University of Tulsa Head Football Coach Philip Montgomery announced today a signing class of 23 players who will join the Golden Hurricane football team for the 2017 season, as well as adding one preferred walk-on.

Coach Montgomery said, “I think it’s probably the best class that we’ve put together from top to bottom since I’ve been here. We’ve added a lot of length, a lot of athleticism, a lot of speed. We’ve addressed some needs.”

Among the 23 players, two have already enrolled and taking classes at Tulsa – punter Thomas Bennett and linebacker Chase Brown. The incoming signees include 8 players from the state of Oklahoma, including seven from the Tulsa area, 13 from the state of Texas and one each from Arizona and California.

Tulsa was able to sign 10 offensive and 11 defensive players, as well as two specialists. On offense, Tulsa brings into the fold four receivers, three linemen, one quarterback, one running back and one athlete, who could play running back or move to the defensive side of the ball. The defensive side of the ball was filled with four defensive backs, four defensive lineman and three linebackers.

2017 TULSA FOOTBALL SIGNEES
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Exp Hometown Previous School
Thomas Bennett* P 6-3 180 So-TR Carlsbad, Calif. Baylor University
Dante Bivens OL 6-3 310 Fr-HS Spring, Texas Klein Collins HS
Seth Boomer QB 6-3 185 Fr-HS Collinsville, Okla. Collinsville HS
Christian Bricker DE 6-6 220 Fr-HS Piedmont, Okla. Piedmont HS
Shamari Brooks RB 5-9 185 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Union HS
Chase Brown* LB 6-2 220 Fr-HS Ingram, Texas Kerrville Tivy HS
Zaven Collins ATH 6-4 220 Fr-HS Hominy, Okla. Hominy HS
Sam Crawford Jr. WR 6-1 193 Fr-HS Rockwall, Texas Rockwall HS
Akayleb Evans CB 6-2 180 Fr-HS McKinney, Texas McKinney HS
Garrett Flanary DT 6-3 273 Fr-HS Bixby, Okla. Lincoln Christian HS
Allie Green IV S 6-3 195 Fr-HS Austin, Texas LBJ HS
Adam Higuera LS 6-1 240 Fr-HS Gilbert, Arizona Perry HS
Daiquain Jackson S 5-11 190 Fr-HS Mesquite, Texas Poteet HS
Malik Jackson WR 6-2 205 Fr-HS Taylor, Texas Taylor HS
Deven Lamp DE 6-5 220 Fr-HS Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Hill HS
Reed Martin ATH 6-1 215 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Lincoln Christian HS
Marcus Mays S 6-2 169 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Edison HS
Ryan Patrick DE  6-3  215  Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Bishop Kelley HS
Chris Paul OL 6-4 290 Fr-HS Houston, Texas Jersey Village HS
Bryson Powers S/STAR 6-1 195 Fr-HS Spring, Texas Klein Collins HS
J.C. Santana WR 6-1 175 Fr-HS Katy, Texas Katy HS
Keylon Stokes WR 6-0 180 Fr-HS Manvel, Texas Manvel HS
Gerard Wheeler OL 6-4 285 Fr-HS Plano, Texas Plano HS
#Cannon Montgomery WR 5-10 175 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Cascia Hall Preparatory

*Enrolled at mid-semester
#Preferred walk-on

Thomas Bennett P 6-3 180 So-TR Carlsbad, Calif. Baylor Univ.
Transfers to Tulsa from Baylor . . . enrolled at Tulsa in January 2017 . . . immediately eligible for the 2017 season since he was a non-recruited walk-on at Baylor . . . was on the Baylor roster in 2015 . . . lettered two seasons at La Costa Canyon High School . . . punted 52 times for 42.7 yards with 19 punts inside the 20-yard line his senior season . . . named the Avocado West Conference Kicker of the Year as a senior . . . selected his team’s Special Teams Player of the Year . . . also lettered two years in track . . . won the conference’s triple jump with a jump of 44’7” and high jumped 6’7” to place as runner-up at the San Diego Sectional Championship . . . high school football coach was Sean Sovacool.

Dante Bivens OL 6-3 310 Fr-HS Spring, Texas Klein Collins HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Klein Collins High School . . . played offensive guard and tackle . . . was on team’s that posted a three-year record of 33-6 . . . helped lead his team to a 13-2 record and state semifinal appearance as a senior . . . was an integral cog in a high-powered offense that averaged 41 points and 281 rushing yards per game . . . ranked at No. 52 in the Houston Chronicle’s Area Top-100 . . . named his team’s Offensive MVP his senior season . . . earned second-team all-Greater Houston area honors as a senior . . . had a three-star ranking by both Scout.com and Rivals.com . . . was a first-team all-district 15-6A selection as a junior and senior . . . high school coach was Drew Svoboda . . . chose Tulsa over Bowling Green, New Mexico, North Texas, Tulane and UNLV . . . also had offers from Baylor and TCU.

Seth Boomer QB 6-3 185 Fr-HS Collinsville, Okla. Collinsville HS
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at Collinsville High School . . . started at quarterback and safety both years . . . threw for 2,092 yards and 22 touchdowns his senior season, while rushing for 130 yards . . . had six stops from his safety position . . . led his team to the Class 5A state quarterfinals as a senior and the championship game his junior campaign . . . had a three-star Scout.com ranking . . . was a Tulsa World honorable mention all-state and all-metro selection as a senior . . . named to the OCA Class 5A East all-star team his senior season, while rushing for 186 yards . . . named the District 5A-4 MVP . . . threw for 252 yards on 17 completions in the state final against Altus High School in 2015 . . . completed 108-of-191 passes for 1,987 yards and 22 touchdowns his junior season, while also running for 186 yards on 42 times . . . also lettered four years in basketball and two years in track . . . high school coach was Kevin Jones . . . received interest from Kansas, Texas A&M and Wyoming.

Christian Bricker DE 6-6 220 Fr-HS Piedmont, Okla. Piedmont HS
Totaled 71 tackles, 13 TFLs, 11 quarterback sacks, four pass break-ups and two interceptions as a senior at Piedmont High School . . . was named the District Defensive Player of the Year his senior season . . . named to the OCA Class 5A West all-star team . . . earned second-team Big All-City honors from The Oklahoman . . . high school coach was Drew Gossen . . . chose Tulsa over Iowa State and Wyoming.

Shamari Brooks RB 5-9 185 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Union HS
Was a four-year letterwinner at Tulsa Union High School . . . had career totals of 3,326 yards and 43 touchdowns, while tallying 107 tackles on defense . . . rushed for 2,018 yards and 28 TDs his senior season . . . led his prep team to the Class 6A-1 state championship as a senior . . . earned first-team all-state honors by the Tulsa World . . . ranked No. 18 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 for 2017 . . . rushed for 568 yards and 10 touchdowns in three state playoff games . . . was named the MVP of the state championship game after gaining 232 yards and three TDs on 34 carries against Norman North in the state final . . . had a Backyard Bowl record of 270 yards vs. Jenks High School and rushed for 242 yards and seven TDs against Owasso High School . . . combined to rush for 1,303 yards and 12 TDs on 187 carries in a backup role as a sophomore and junior . . . high school coach was Kirk Fridrich.

Chase Brown LB 6-2 220 Fr-HS Ingram, Texas Kerrville Tivy HS
Enrolled at Tulsa in January 2017 . . . was a two-year letterwinner and started his senior campaign at Kerrville Tivy High School . . . recorded 132 tackles, including 68 solos, 12 TFLs, six pass deflections and four forced fumbles his senior season . . . earned first-team all-District 26-5A accolades as a senior . . . also earned academic all-district honors . . . selected as one of the top-10 players in the San Antonio area by the San-Antonio News . . . missed most of his freshman and sophomore seasons with injuries . . . high school coach was Jeremy Hickman.

Zaven Collins ATH 6-4 220 Fr-HS Hominy, Okla. Hominy HS
Played quarterback, linebacker and safety at Hominy High School . . . was a four-year starter on both offense and defense . . . led Hominy to the Class A state title as a senior . . . posted a 41-12 record in his four seasons, including a 14-0 mark as a senior . . . put up 4,084 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns, and passed for another 3,056 yards and 32 TDs from his quarterback position during his career . . . rushed for 1,520 yards and 27 scores, and completed 83-of-143 passes for 1,600 yards and 23 TDs his senior season . . . totaled 91 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery from his defensive position as a senior . . . ranked No. 24 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 for 2017 . . . was a first-team all-state selection as a senior defensive back by the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman . . . named to the OCA Class A East all-star team . . . was a two-time all-district selection . . . rushed 204 times for 1,594 yards and 25 TDs as a junior quarterback, while completing 54-of-124 passes for 826 yards and nine touchdowns . . . collected 69 stops and four interceptions his junior season . . . high school coach was Scott Harmon.

Sam Crawford, Jr. WR 6-1 193 Fr-HS Rockwall, Texas Rockwall HS
Was a three-year letterwinner at Rockwall High School . . . started two years at receiver, and also played in the defensive secondary . . . totaled 3,491 all-purpose yards and 38 total touchdowns in his career . . . caught 72 passes for 1,369 yards and 15 touchdowns for a 114.1 yards per game average as a senior . . . also rushed for 261 yards, an 8.2 average per carry and four TDs . . . was named District 11-6A Offensive Player of the Year . . . was a two-time all-district performer and two-time all-state honorable mention selection . . . was an academic all-state selection . . . earned a four-star ranking by Scout.com . . . named to the All-Midlands team and was the No. 12 WR in the Midlands by Scout.com . . . ranked as the No. 46th receiver nationally by Scout.com . . . had 77 receptions for 1,426 yards and 15 TDs for an 18.6 average per reception, while also rushing for 263 yards and three TDs during his junior season . . . high school coach was Rodney Webb . . . chose Tulsa over Colorado State, Navy, Nevada, Tulane and USF.

Akayleb Evans CB 6-2 180 Fr-HS McKinney, Texas McKinney HS
Was a two-year letterwinner and starter at McKinney High School, where he played cornerback . . . tallied 48 tackles, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery in eight games as a cornerback his senior season . . . recorded 80 tackles as a junior . . . earned second-team all-District 10-6A accolades as a senior . . . totaled 128 career tackles, including 85 solos . . . high school coach was Jeff Smith . . . chose Tulsa over Iowa State, Kansas, New Mexico and North Texas.

Garrett Flanary DT 6-3 273 Fr-HS Bixby, Okla. Lincoln Christian HS
Was a four-year letterwinner and four-year starter on both offense and defense in high school . . . spent his junior and senior seasons at Lincoln Christian Academy, and his first two years at Henryetta High School . . . played H-Back and tight end on offense and tackle on defense . . . was credited with 141 tackles, 15 sacks, 17 QB hurries, four caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his two years at Lincoln Christian . . . was a second-team all-metro selection as named by the Tulsa World . . . named to the all-VYPE Magazine first team for the Tulsa area . . . earned Tulsa World honorable mention all-state honors . . . played in only eight games and was credited with 80 tackles, 27 TFLs, 16 QB hurries and eight sacks his senior season . . . caught 4 passes for 96 yards and a TD on offense . . . ranked No. 22 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 for 2017 . . . named to the OCA Class 3A East all-star team . . . was ranked No. 22 on the state of Oklahoma Rivals.com list . . . had a 3-star ranking by Rivals.com . . . also lettered three-years in baseball . . . high school coach was Darren Melton . . . chose Tulsa over Air Force, Army, Fresno State, Navy, New Mexico, San Diego State, Southern Miss and Temple among others.

Allie Green IV S 6-3 195 Fr-HS Austin, Texas Lyndon B. Johnson HS
Was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at Lyndon B. Johnson High School . . . totaled 76 tackles, nine interceptions, two caused fumbles and one fumble recovery in 11 games as a senior . . . had one game with three pick-offs his senior season . . . earned first-team Class 5A all-state and all-CenTex Team honors . . . was a two-time all-district 26-5A selection . . . was on the state quarterfinal team his sophomore season . . . also lettered three years in basketball . . . earned all-district honors in basketball as a junior . . . high school coach was Andrew Jackson . . . chose Tulsa over Baylor, Illinois, New Mexico and Texas State.

Adam Higuera LS 6-1 240 Fr-HS Gilbert, Arizona Perry HS
A nationally-ranked long snapper from Perry High School . . . was a 5-star prospect by Kohl’s Kicking . . . was a Ray Guy All-American . . . played in the All-American Game . . . younger brother of former TU long snapper, Rey Higuera . . . high school coach was Preston Jones . . . chose Tulsa over Arizona, Army, New Mexico State and Wyoming.

Daiquain Jackson S 5-11 190 Fr-HS Mesquite, Texas Poteet HS
Led Poteet High School to the state semifinals as a senior . . . racked up 1,451 all-purpose yards as a senior . . . rushed for 1,253 yards and 18 scores on 192 carries his senior season . . . was credited with seven tackles, one interception and one forced fumble his senior season . . . was named to the Dallas Morning News’ SportsDay Area Top-100 . . . earned a 3-star ranking by Scout.com and Rivals.com . . . high school coach was Kody Groves.

Malik Jackson WR 6-2 205 Fr-HS Taylor, Texas Taylor HS
Caught 43 passes for 960 receiving yards and 12 TDs, while averaging 22.3 yards per reception as a senior at Taylor High School . . . earned a 3-star ranking by Rivals.com . . . named first-team all-CenTex by the Austin American-Statesman his senior campaign . . . led his team in receiving as a junior with 419 yards and six TDs on 18 catches . . . placed third in the long jump at the state track meet his junior season . . . high school coach was Rusty Purser . . . chose Tulsa over North Texas, New Mexico and New Mexico State.

Deven Lamp DE 6-5 220 Fr-HS Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Hill HS
Tallied 45 tackles, 11 TFs, seven quarterback sacks, three QB hurries and two pass break-ups as a senior at Cedar Hill High School . . . earned first-team all-District 7-6A honors his senior season . . . high school coach was Joey McGuire . . . chose Tulsa over Vanderbilt, Air Force, Army, Iowa State and Nevada.

Marcus Mays S 6-2 169 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Edison HS
Played quarterback, receiver and safety at Edison High School . . . recorded 44 tackles and an interception his senior campaign . . . was a Tulsa World second-team all-metro performer . . . earned Tulsa World honorable mention all-state accolades . . . ranked No. 27 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 for 2017 . . . was ranked No. 24 on the state of Oklahoma Rivals.com list . . . received a 3-star ranking by Rivals.com . . . high school coach was Troy Daniels . . . chose Tulsa over Kansas State and Memphis.

Reed Martin ATH 6-1 215 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Lincoln Christian HS
A four-year letterwinner and starter at Lincoln Christian High School . . . started for four seasons on defense and his final three seasons at running back . . . helped lead his team to a four-year record of 42-12 record . . . gained 2,343 yards for the fifth-most in the state of Oklahoma, and 37 rushing touchdowns his senior season . . . also caught 40 passes for 730 yards and eight TDS as a senior . . . returned kickoffs for 466 yards, a 25.9 average, on 18 returns . . . totaled 68 tackles, two fumble recoveries and one interception as a senior linebacker . . . was a first-team Tulsa World all-metro selection at running back as a senior . . . earned Tulsa World all-state honors as a kick returner . . . named the District MVP as a senior . . . selected to the VYPE Magazine all-state team . . . was ranked No. 26 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 for 2017 . . . named to the OCA Class 3A East all-star team . . . rushed for 1,074 yards and 18 TDs on 129 carries his junior season . . . also caught 18 passes for 248 yards as a junior, while totaling 42 tackles, four interceptions and four fumble recoveries from his linebacker position . . . had 71 tackles and four interceptions as a freshman defender . . . also lettered four years in basketball and three years in track . . . high school coach was Darren Melton . . . chose Tulsa over Air Force, Ball State, Fresno State, Navy, New Mexico, UTSA and SMU among others.

Ryan Patrick DE 6-3 215 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Bishop Kelley HS
Played defensive end and tight end at Bishop Kelley High School . . . recorded 56 tackles and 11 sacks his senior season, despite missing a month with a shoulder injury . . . was a second-team all-metro selection as named by the Tulsa World . . . earned Tulsa World honorable mention all-state honors . . . named to the OCA Class 5A East all-star team . . . high school coach was J.J. Tappana.

Chris Paul OL 6-4 290 Fr-HS Houston, Texas Jersey Village HS
Was a two-year letterwinner at Jersey Village High School . . . played on both the offensive and defensive lines . . . anchored an offensive line that helped his team average 446 yards per game . . . earned first-team all-district merits and was an academic all-district selection his senior season . . . was team captain as a senior . . . high school coach was David Snokhous . . . chose Tulsa over Army, New Mexico and North Texas.

Bryson Powers S/STAR 6-1 195 Fr-HS Spring, Texas Klein Collins HS
Played quarterback, running back, receiver, linebacker and safety as a senior at Klein Collins High School . . . was named the 2016 Houston Touchdown Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year . . . led his team to a 13-2 record and the District 15-6A title his senior season . . . moved back to Texas and played his junior season at Cypress Woods High School after one year in North Carolina . . . passed for 763 yards and five TDs and rushed for 783 yards and 19 touchdowns his senior season . . . also had 173 yards and one TD receiving . . . was a second-team all-district selection at QB his junior campaign . . . passed for 1,610 ayrds and 21 TDs and rushed for 795 yards and 12 touchdowns his junior season . . . as a sophomore, earned second-team all-district accolades as a DB . . . also lettered two years in baseball . . . head coach at Klein Collins HS was Drew Svoboda . . . chose Tulsa over Air Force, Army, Navy, Harvard, New Mexico, Columbia and Tulane.

J.C. Santana WR 6-1 175 Fr-HS Katy, Texas Katy HS
Helped lead Katy High School to a 10-3 record as a senior . . . caught 43 passes for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns his senior season . . . ranked at No. 56 in the Houston Chronicle’s Area Top-100 . . . had six receptions for 130 yards against Cypress Ranch High School as a senior . . . earned honorable mention all-district honors as a junior . . . high school coach was Gary Joseph . . . chose Tulsa over Boise State and North Texas.

Keylon Stokes WR 6-0 180 Fr-HS Manvel, Texas Manvel HS
Led his Manvel High School team to a 14-1 record . . . had a 3-star ranking from both Scout.com and Rivals.com . . . caught 80 passes for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior season . . . also rushed for 261 yards and three TDs . . . as a junior, caught 28 passes for 654 yards, a 23.4 average per catch, and five TDs . . . younger brother of former TU receiver Keevan Lucas . . . high school coach was Kirk Martin . . . chose Tulsa over New Mexico, Louisiana-Monroe and Texas State.

Gerard Wheeler  OL 6-4 285 Fr-HS Plano, Texas  Plano HS
Played at Plano Senior High School . . . graded at 90-percent or above in all 10 games his senior season . . . had 43 pancake blocks and 67 blocks that triggered explosive plays . . . was a first-team District 6-6A selection . . . named to the All-Collin County first team . . . high school coach was Jaydon McCullough . . . chose Tulsa over Boise State and Louisiana-Monroe.

Cannon Montgomery WR 5-10 175 Fr-HS Tulsa, Okla. Cascia Hall Preparatory
A preferred walk-on . . . was a two-year letterwinner at Cascia Hall Prep . . . started his junior and senior seasons at wide receiver and also was a starting cornerback as a senior . . . helped lead his team to two consecutive Class 4A state semifinal appearances . . . Cascia Hall High School coach was Joe Medina . . . played and lettered his sophomore season at China Spring High School in Texas . . . high school coach was Mark Bell at China Spring . . . also lettered two years in baseball, one in track and one in power-lifting . . . advanced to the state track meet as a sophomore in the 110m hurdles.