.

Williams is a two-time state qualifier in weightlifting and the 2006 AAU State Champion in Shot Put and Discus.

Bentley and the Blue Hose renew an old rivalry when they begin year No. 2 in the FCS in 2008. PC opens its 2008 season on Saturday, Aug. 30 against 2007 Southern Conference champion Wofford.

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