KENT- The Kent State Golden Flashes, led by head coach Kenni Burns have signed 27 players during the 2023 signing period, officially kicking off year two of the Kent GRIT era.
Below is a position-by-position breakdown of the class as well as some of their accolades from their high school, junior college and previous college careers.
Running Backs (2)
Ayden Harris 5-9 |205| Exton, PA (Downington East)
Rushed for over 1900 yards and ran for 36 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior. Helped Downington East capture a state title and earned All-State/Metro/District/Conference and Academic honors as a senior.
Cade Wolford- 5-10| 191 | Jackson, OH (Jackson)
Put up video game numbers for the Ironmen as a senior, rushing for over 1500 yards, totalling over 2200 yards of offense and scoring 32 touchdowns. Wolford earned Conference and District Player of the Year honors as well as All-State accolades.
Tight End (2)
Dakota Taylor- 6-5| 220 | Akron, OH (Buchtel)
Taylor was selected to play in the Blue-Gray all-star game after another stellar campaign in 2023. The 6-5 match-up nightmare averaged over 16 yards per catch as a senior and over 15 yards per grab in his high school career.
Hunter Hopperton- 6-3 | 250 | Streetsboro, OH (Rhode Island)
Swiss Army knife for Streetsboro in high school, lining up at running back, tight end and edge rusher. Had over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior at Streetsboro. Played special teams at Rhode Island, will join brother Preston as a member of the 2023-24 recruiting class.
Wide Receiver (6)
Jay Jay Etheridge- 5-10 |160 | Cincinnati, OH (Mt. Healthy)
Etheridge was named all-city, all-conference and all-state after a strong senior season in the Queen City. Enjoyed a breakout season that saw him grab 62 passes for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns to help Mt. Healthy to an 8-3 record in 2023.
Darrion Gilliam- 6-5 | 190 | Chicago, IL ( Mt. Carmel)
Helped the Caravan to a state title as a junior and a senior. Big play wideout that averaged over 15 yards per reception.
Wayne Harris- 5-10 | 170| Huntington, WV (Huntington)
Named conference player of the year as a junior and a senior. Scored 13 touchdowns and averaged over 18 yards per catch as a junior. Set Huntington High School records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Backed the stellar season up in 2023, averaging over 17 yards per catch in six games
Preston Hopperton-5-10 |180 | Streetsboro, OH (Streetsboro)
Hopperton earned All-State honors after a ridiculous senior season. He put up video game numbers with a ridiculous 179 carries for 1,661 yards (9.3 average) and 31 touchdowns and 48 catches for 1,009 yards and 13 touchdowns. He will join older brother Hunter on the Golden Flashes this fall.
Stanley King- 6-6 |200 |Camden, NJ (Northwestern State/Rutgers)
Averaged 13 yards per catch across three seasons with the Demons, playing in 24 games. Originally committed to Rutgers out of high school. Earned Under Armour All-American as a high school senior where he caught 79 passes for a state-best 1,413 yards as a senior, hauling in 15 touchdowns.
Da'Shawn Martin- 6-2 |175| Springfield, OH (Springfield)
A standout wide receiver for Springfield, Martin averaged over 15 yards per catch during his high school career. Grabbed seven touchdowns in both his junior and senior seasons, helping Springfield reach the 2022 state title game. Martin is also a weapon in the return game, adding an eighth touchdown on a punt return.
Offensive Line (2)
Jaxon Dunn – 6-5 |285 | Brunswick, OH (Brunswick)
Played both sides of the line at Brunswick but will line up on the inside offensive line for the Flashes. Earned Second Team All State honors as well as First-Team All-District, County, and Conference honors. Was named team MVP after he helped anchor an offensive line by allowing only one sack and four pressures in 186 drop backs as a senior.
Elijah Williams- 6-2 | 300| Toledo, OH (Toledo Central Catholic)
"Tank" Helped lead Central Catholic to a dominant 16-0 season and a state title, 15 games were decided by double digits. Named a captain as a senior and earned First- Team All CHSL, First-Team All Northwest Ohio and All-Toledo Blade.
Defensive Line (1)
Josue Cordoba-6-4 | 270 | Plainfield, NJ (Plainfield)
Named First-Team All-State by USA Today after posting a 12-sack season in 2023. Cordoba recorded 79 tackles with 24 coming for a loss including those 12 sacks. Helped lead Plainfield to its first winning season in 18 years and a trip to the state playoffs.
Rush/Edge (2)
Jaihien Roy- 6-3 | 238| Centreville, MD (Queen Anne's County)
Racked up 144 tackles, 40 for loss and 18 sacks in his high school career. Named Maryland Public School All-Star as a senior. Added eight pass deflections, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt to his impressive stat line.
Garrett Dial- 6-4 | 215 | Highlands Ranch, CO (Valor Christian)
Played all over the field at wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, edge and safety in high school but will line up on the edge for Kent State. A disruptive force with a nose for the football, Dial forced 10 turnovers (six interceptions, four forced fumbles) as a senior and added a pair of sacks.
Corner Back (3)
Jaire Rawlison 5-10 |185 | Harrisburg, PA (Bishop McDevitt)
Nicknamed "The Thief", Rawlison is a ball-hawking cornerback with 22 pass breakups in his high school varsity career. He added seven forced fumbles, six recoveries and four interceptions in his career. Not afraid to get into the backfield, Rawlinson had 89 tackles including eight for loss in high school. A threat in the return game, he averaged over 31 yards per kick return.
Jaylen Dotson- 5-10 |180 |Middletown, MD (Monmouth)
Starting cornerback for the Hawks, played in 21 games over three seasons. In 2022, his last full season, was second on the team with six pass break-ups. Part of a secondary that held opponents to 200 yards passing per game. Totaled 42 tackles with two for loss in 2022. Was a two-time all-conference player in high school.
Dallas Branch-5-11 |180 | Redondo Beach, CA (San Diego State)
An All-Mountain West defensive back in 2022 and pre-season All-Mountain West in 2023. Played in 30 games over three seasons for Aztecs, owns 12 pass breakups and five interceptions in college career. Was an All-League selection for Long Beach City College (JuCo) before committing to San Diego Aztecs.
Safety (6)
Brodyn Bishop-6-1 |180 | Carroll, OH (Bloom-Carroll)
Named All-State, All-District and All-Conference as a safety, helping Bloom Carroll make a run to the state title game. Played on both sides of the ball in high school but will lineup at safety for the Golden Flashes.
Martell Buchanan-6-2 | 180 | Stillwell, KS (Blue Valley)
Nicknamed "Hot Sauce", he was all over the field for Blue Valley. He totaled 124 tackles as a senior including 70 solo and seven for loss. Forced four turnovers (three fumbles and an interception) totaled six touchdowns including a pick six. Averaged 46 yards per kick return and 33 yards per punt return during stellar senior season.
Malcolm Folk 6-1 | 192 | Pottsgrove, PA (Syracuse)
Folk saw action in 10 games for the Orange over two seasons. Had 108 career tackles, three interceptions, 1,565 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns in his high school career at Episcopal Academy, despite not playing a senior season. Was a two-time first-team All-Inter-AC for both sides of the ball, a three-time All-Delco Region selection, and a three-time All-Mainline selection for Episcopal Academy.
Armahn Hale – 6-0 | 190 | Akron, OH (Butler CC (KS))
Led the Grizzlies in fumble recoveries, breakups and added six tackles for loss and totaled 50 tackles for Butler in 2023.
Troy Martin – 6-2 |205| Reynoldsburg, OH (Reynoldsburg)
Named All-District and All-League and played both quarterback and safety in high school. Averaged over seven stops a game and led the team in pass breakups as well. Saw time at wide receiver in high school as well.
Clinton Robinson – 6-1 | 196| Pittsburgh, PA | Keystone Oaks
Named to the Pittsburgh Pre-Season All-Star Team, played both sides of the ball in high school. Also a dangerous return man, he returned a punt for a score as a junior. Had 34 tackles, 21 solo and 5 pass break-ups as a junior, senior season limited due to injuries.
Kicker (1)
Tommy Newcomb- 6-0 | 160 | LaGrange, IL (Lyons Township)
Rated a 4.5 star kicker from Chris Sailer kicking and Kohl's Kicking. Had a long of 47 at Lyons Township in the Chicago suburbs but has range past 50 yards.
Linebacker (2)
Nylan Brown- 6-0 |225 | Indianapolis, IN (Ben Davis)
Named a member of the Indiana Defensive Top-50 as a senior. Had back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons as a junior and senior. Totaled eight tackles for loss as a senior and as a junior. Had three sacks and credited with 20 quarterback pressures. Forced two fumbles, recovered one and picked off a pass.
Jayden Studio- 6-0 | 200 | Perry, OH (Perry)
Named All-State, All-District and All-County for Perry. Played both running back and linebacker for the Pirates. Racked up over 100 tackles over 15 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Helped Perry to a 16-0 season and a state title. Added two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, two interceptions and a pair of defensive touchdowns during senior season.
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