Hurricane Elite Winer 2018

Davis Brin

Jaxon Player

Dalton May

Kendarin Ray

Yohance Burnett

Anthony Goodlow

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LEXUS OF TULSA 4210 S. Memorial, Tulsa (918) 665-3987 Options shown. *Drivers should always be responsible for their own safe driving. Please always pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely. Depending on the conditions of roads, vehicles, weather, etc., the system(s) may not work as intended. See Owner’s Manual for details. ©2017 Lexus

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for all the sports you play, we’re on your team. at eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic center, we’ve been caring for athletes just like you for many years. that means, when you’re seen by one of our sports medicine specialists, you’re seeing the same doctors who care for the elite athletes of the University of tulsa, Oral roberts University, and many other college and high school teams. from physicals to physical therapy and beyond, our team is here to help you be the best athlete you can be. call the sports medicine experts at eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic center at (800) 283-3662 today.

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6 | Basketball Picture This The Golden Hurricane men’s and women’s basketball teams are rolling through the season.

Take a look at the shots we got.

22 | Hurricane Sign 16 In the first year of early signings for NCAA Football Scholarships, the University of Tulsa signed 16 newcomers. With a handful already on campus, look for Montgomery’s 2018 class to make an immediate impact.

48 | Fall Sports Recap Annual Subscription includes three publications: • ANNUAL FOOTBALL AND FALL SPORTS PREVIEW (AUGUST) • ANNUAL BASKETBALL PREVIEW (NOVEMBER) • ANNUAL RECRUITING ISSUE (FEBRUARY) For all the best in the highest quality publication covering The University of Tulsa Athletic Programs, get it all with Hurricane Elite. Go to HurricaneElite.com

We recap the successes throughout the fall for the Golden Hurricane. Be sure to check out the men’s cross country team as they took the conference title.

Trinity Media Group, LLC 12330 E. 60th St. Ste. A. • Tulsa, OK 74146 All rights reserved.

Publisher Austin Chadwick Senior Writer/Recruiting Chris Harmon Contributing Writers Kyle Kendrick, Austin Chadwick Feature Photographer Brandy Moton, Brad Heath, Dave Crenshaw Contact Information Website: www.VYPEOK.com • Phone: 918.495.1771 • Fax: 918.495.1787 Hurricane Elite is published tri-annually by Trinity Media Group, LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. Hurricane Elite is not responsible for the return of unsolicited artwork, photography or manuscripts and will not be responsible for holding fees or similar charges.

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Model Shown: 2018 Jaguar F-PACE R-Sport. European license plate shown. ‡This feature is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving, nor can it overcome all extreme circumstances.

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The University of Tulsa

Tulsa Basketball Started the New Year with 90-88 OT Win Over UConn to Move to 10-5 www.TulsaHurricane.com

At the midway point of the season, Tulsa had a 10-5 overall record, beginning the American Athletic Conference season at 3-0 with home wins over ECU and UConn and a road win at Tulane.

In the non-conference season, the Golden Hurricane took Iowa State to the end, falling 80-78, at the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic, but against another Big 12 opponent, Kansas State, the Hurricane grabbed a 61-54 victory in Wichita.

Tulsa was without the services of starter DaQuan Jeffries throughout all but one game in December due to a hand injury, and during that time the Hurricane weathered the storm by posting a 5-1 record.

Senior forward Junior Etou leads Tulsa in both scoring and rebounding with 15.9 and 6.9 averages, while Sterling Taplin scores at a 12.3 clip and has dished out 4.0 assists in Tulsa’s first 18 games. Sophomore forward Martins Igbanu has taken off since the conference season began on December 28th, averaging 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in American contests.

In league games, senior guard Corey Henderson Jr. has increased his scoring output as well to 11.8 points, while tallying a career-high 30 points against UConn.

After beginning the league with three straight wins, the Hurricane dropped two road games at Memphis and Houston before taking the nation’s 5thranked Wichita State Shockers to the

end, losing 72-69, in the final minute at the Reynolds Center.

The tough stretch continues as Tulsa faces Temple on the road, Memphis at home and Wichita State on the road to close out the month of January.

HURRICANE WOMEN LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY

It’s been an up-and-down first half of the season for the women’s basketball team. Tulsa’s top six scorers have missed a total of 14 games between them, but the Golden Hurricane has still been able to post eight wins through the first 18 contests.

Still a rather young squad with five sophomores and three freshmen, the Hurricane hasn’t been able to find consistency from game-to-game. Some of that is certainly due to the 13 different starting lineups the Hurricane has had to use this season.

A total of 11 players have started at least one game for the Hurricane and 10 of those players have averaged over 12 minutes. Junior Tatyana Perez, after playing in 14 games, will miss the remainder of the season with a hand injury.

When Tulsa has it going, it’s normally going at full speed. In Tulsa’s the eight wins, five have been by double-digits.

Tulsa has won its games by a 14.1 margin, but in the 10 losses the opposition has outscored the Hurricane by 13.4 points.

Sophomore Shug Dickson leads the scoring attack for the Hurricane with 13.1 points, while senior Erika Wakefield is beginning to find her rhythm after an early season injury and averaged 10 points and a team-best 2.3 assists.

Tatyana Perez

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THE University of Tulsa

BASKETBALL PICTURE THIS

Sterling Taplin shoots a three-pointer in the Puerto Rico Classic in a win over Western Michigan

Junior Etou takes the ball on a break in the ORU win

Etou dunks over an ORU defender

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The Tulsa bench celebrates a basket

Jaleel Wheeler finishes at the rim against conference foe East Carolina

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THE University of Tulsa

BASKETBALL PICTURE THIS

Sophomore Martins Igbanu finishes off a slam dunk

Corey Henderson Jr. knocked down a career-high 8 three-pointers while scoring 30 points in an overtime win over UConn

Newcomer DaQuan Jeffries is shooting over 55-percent from the field

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Lawson Korita had a season-high 12 points against ECU

Elijah Joiner has helped make an impact as a true freshman

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THE University of Tulsa

BASKETBALL PICTURE THIS

Erika Wakefield is Tulsa’s senior leader

Sophomore Alexis Gaulden, from Broken Arrow High School, averages 10.0 points and leads the team in assists with a 2.3 average

Freshman Rebecca Lescay started 11 of Tulsa’s first 18 games

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Sophomore Shug Dickson leads Tulsa in scoring with a 13.1 average

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The University of Tulsa

TULSA MEN’S BASKETBALL INKS THREE TO NATIONAL L.O.I. www.TulsaHurricane.com

Chris Barnes

Peter Hewitt

Tulsa men’s basketball signed three transfers to letters-of-intent in November, and all three student-athletes will have three years of eligibility remaining. Tulsa head coach Frank Haith announced the signing of two players –– 6’7” guard Zeke Moore and 6’4” guard Chris Barnes –– on national signing day, and added 6’10” forward Peter Hewitt five days later.

Chris Barnes 6-4 Guard Compton, Calif.

UTEP/Angelina College

Will have three years of eligibility at TU ... played his freshman season at UTEP where he appeared in 16 games ... redshirting at Angelina College this season ... averaged 12 points, five rebounds and five assists as a senior at Compton HS and was a first-team all-conference pick ... led the team to a 19-11 mark and was a SoCal Prep Legends Athlete of the Week in January 2016 ... led Long Beach Millikan HS to a 20-9 record as a junior by averaging 20 ppg and earned all-league and all-state recognition ... was a member of a state title squad at Bishop Montgomery HS as a sophomore.

Peter Hewitt 6-10 Forward Mountain View, Calif.

UC Davis/Las Positas College

Will have three years of eligibility at TU ... redshirted his freshman season at UC Davis ... currently plays for Las Positas College where his team averaged 99.0 points in a 3-0 start to the year ... was a three16

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year letterwinner at Saint Francis High School and helped lead the Lancers to a pair of West Coast Athletic League titles over his final two seasons ... averaged 11 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal per game and was an all-conference pick ... ranked No. 35 in the state by ESPN and had a top-10 Northern California ranking ... was an honor roll student all four years of high school.

Zeke Moore 6-7 Guard St. Louis, Mo. Saint Louis/Southwest Illinois CC

Will have three years of eligibility at TU ... played his freshman season at Saint Louis where he saw action in 29 games and averaged 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game ... also shot 39-percent from behind the arc with the Billikens ... redshirting this season at Southwest Illinois CC ... played for his father, Gerard Moore, at Riverview Gardens HS ... was one of the top scorers in the area by averaging 21.1 ppg as a senior ... also was one of the area’s top shooters with nearly three 3-pointers per game and an 82.8-percent average at the free-throw line ... averaged 25.3 ppg as a junior and was named the Suburban North Co-Player of the Year.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNS TWO

The Tulsa women’s basketball team signed Kayla Moutry and Kalen (KK) Rodriguez to national letters-of-intent in the November signing period.

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Zeke Moore “Golden Hurricane fans will love the passion and intensity these two kids play with,” Tulsa head coach Matilda Mossman said. “We are excited about adding Kalen and Kayla, as well as their families to our program.”

Kayla Moutry 5-9 G/F McKinney, Texas/McKinney HS

A three-year letterwinner at McKinney High School … helped MHS post 62 wins in her first three seasons … led her team to the Bi-District 10-5A Championship as a sophomore … was a three-time all-district performer, was named as the MHS Co-MVP as a junior, and was tabbed as the MHS Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman and sophomore … as a junior, she tallied 283 points, 215 rebounds, 90 assists, 68 steals and 45 blocks… came into her senior season with nearly 600 points and over 530 rebounds in her career.

Kalen “KK” Rodriguez 5-6 G St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves HS

A three-year letterwinner from Webster Groves High School … led WHS to 63 wins in three years, district championships as a sophomore and junior, and a Missouri Class 4A State runner-up performance as a freshman … averaged 16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.8 steals as a junior … a two-time all-conference and all-district performer, while being named to four all-tournament teams.

The University of Tulsa

Football Locker Room Renovation Underway www.TulsaHurricane.com

TULSA, Okla. –– The University of Tulsa football locker room, located in the Case Athletic Complex in the north end zone of the stadium, is in the process of undergoing a major facelift to the tune of $1.2 million, all through private funding.

A complete renovation of the

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locker room includes a dedicated nutrition center and features custom-built lockers by Shield of Kansas City, Missouri.

Construction began this past Tuesday. The completion of the project is expected within 90 days.

“I think this is true for any sport, but the locker room is kind of a sacred spot for men and women, dependent upon their sport, where they really connect,” said Tulsa head football coach Philip Montgomery.

“The bond of unity and brotherhood you have within that sport happens in the locker room, it happens in the weight room

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and it happens on the field. The locker room is a place that student-athletes can be themselves.

It’s kind of their home away from home.”

“With the new construction that just started on our locker room, I know our guys will be extremely excited to see that as they return from the break,” added Montgomery.

Montgomery also talked about the importance of facilities to the University community.

“To show the commitment that the University, our administration and boosters have to continually look at and upgrade our facilities, not just athletics, but across the board, is so vitally important for us to grow as a university,” said Montgomery.

“I’m so excited to see that the locker room construction is underway, and in a couple of months the grand opening will be a tremendous occasion for us.

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas 4240 S. Memorial Drive | Tulsa, OK | 74145 918.712.8989 | donthorntonvw.com HURRICANE ELITE

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The University of Tulsa

Tulsa Football Players Earn AllConference Honors in the American Athletic Conference www.TulsaHurricane.com

Providence, RI – The American Athletic Conference’s all-time rushing leader D’Angelo Brewer headlines The University of Tulsa’s list of players named to the allconference team, it was announced today. Brewer is one of seven Tulsa student-athletes named to the football all-league team.

Brewer is Tulsa’s lone first-team selection, while fellow senior defensive end Jeremy Smith earned second-team accolades, along with juniors Justin Hobbs (WR), Tyler Bowling (OG) and Chandler Miller (Center). Senior offensive tackle Evan Plagg and junior safety McKinley Whitfield earned honorable mention honors.

Brewer, Miller, Bowling and Plagg earned all-conference recognition for the second consecutive season. Miller was a first-team selection in 2016, while fellow linemen Bowling and Plagg were second-team selections last year.

Tyler Bowling

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Brewer was also second-team allleague performer a year ago, and his first-team honor this season marks consecutive years that Tulsa has had a first-team running back named to the team as James Flanders was a firstteam selection a year ago.

The 5’9” Brewer D’Angelo Brewer led the American Athletic Conference with 1,517 yards for a 137.9-yard that paved the way for the nation’s per game average.

16th-ranked rushing offense.

He had eight 100-yard rushing games this season, including two Plagg, a 6’3” left tackle, missed 200+ yard games with 262 yards three games with an injury, but in against Louisiana and 255 yards 5 of the last 6 games, in which he vs. Temple. Brewer completed his played, had a grade over 90-percareer with a school record 3,917 cent. yards, 23 touchdowns and a school The 6’3” Whitfield, who started the record 17 100+ rushing games. season at linebacker but moved to Smith, a 6’5” defensive end, tallied 57 tackles, 8 TFLs for -61 yards, including a team-high 6 sacks for -51 yards. The junior trio of the 6’4” Hobbs, 6’6” Bowling and 6’3” Miller started all 12 games this season. Hobbs caught 55 passes for 830 yards and 3 TDs this year, while Bowling at left guard and Miller at center were stalwarts on an offensive line

his previous safety position due to injuries, led the Hurricane in tackles with 113 stops. Among his stops were 67 solos and 6 TFLs for -18 yards, while turning in 8 pass break-ups and one interception. Whitfield had eight doublefigure tackle games, including six consecutively and a career-high of 14 stops against both Tulane and Navy.

AAC ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM Pos. Player WR Anthony Miller 2 WR Trey Quinn WR Courtland Sutton 1 OT Aaron Evans OT Trevon Tate OG Gabe Kuhn OG Jeremi Hall C Jordan Johnson TE Jordan Akins QB McKenzie Milton QB Riley Ferguson RB Adrian Killins Jr. RB D’Angelo Brewer 2 DL Jamiyus Pittman 2 DL Ed Oliver 1 DL Deadrin Senat 2 DL Justin Lawler 1 LB Shaquem Griffin * 1 LB D’Juan Hines LB Genard Avery 1 LB Auggie Sanchez 2 2 CB Mike Hughes CB Parry Nickerson H 2 S Kyle Gibson S Delvon Randall K Emilio Nadelman P James Smith RS Tony Pollard 1 * unanimous selection ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM Pos. Player WR Tre’Quan Smith WR Trevon Brown WR Justin Hobbs OT Korey Cunningham OT Wyatt Miller OT Marcus Norman OG Brian Carter OG Tyler Bowling 2 C Chandler Miller 1 TE Joey Magnifico QB Quinton Flowers 1 RB Dontrell Hilliard RB Darrell Henderson DL Trysten Hill DL Bruce Hector DL Sharif Finch DL Jacob Martin DL Jeremy Smith LB Chequan Burkett LB Jaylyin Minor LB D.J. Palmore LB Rae Juan Marbley CB T.J. Carter CB Deatrick Nichols 1 2 S Khalil Williams S Devin Abraham K Matthew Wright P Mac Loudermilk RS Mike Hughes

School Cl. Memphis Sr. SMU Jr. SMU Jr. UCF Sr. Memphis Jr. Memphis Sr. USF Sr. UCF So. UCF Sr. UCF So. Memphis Sr. UCF So. Tulsa Sr. UCF Sr. Houston So. USF Sr. SMU Sr. UCF Sr. Houston Sr. Memphis Jr. USF Sr. UCF Jr. Tulane Sr. UCF Jr. Temple Jr. USF Sr. Cincinnati Fr. Memphis So.

Ht. 5-11 6-0 6-4 6-6 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-4 5-8 5-9 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-1 5-6 6-5 5-11

Wt. 190 202 215 325 290 295 332 320 262 185 210 158 190 319 290 305 265 229 230 230 245 191 180 182 210 173 220 200

Hometown/Last School Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers Lake Charles, La./LSU Brenham, Texas/Brenham Seffner, Fla./Armwood Houston, Texas/North Shore Wildwood, Mo./Lyafayette Atlanta, Ga./Tri-Cities Jacksonville, Fla./Ed White Atlanta, Ga./Union Grove Kapolei, Hawaii/Milliani Matthews, N.C./Coffeyville CC Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland Tulsa, Okla./Central Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County Houston, Texas/Westfield Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood Spring, Texas/Dekaney Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast New Bern, N.C./Garden City CC Algiers, La./West Jefferson Tampa, Fla./Armwood Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway Miami, Fla./Central Wangaratta, Australia/Galen College Memphis, Tenn./Melrose

School UCF ECU Tulsa Cincinnati UCF USF Temple Tulsa Tulsa Memphis USF Tulane Memphis UCF USF Temple Temple Tulsa UCF Cincinnati Navy Tulane Memphis USF Houston USF UCF UCF UCF

Ht. 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-4 6-6 6-1 6-6 6-3 6-4 6-0 6-0 5-9 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-0 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-1 5-11

Wt. 210 211 218 305 306 305 300 325 293 235 210 205 200 330 296 250 250 265 230 233 236 245 180 189 210 185 179 234 191

Hometown/Last School Delray Beach, Fla./Village Academy Wilmington, N.C./New Hanover Overland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission West Montevallo, Ala./Montevallo Douglas, Ga./Coffee Sebastian, Fla./Sebastian River Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg Yukon, Okla./Yukon Bixby, Okla./Bixby Cordova, Tenn./St. Benedict Miami, Fla./Miami Jackson Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville Magnet Batesville, Miss./South Panola Lee, Fla./Suwannee Tampa, Fla./Robinson Henrico, Va./Henrico Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail Tulsa, Okla./Berryhill Montgomery, Ala./Carver Navasota, Texas/Navasota Bartlett, Tenn./Christian Brothers Destrehan, La./Destrehan Nashville, Tenn./Stratford Miami, Fla./Miami Central Missouri City, Texas/Hightower Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg Valdosta, Ga./Valdosta New Bern, N.C./Garden City CC

Cl. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr.

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The University of Tulsa

Ex-Baylor Quarterback Zach Smith and JuCo Jajuan Blankenship Enroll at Tulsa www.TulsaHurricane.com

Zach Smith

TULSA, Okla. –– Former Baylor quarterback Zach Smith enrolled at the University of Tulsa and began classes on January 12th.

The 6-4, 225-pound Smith comes to Tulsa after playing in 18 games for the Big 12’s Baylor Bears over the last two seasons, including starting 10 games. He threw for at least 200 yards in his first seven career starts and in eight of his 10 career starts, while his 14 TD passes in his first five starts were the second-best in Baylor history.

In the 2017 season, Smith completed 33-of-50 passes for a career-high 463 yards and four TDs against No. 3 Oklahoma. He completed his sophomore season throwing for 1,471 yards and 22

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eight TDs in just nine games.

Coming out of high school, Smith was a top-300 recruit as a senior at Grandview (Texas) High School in 2015. Smith threw for 10,217 yards and 113 touchdowns in his career to rank among the top 10 in Texas high school football history. Nationally, Smith was the No. 10 quarterback by ESPN, No. 11 by Rivals and No. 12 by 247Sports.

Smith will sit out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

TULSA ADDS ANOTHER JUCO TRANSFER During the first week of the second semester, junior college transfer Jajuan Blankenship enrolled in classes at Tulsa.

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Blankenship, a 6’2”, 271 defensive lineman, comes from Independence (Kan.) Junior College, where he spent the 2017 season.

Blankenship transferred to Independence CC from the University of South Carolina, where he redshirted as a true freshman in 2016.

He played his prep football at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina, where he was a four-year starter. As a senior, Blankenship recorded 59 tackles with 6.5 sacks, while earning first-team all-region and all-area honors. He totaled 148 tackles, 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during his career.

JuJaun Blankenship

Audi Tulsa 4208 S. Memorial Dr. Tulsa. OK 918.232.7945 www.auditulsa.com

*Starting MSRP for a 2017 Audi A3 2.0T Premium with FWD and six-speed S tronic® automatic transmission. Model shown is a 2017 Audi A3 2.0 T Prestige quattro with six-speed S tronic automatic transmission, optional 19" wheels and Sport pkg., starting MSRP $44,600. Prices exclude destination charge, taxes, title, other options and dealer charges. Dealer sets actual price. “Audi,” “MMI,” “quattro,” “S tronic,” all model names, and the four rings logo are registered trademarks of AUDI AG. ©2016 Audi of America, Inc.

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The University of Tulsa

TULSA FOOTBALL SIGNS 16 TO NATIONAL LETTERS-OF-INTENT Tulsa, Oklahoma –– The University of Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery called the first-ever early signing period for collegiate football ‘a success’ as the Golden Hurricane signed a class of 16 student-athletes for 2018.

“We really didn’t know how things would work out with the early signing period. It’s new to all of us,” said Montgomery. “I thought overall our coaches did a great job in identifying the right fit for our university with this class, and we were focused in on trying to sign most of our class today.”

Tulsa’s class includes five junior college student-athletes and 11 high school seniors, while 10 are defensive players and six on offense. Among the signees, six will be mid-year enrollees, including all five junior college signees and prep quarterback Davis Brin.

JC transfers Malik Welch, a cornerback from Long Beach City College, and Blinn Junior College defensive end Cullen Wick will each have three years of eligibility remaining. Tulsa added Navarro JC linebacker Yohance Burnett as well as a pair of players from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – defensive end Cade Baumann and offensive lineman Judge Hartin. Baumann and Hartin, who are both from Oklahoma high schools, helped lead NEO to a 9-3 record and a fourth-place national ranking in 2017.

Brin leaves Boerne Champion (Texas) High School after throwing for 6,524 yards and 57 touchdowns in his career.

“We’re excited about the entire class, but we’re certainly pleased that six of the 16 will be able to get acclimated to school in January and participate in spring practice,” said Montgomery. “This will be a huge spring for us, and having this number of newcomers getting a jump on what we’re doing is important when we get started in the fall.”

Among the 11 high school signees, three are from the state of Oklahoma and seven from Texas. The three Oklahoma student-athletes were all listed on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 list as the state’s top college prospects.

Running back TK Wilkerson, who is from nearby Skiatook High School, rushed for 1,785 yards and 24 touchdowns on 262 carries for a solid 6.8 average per carry.

From the western part of the state, the Hurricane signed Jones High School tight end Dalton May and Del City linebacker Anthony Goodlow. May was a four-year letterwinner and as a senior caught 16 passes for 273 yards, a 17.1 average and 24

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Davis Brin

three TDs. In his prep career, Goodlow, at 6’5”, played safety, linebacker and defensive end for the Eagles, and as a senior totaled 105 tackles, 30 TFLs, 19 sacks and 13 QB pressures.

Receiver Imiee Cooksey had two-year career totals of 71 receptions for 1,262 yards and 19 touchdowns at Haltom High School.

Tulsa also added X’Zauvea Gadlin to the offensive side of the ball.

As a lineman, Gadlin played four of the five offensive line positions in his three years as a starter at Mansfield Summit High School.

Tulsa added five prep defensive players from the state of Texas, including tackle Jaxon Player, cornerback Jabari James, safety Kendarin Ray and linebackers Grant Sawyer and Justin Wright.

Player totaled 117 tackles, 22 TFLs and eight sacks as a senior while helping his Waco Midway team post a 14-0 record. James and Ray are two extremely athletic players who will start out on defense in college after playing quarterback in high school. James put up over 5,000 yards of total offense in his final two seasons at Fort Bend Marshall High School, while Ray passed for 1,598 yards, rushed for 1,953 yards and totaled 35 TDs in his final two years at Brenham High School.

Sawyer played tight end and receiver on offense and on defense was credited 104 tackles and five interceptions as a senior safety. Wright totaled 91 tackles and 15 TFLs his senior season at Abilene Cooper High School.

Anthony Goodlow

2018 Tulsa Football Signees Name

Pos. Ht.

Cade Baumann

DE

Davis Brin

QB

Yohance Burnett LB

Wt. Cl.

6-4 240 Jr-JC Walters, Okla./Walters HS/NE Oklahoma A&M

6-2 190 Fr.

WR 5-11 185 Fr.

Judge Hartin

OL

6-4 290 Fr.

Anthony Goodlow OLB 6-5 230 Fr.

Jabari James

Dalton May

Jaxon Player

Kendarin Ray

Grant Sawyer

Malik Welch

Cullen Wick

TK Wilkerson

Justin Wright

Yohance Burnett

CB

TE

DT

S

LB

CB

DE

RB

LB

Boerne, Texas/Champion HS

6-1 220 Jr-JC Pearland, Texas/Dawson HS/Navarro JC

Imiee Cooksey

X’Zauvea Gadlin OL

Hometown/Previous School

Haltom City, Texas/Haltom HS

Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Summit HS

Del City, Okla./Del City HS

6-4 280 Jr-JC Madill, Okla./Madill HS/NE Oklahoma A&M

6-1 170 Fr.

6-4 240 Fr.

6-0 285 Fr.

6-4 190 Fr.

Missouri City, Texas/Fort Bend Marshall HS

Jones, Okla./Jones HS

Waco, Texas/Midway HS

Brenham, Texas/Brenham HS

6-3 200 Fr.

Argyle, Texas/Liberty Christian HS

6-2 210 Fr.

Skiatook, Okla./Skiatook HS

6-1 190 So-JC Inglewood, Calif./N. Torrance HS/Long Beach CC

6-2 250 So-JC Hallettsville, Texas/Sacred Heart HS/Blinn JC

6-2 215 Fr.

Abilene, Texas/Cooper HS

Dalton May

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The University of Tulsa

WHAT COACH SAYS: MONTGOMERY TALKS

It’s Signing Day, and we’re feeling our way through the early signing period, obviously it provides some different dynamics to it, but we’re excited about it. We’re excited about this. We got a great start to our class and we’ll finish that up throughout the month of January and into the next Signing Day, February 7th.

What a great start! A lot of these guys have been committed for a long time and to be able to go ahead and seal that up, make it complete and give those guys the ability to kind of move on and get to the next phase and be concentrated on what they’re doing, so it provided some unique experiences for us as we went through it this year.

We’ll learn from it as we continue to go.

We’ll see how the month of January goes.

Signed 5 JUCO guys, 11 high school guys, and we will have six guys come in here at mid-term and be a part of it.

became a priority, I know after the Temple game you made it sound like you guys weren’t planning to go in that direction…

Montgomery: We always look. It’s unique to be able -- and our guys have done a lot of research and a lot of background to be able to find a kid out of the junior college that can come in and number one help us on the field and number two, gotta be able to withstand the rigors of our institution. You’ve got to find that unique guy and that’s difficult to do at the JC level.

We were able to find a few of them, be able to get them into school, but we put an emphasis obviously there.

Some of those numbers could vary as we continue to keep working through it because the signing period actually lasts until Friday at 11:59 p.m. So a little bit different from your normal February 7th deal where it’s just that day and it’s over.

This is kind of a three-day span that they have the opportunity to sign. We will see if anything else kind of occurs in the next couple of days.

Extremely proud and excited for our coaches and for these young men that have just joined our family and to be part of Tulsa football.

Q. Signing junior college guys, that 26

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Cullen Wick

We were very young last year, we will still be young. We’re losing a pretty good group of seniors. You know you’ve got holes to fill and being able to bring some experience on our football team, guys that have had to maybe go a different route but got a lot of good experience in that way and give our young kids an opportunity to keep growing physically and mentally as they approach this game.

Q. Were any of those guys ones your coaches had relationships with previously

S ABOUT 2018 DECEMBER SIGNING CLASS

TK Wilkerson

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The University of Tulsa or starting from scratch?

Montgomery: No, most of them we had been keeping our eye on throughout the process, and we got on a couple of new guys there. You know the way recruiting goes, you’ve got a long list and you start narrowing it down and talking to guys and vetting the system, if you will.

Most of these guys we all had relationships prior. Some of these guys we’ve had relationships over a year with and just kind of tracking. As you go through the junior college ranks, everything -- especially on their timeline -- changes really, really fast and a lot of the JC recruitment happens in the last month and things change in a hurry.

We’ve had relationships with these guys, being able to build those and really on to some great kids.

Q. You have a lot of experience coming back because you had to play so many young players this year. Do you foresee it making a challenge for the new guys to see the field?

Montgomery: Yeah. The thing you’re going to know about our program, our players already know this, is we’re going to play the best 11 guys that can step on the field at one time, so it doesn’t matter, classification, experience, any of that. If you’re one those best 11, you’re going to be starting and playing. That being said, we had to play some young guys this year that got some experience. That was great. That’s going to help us in the future. Being able to bring in a junior college player to kind of speed up that process, we gotta continue to keep growing, continuing to keep maturing and those guys can help us in a lot of different instances, so I think it’s going to be a good combination of our young guys continuing to grow and mature as well as adding experience depth in the midst of that.

Q. You bring in another local running back in T.K. Wilkerson. What stands out about his game?

Montgomery: What doesn’t? I mean, he’s a big guy, he’s a beast, he runs downhill, he’s very physical. Most schools were really trying to looking at him as a linebacker rather than a running back.

We got on T.K. really early and formed a relationship with him and his mom. Just great people. He keeps producing. You

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watch his tape I love the way that he attacks the line of scrimmage and when he’s in the open field. He’s got the speed to take it to the house, but if there is a guy close enough he may run through him and then go ahead and score.

It’s going to be a great combination with the backs we have right now.

When you look at a guy like Shamari that can dance and skirt through things, still got a lot of power about him, don’t get him twisted in that but the running styles between him and T.K. Kendarin Ray and Corey and those guys, being able to have different levels and different qualities or abilities in your running back position can be very beneficial as you So we approached it that way. I think we go throughout the season. We had that came out on the right end of this deal. a couple of years ago, you know, really There’s some guys I know we were going with D’Angelo and James, two different to have to continue to keep battling and style of runners but productive and fed battling and battling. Every year we’ve off each other well. Want to try to keep gone through that. that consistency within your running To have guys already signed and comback group. mitted and locked in with us and us locked in with them I think can only benefit us in the long one.

Q. You were in favor of the early Signing Day. Having come through it as big of a fan as you were going in, did it meet expectations? Is there anything you would like to see tweaked?

Montgomery: We’re want all the way through it yet, so ask me again in February, all right? I did like -- I do like the early signing period, still. What it really did, though -- I mean, it sped everything up. From the thought of -- most of the time for me I only get to get in somebody’s home one time. Our assistant coaches can go once a week, for me I only get my one shot in there. Now you’re playing the game, do I do that now, wait and try and do that later? When do I spend that time in? I did more home visits in the month of December than I’ve ever done because the process was sped up.

You felt like if you were going to get them to sign today you had to go in there and you had to treat it like this is the only Signing Day we have.

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Q. Did most kids seem happy and ready to sign early? Did you get the sense that kids’ parents felt rushed at all?

Montgomery: I don’t think so, especially for those that have been committed to us not for a long time. We started talking about the process really, really early, talking about the December 20th Signing Day, kind of just kept putting it out there a little bit here and there, and as we got closer, this is the expectation we have. You’ve been committed to us and we’ve been committed to you; let’s get this thing wrapped in a bow for Christmas.

We approached it that way, went to him that way, most guys were like, hey, coach, you’re right I’m ready, let’s get it done. We were good in that sense. Is the process speeding up? Sure it is. But the flip side of it is, it’s the beast -- whatever date you put it on, it’s going to be that way. Now we’re going to go through it

wanted them to go home, relax, rest, get a little running and lifting in while you’re gone, but try to let your body recoup from a long season, but understand when we step back in on these grounds, it’s time to go to work.

Judge Hartin twice.

Q. I know Bo is a big fan of Davis. What do you see from him as a quarterback?

Montgomery: He’s a guy that can throw everything in the book, got a sharp mind, great feet, love what he’s doing already with his mechanics. There are some things we want to speed up and things we want to keep adjusting but from a tech side of it I really like what he’s bringing to the table.

He’s a kid that has done a lot in a lot of different offenses, I think what he’s doing right now in high school will translate into what we do. I know he’s a winner, a guy that is hungry to get better, wants to succeed at everything he does, great student, great family and very motivated.

Those are the qualities that you’re looking for in your quarterbacks, and this kid, I think, has got a lot of those traits and is going to be a great player here.

Q. I know it’s rare for a freshman to come in and start at quarterback in a big-time DI school, but the fact that he’s coming in in early January and what you know about his mental make-up so far, do you give him a chance to do that?

Montgomery:: We’ll see. As we get into spring ball we’re going to see what everybody’s got. Like I told the team before they left for Christmas, I told them I

We got a lot of work ahead of us and every position is going to be open and we’re all going to be fighting for spots.

Competition makes us better and everybody has a chance to prove who they are and who they want to be. Whether that’s the quarterback spot, the running back spot, left tackle spot, whatever that might be we’re going to compete all the way through it.

Q. You mentioned for guys that had been committed to you, you had been committed to pushing to go ahead and get it done now. If there was a kid hypothetically -- there have been coaches that said if a guy was wavering now, that might change their mind, if a kid was going to waiver and didn’t want to sign now. Would that affect how you viewed him as a prospect?

Montgomery: Honestly I think it does. If you’ve been committed and we’ve been committed and you elect not to sign, now, obviously you’ve got to have some reasons, what are we thinking here, what are we doing? But if you don’t sign on the 20th, how committed are you, really? So we have to at least take into account, you know, something may be going on here so I need to be sure that, you know, I’m working my list, I’ve got guys that I feel good about that I’m continuing to recruit and stay on to make sure that I don’t get that midnight hour call, hey, coach, I’ve decided to do something else and now you’re left with where do I go from here?

I think all those factor into this early signing period and guys that have been committed if they don’t sign, you as a coach -- our job is to do what we can to make this program the best program in America. So I have to protect what’s on my shirt. So if you not don’t sign then I’ve going to be out there look and making sure I’m ready if something does occur

that I’m ready for what my next step is going to be.

Q. You mentioned Shamari. Now you have T.K. Wilkerson. How important is it for you to have home-grown guys on your roster?

Montgomery: I think we signed five, six guys already in this class, and we’ll add a few more in this class that are from the Oklahoma area. There is great football here and, you know, we’ve got to do a good job of continuing to recruit this state well. Coaches do a great job and guys in this state have really come here and played well. Shamari is a great example and D’Angelo is a great example, and we can go down the list of guys.

It’s great to be able to go out and recruit this state and do a good job of continuing to find guys that come here and really make a name for themselves and get a great education on top of it.

Q. I haven’t had a chance to look nationally at where different teams depending on where they typically fall in the rankings, if you will, what their percentage is, verbal commitment versus what signed today, but it seems to me like this is a pretty impressive percentage, especially recruiting off of 2-10, even though you’re not far removed from 10-3. Maybe talk about the work your coaches did to get all those guys to sign. It seems to me like that probably is something you would be proud of?

Montgomery: Yeah, I am proud. Our coaches have done a great job of building relationships. I think we’ve done that since we’ve been here. We’ve done a good job of evaluating talent, making sure that we’re all on the right guys, guys that can come in here and help us, be the future of this program and still maintain the level of excellence that we have to have.

Our guys, our coaches did a great job of going out and staying in rooms and staying in houses and making sure that those relationships held true and our commitments stayed solid and we were where we wanted to be at this point.

I don’t know what the percentage is across the country of guys that signed and got it done. I would, again, like you think it was pretty high, but I haven’t seen those. As far as rankings of classes and things like that, I never pay attention to that. I don’t know who has two stars, five stars, anything else. We’re looking for guys that fit our mold that

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The University of Tulsa Q. If you’re on some good Texas high school players, some of them are playing in the state championship on Saturday, so their season isn’t over.

They haven’t had a chance to make a visit yet. I know the question was asked earlier if there is something that could be tweaked, is that one thing if you think back on it, the kids in Texas? Some of them haven’t had a visit yet.

Jaxon Player are unbelievable football players but also have a burning desire to get a great degree that’s going to carry them on in life. They’ve got to be good on and off the field here and we have to make sure we’re recruiting the right people.

Q. How many do you expect to get?

Montgomery: Anywhere from 20 to 22.

Q. Have you ever offered someone the night before Signing Day and they sign the next morning? That’s a quick turn-around.

Montgomery: It’s a quick turn-around, and it’s unusual. I don’t think we’ve ever done that, especially under the circumstances that we are under here.

You might have done that with a kid that had been to your campus and seen it and toured it, done all that.

Never done it with -- Justin signed sight unseen, hadn’t visited up here and done all those things.

Again, that goes back to your evaluation and the relationship that you’re building that we’ve kind of talked about. We’ve been recruiting you for a while, we’ve been on it, but this is the situation, and we jumped and we moved and he was ready to make that jump with us.

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Montgomery: Some of that’s true. For us, let’s talk about Jaxon Player, our nose tackle that signed out of Waco-Midway. They are playing for the state championship this weekend. Fortunately for him we took his official visit during their bye week in high school so he came up, was able to visit and spent that time with us and had some quality time in that. There are some other guys that are playing state championship games right now that haven’t had the chance to come up.

They were planning on coming up after their season was over, and they’re still playing, so they didn’t have the opportunity to do that; hence, they haven’t had the opportunity to sign because, hey, I want to come up with my mom and see everything. You’re fighting that battle, what are the keys to him of not signing?

You just keep recruiting and hope your relationship continues to hold true.

Q. If you had to pinpoint a diamond in the rough or a sleeper kid that maybe not many were high on that you’re glad you have in this class, I know it’s early but is there one or two that jumps out as someone to keep an eye on that most don’t know about?

Montgomery: I think there’s a lot of great players on this list and not to take away from one guy on the other guy. You look at a Jaxon Player, a lot of people didn’t want to recruit him because they didn’t think he was tall enough, and I think he’s

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going to be a dominant player at our division, our league, and plays with such a motor and plays relentlessly on the field, loves the game of football.

Then you take a guy like Jabari James, played quarterback in high school, is coming here to play corner, long, athletic, can run, has a passion about playing corner he’s excited about being here.

You take Kendarin Ray. He’s played extremely well all year long, but he’s a combination of a McKinley and a Manny.

Long, 6-2, 6-3 kid, his ceiling, we don’t know what that’s going to be. Great personality, great leader on this football team, playing every sport, so when he gets here, how is he going to develop, what’s his body going to look like and how is that transition going to happen. I think there’s a lot of guys on that list that you could go down and talk about those guys just like that.

Grant Sawyer, a kid that came to camp.

He’s a safety, he’s going to play linebacker position for us and I sit in his home and I see how much weight he’s put on and starting to develop. I think a guy that has a tremendous, tremendous upside. I could go down the list and talk about every one of them that way. It would be hard to pick out one guy that I think is the diamond in the rough that all of the sudden is going to make it happen.

Q. What is today like for you? You’ve done the recruiting and the home visits and as you’re sitting back waiting for the letters to come in what’s going your mind in this process?

Montgomery: I can say it now, it feels like Christmas. You’re waiting to unwrap presents, now you’re waiting for the fax machine or it to come across on your email. We’ve put time and effort into this.

Obviously as fast as it’s going this year with the early signing period, the season was a long season, you know, then we hit the road recruiting and we’ve been really diligent on the road, let’s say it that way, and been grinding our way through it.

An exciting day. A lot of emotion involved in it. Momma is crying on the phone, us crying in the room saying, hey, this is a great, great day, so those are things that you love to experience, but I’m going to be real honest, I’m ready for a nap. I need a little sleep.

2018 Tulsa Football Signee BIOS

Cade Baumann DE 6-­‐4 240 Jr-­‐JC Walters, Okla./Walters HS/NE Oklahoma A&M A mid-­‐year transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M … will participate in spring drills … was credited with 39 tackles and seven sacks for -­‐27 yards in 2017 … helped lead his team to a 9-­‐3 record and conference and regional titles in 2017 … was a first-­‐team all-­‐Southwest JC Conference all-­‐league selection his sophomore season … junior college coach was Clay Patterson … was a four-­‐year letterwinner at Walters High School … started four years on offense at tight end/receiver and was a three-­‐year starter at linebacker … was the 2015 District 2A-­‐3 MVP as a senior … also lettered three years in baseball, two years in track and one year in basketball … high school football coach was Faron Griffin … chose Tulsa over Army and Louisiana-­‐Lafayette.

Davis Brin QB 6-­‐2 190 Fr. Boerne, Texas/Champion HS Will enroll in January 2018 and be able to participate in spring drills … was a three-­‐year letterwinner at Boerne Champion High School, and two-­‐year starter at quarterback … completed 463-­‐of-­‐799 passes for 6,650 yards and 58 touchdowns during his career, while rushing for 795 yards, a 4.9 average and 15 touchdowns on 162 carries … threw for 2,548 yards and 24 TDs and rushed for 414 yards and six touchdowns as a senior … named first-­‐team Academic All-­‐State as a senior … was the District 26-­‐5A Offensive MVP as a senior … was chosen to play in the San Antonio Sports All-­‐Star Football Game … threw for 3,535 yards and 30 touchdowns his junior season … earned first-­‐team all-­‐district and all-­‐area honors as a junior, while being named the San Antonio Quarterback Club Player of the Year … passed for 567 yards and four TDs his sophomore season … also lettered two years in track, while tying the school record in the high jump with a jump of 6’4” … high school coach was Keith Kaiser.

Yohance Burnett LB 6-­‐1 220 Jr-­‐JC Pearland, Texas/Dawson HS/Navarro JC A mid-­‐year transfer from Navarro Junior College … will participate in spring drills … collected 64 tackles, four sacks, three TFLs, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in just eight games in 2017 … named honorable mention all-­‐Southwest Conference as a sophomore … junior college coach was Cody Crill … was a three-­‐year letterwinner at Pearland Dawson High School … started both as a junior and senior at outside linebacker/defensive end … earned District 22-­‐6A all-­‐district first team honors as an outside linebacker in 2015 … high school coach was Eric Wells … chose Tulsa over Houston, Louisiana Tech and North Texas.

Imiee Cooksey WR 5-­‐11 185 Fr. Haltom City, Texas/Haltom HS Was a two-­‐year letterwinner at Haltom High School … caught 40 passes for 837 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior season … had career totals of 71 receptions for 1,262 yards, a 17.8 average and 19 TDs … hauled in 31 passes for 425 yards and 5 TDs as a junior … high school coach was Jason Tucker … chose Tulsa over offers from Air Force, Bowling Green, Colorado State, New Mexico and North Texas.

X’Zauvea Gadlin OL 6-­‐4 290 Fr. Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Summit HS Was a three-­‐year letterwinner and starter … played in 31 games his final three seasons of high school, and totaled 130 knockdowns … played four of the five line positions with the exception of center as a junior and senior … had 70 knockdowns his senior season, while helping his team post a 10-­‐2 record … earned second-­‐ team all-­‐district honors as a junior … was an Academic all-­‐district selection as a sophomore and junior … during halftime as a sophomore he played trombone in the band … also lettered in basketball … high school coach was Channon Hall … his uncle, Orion Stewart, played at Baylor University and is with the Washington Redskins … chose Tulsa over New Mexico State, North Texas and Tulane.

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The University of Tulsa

Anthony Goodlow OLB 6-­‐5 230 Fr. Del City, Okla./Del City HS Was a three-­‐year letterwinner at Del City High School … started for three seasons … played safety, linebacker and defensive end … totaled 105 tackles, 30 TFLs, 19 sacks, 13 QB pressures, three pass breakups and three caused fumbles as a senior outside linebacker/defensive end … selected as the District th Player of the Year his senior season … was named to The Oklahoman’s Super 30 as the 27 top prospect in Oklahoma … was a 2017 VYPE Oklahoma Top-­‐100 selection … compiled 70 tackles, four caused fumbles and three interceptions as a junior safety … high school coach was Mike Dunn … chose Tulsa over Memphis, Navy, UL-­‐Monroe, Wyoming and Eastern Michigan.

Judge Hartin OL 6-­‐4 280 Jr-­‐JC Madill, Okla./NE Oklahoma A&M A mid-­‐year transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M … will participate in spring drills … was a two-­‐year starter … helped lead his team to an overall 9-­‐3 record, conference title and No. 4 national NJCAA ranking in 2017 … earned second-­‐team all-­‐conference as a sophomore … helped pave the way for an offense that averaged 524.5 yards of total offense, 253.8 rushing yards and 36.2 points per game … junior college coach was Clay Patterson … was a four-­‐year letterwinner and starter at Madill High School … started all four years on the offensive and defensive lines … also lettered in wrestling, powerlifting and track … was a two-­‐ time state qualifier in wrestling … high school coach was Milton Cooper.

Jabari James CB 6-­‐1 170 Fr. Missouri City, Texas/Fort Bend Marshall HS Helped lead his Fort Bend Marshall High School team to a 10-­‐3 record as a senior … completed 113 passes for 2,211 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior quarterback in 2017, while also rushing for 425 yards and five TDs … completed 14-­‐of-­‐25 passes for 290 yards and two TDs in the state quarterfinal loss against College Station … as a junior, completed 90 passes for 1,385 yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,082 yards and 18 TDs on 144 carries … high school coach was James Williams … chose Tulsa over Texas Tech and Louisiana Tech.

Dalton May TE 6-­‐3 240 Fr. Jones, Okla./Jones HS Was a four-­‐year letterwinner at Jones High School … started three years at tight end and all four seasons at defensive end … helped his team compile a four-­‐year record of 47-­‐7 record, including a 13-­‐1 record his th senior season … was named to The Oklahoman’s Super 30 as the 28 top prospect in Oklahoma … was a 2017 VYPE Oklahoma Top-­‐100 selection … caught 16 passes for 273 yards, a 17.1 average and three TDs his senior season … totaled 40 tackles, six TFLs, five QB hurries and 4 sacks as a senior defensive end … had 12 receptions for 193 yards and five TDs as a junior, while helping his team to a 15-­‐0 record and Oklahoma Class 3A state title … was an all-­‐city defensive end selection by The Oklahoman as a junior … was credited with 734 yards and 12 touchdowns on 38 receptions in his career … on the defensive end, had 233 tackles, 44 TFLs, 31 QB hurries and 18 sacks during his career … helped lead his team to the Oklahoma Class 3A state title as a junior in 2016 … also lettered three years in baseball … high school football coach was Dave Martin.

Jaxon Player DT 6-­‐0 285 Fr. Waco, Texas/Midway HS Was a three-­‐year letterwinner at Waco Midway High School … helped lead his team to a 15-­‐0 record as a senior and will play in the state championship game this weekend … totaled 117 tackles, including 79 solos, 22 TFLs and eight sacks as a senior … was credited with 252 tackles, 46 TFLs, 26 hurries and 17 sacks in his three seasons … also caused seven fumbles and three recoveries in his career … had a No. 3 ranking as a defensive tackle in the state of Texas by MaxPreps … high school coach was Jeff Hulme.

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Kendarin Ray S 6-­‐4 190 Fr. Brenham, Texas/Brenham HS Was a two-­‐year starter at Brenham High School, where he played quarterback… completed 105-­‐of-­‐219 passes for 1,598 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,953 yards, a 6.7 average and 19 TDs in his two years … threw for 1,039 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for another 1,163 yards and 11 TDs his senior season … high school coach was Glen West.

Grant Sawyer LB 6-­‐3 200 Fr. Argyle, Texas/Liberty Christian HS Was a three-­‐year letterwinner at Liberty Christian High School … played receiver, tight end and safety … started three years on offense and two years on defense … had 104 tackles and five interceptions from his safety position as a senior … earned first-­‐team all-­‐district and all-­‐state honors his senior season … was named the Team MVP as a senior … was credited with 168 yards receiving and two TDs on nine catches as a junior in 2016, and also tallied 90 tackles and four interceptions … completed his junior season with 90 tackles, seven pass break-­‐ups and four interceptions … high school was Barton Hundley … was recruited by Houston, North Texas and Tulane.

Malik Welch CB 6-­‐1 190 So-­‐JC Inglewood, Calif./Long Beach CC A mid-­‐year transfer from Long Beach City College … will participate in spring drills … has three years of eligibility remaining … helped Long Beach CC to an 8-­‐3 record as a freshman in 2017, while totaling 15 tackles, three pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as a freshman … JUCO coach was Brett Peabody … played his prep football at North Torrance High School … was a three-­‐ year letterwinner … started three years at cornerback and his final two years at running back … had 1,200 all-­‐purpose yards and 10 touchdowns, including four TDs on kickoff returns, as a prep senior … totaled 32 tackles, one interception and forced one fumble his senior season … was a first-­‐team all-­‐Pioneer Conference selection and earned second-­‐team all-­‐area honors by the Daily Breeze as a senior running back in 2016 … rushed for 920 yards and had 236 receiving yards his junior campaign, while compiling 46 tackles, three interceptions and two blocked kicks on defense … high school coach was Todd Croce … chose Tulsa over Nevada.

Cullen Wick DE 6-­‐2 250 So-­‐JC Hallettsville, Texas/Sacred Heart/Blinn JC A mid-­‐year transfer from Blinn Junior College … will participate in spring drills … will have three years of eligibility remaining … was credited with 45 tackles and 7.5 sacks for -­‐41 yards as a red-­‐shirt freshman at Blinn JC … junior college coach was Ryan Mahon … played his prep football at Hallettsville Sacred Heart High School … earned first-­‐team all-­‐district honors as a senior … also lettered in basketball and track … high school coach was Pat Henke … chose Tulsa over Texas State.

TK Wilkerson RB 6-­‐2 210 Fr. Skiatook, Okla./Skiatook HS Was a four-­‐year letterwinner at Skiatook High School … started two years at running back and also started at outside linebacker his senior season … helped lead his team to a 12-­‐2 record as a senior … totaled 1,785 yards and 24 TDs on 262 carries his senior campaign … ranked as the No. 17 prospect for Oklahoma in the Rivals.com rankings … was a 2017 VYPE Oklahoma Top-­‐100 selection … a finalist for the 2017 VYPE Mr. th Football Award … was named to The Oklahoman’s Super 30 as the 26 top prospect in Oklahoma … rushed for 1,158 yards and seven TDs in 10 games as a junior … was the position MVP at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in spring 2017 … had career totals of 445 carries for 3,305 yards, a 7.4 average and 33 touchdowns … high school coach was Vance Miller … chose Tulsa over SMU and Howard.

LB 6-­‐2 215 Fr. Abilene, Texas/Cooper HS Justin Wright A three-­‐year letterwinner at Abilene Cooper High School … in addition to playing linebacker, also saw action at tight end and handled the punting duties … compiled 91 tackles, 15 TFLs, six sacks, three caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a senior … averaged 40 yards per punt his senior season … was a two-­‐time all-­‐district 4-­‐5A selection and earned all-­‐Big Country honors as a senior … totaled had two interceptions, including one for a TD in week 4 against Wolfforth Frenship High School … head coach was Todd Moebes … chose Tulsa over Nevada, UL-­‐Monroe and Texas State.

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INSTANT IMPACT The Hurricane signed 16 in the early signing period and with a handful of junior college prospects, we will see instant return on the field from the class.

By Chris Harmon

The Golden Hurricane signed 16 prospects in the early football signing period, and a whopping six of those are mid-term enrollees. Five junior college transfers and one early high school graduate will start at TU in January.

These six players will get a head start on their football careers at Tulsa, participating in winter conditioning and spring practice.

The sole high-schooler coming in at mid-term is 3-star quarterback Davis Brin from Boerne (TX) Champion. As neither Chad President nor Luke Skipper took a firm grasp on the starting spot for TU in 2017, Brin will get an opportunity to compete right away.

“As we get into spring ball, we’re going to see what everybody’s got,” said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery. “Like I told the team before they left for Christmas, I told them I wanted them to go home, relax, rest, get a little running and lifting in while you’re gone, but try to let your body recoup from a long season, but understand when we step back in on these grounds, it’s time to go to work.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us and every position is going to be open, and we’re all going to be fighting for spots. Competition makes us better, and everybody has a chance to prove who they are and who they want to be. Whether that’s the quarterback spot, the running back spot, left tackle spot, whatever that might be - we’re going to compete all the way through it.”

Brin was a two-year starter for Champion, completing 463-of-799 passes for 6,650 yards and 58 touchdowns during his career, while rushing for 795 yards, a 4.9 average and 15 touchdowns on 162 carries. As a senior, he threw for 2,548 yards and 24 TDs and rushed for 414 yards and six touchdowns, earning first-team Academic All-State and District 26-5A Offensive MVP as a senior.

“He’s a guy that can throw everything in the book, got a sharp mind, great feet, love what he’s doing already with his mechanics,” Montgomery explained.

“There are some things we want to speed up and things we want to keep adjusting, but from a technical side of it, I really like what he’s bringing to the table.

“He’s a kid that has done a lot in a lot of different offenses, I think what he’s doing right now in high school will translate into what we do. I know he’s a winner, a guy that is hungry to get better, wants to succeed at everything he does, great student, great family and very motivated.

“Those are the qualities that you’re looking for in your quarterbacks, and this kid, I think, has got a lot of those traits and is going to be a great player here.”

Another early enrollee on offense is offensive line-

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man Judge Hartin, a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The 6-foot-4 and 280-pounder is originally from Madill (OK) and will be expected to fight for a starting spot right away.

Hartin was a two-year starter at NEO, helping lead his team to an overall 9-3 record, conference title and No. 4 national NJCAA ranking in 2017. He earned second-team all-conference as a sophomore and helped pave the way for an offense that averaged 524.5 yards of total offense, 253.8 rushing yards and 36.2 points per game.

The other mid-term enrollees come on the defensive side of the ball, where Tulsa has several holes to fill.

Defensive back Malik Welch of Long Beach Community College and defensive lineman Cullen Wick of Blinn College will both have three years of eligibility remaining, while linebacker Yohance Burnett of Navarro Junior College and defensive end Cade Baumann of NEO A&M will have two years at Tulsa.

Welch, a 6-foot-1 and 190 pound cornerback, helped Long Beach CC to an 8-3 record as a freshman in 2017, while totaling 15 tackles, three pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Wick, a 6-foot-2 and 250 pound defensive end, was credited with 45 tackles and 7.5 sacks for -41 yards as a red-shirt freshman at Blinn JC. Burnett, a 6-foot-1 and 220 pound linebacker, missed a few games this season for Navarro but still finished with 64 tackles, four sacks, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in just eight contests. Baumann, an athletic 6-4 and 240 pound rush end, picked up 39 tackles and seven sacks for NEO last season.

Tulsa’s 2018 recruiting class will contain the largest haul of junior college signees in seven years. It was a point of emphasis for Hurricane coaches during this recruiting cycle, as they needed to find players that could make an instant impact on the field.

Yohance Burnett

numerous new faces in the Hurricane’s two-deep depth chart next season.

While the mid-term enrollees get a head Malik Welch start, they won’t be the only ones expecting to make a quick impact on the team. Signees such as Skiatook running back TK Wilkerson will be looking to get on the field early. The 6-foot-2, 210 pound 3-star prospect continues Tulsa’s trend of nabbing talented local difference-makers.

As with Tulsa’s all-time leading rusher D’Angelo Brewer and freshman sensation Shamari Brooks, Wilkerson comes from the Tulsa Metro area. With Brewer exhausting his eligibility, Wilkerson could get a chance at early playing time, like Brooks did in 2017.

Possessing both size and speed, Wilkerson helped lead his team to a 12-2 record as a senior, racking up 1,785 yards and 24 scores on 262 carries. He was ranked as the No. 17 prospect in Oklahoma by Rivals.com and earned the position MVP at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in the spring.

“He’s a big guy, he’s a beast, he runs downhill, he’s very physical,” Montgomery said of Wilkerson.

“Most schools were really trying to look at him as a linebacker rather than a running back. We got on TK really early and formed a relationship with him and his mom. Just great people.

“You watch his tape - I love the way that he attacks the line of scrimmage and when he’s in the open field. He’s got the speed to take it to the house, but if there is a guy close enough, he may run through him and then go ahead and score.”

“Our guys have done a lot of research and a lot of background to be able to find a kid out of junior college that can come in and, number one, help us on the field, and number two, gotta be able to withstand the rigors of our institution,” said Montgomery. “You’ve got to find that unique guy and that’s difficult to do at the JC level. We were able to find a few of them, be able to get them into school, but we put an emphasis obviously there.

“We were very young last year, we will still be young.

We’re losing a pretty good group of seniors. You know you’ve got holes to fill and being able to bring some experience on our football team, guys that have had to maybe go a different route but got a lot of good experience in that way, and give our young kids an opportunity to keep growing physically and mentally as they approach this game.”

As the regular February signing period approaches, expect Tulsa to add two to three more junior college players to its 2018 recruiting class. In turn, expect

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Davis Brin

Tulsa targeting top talent for February signing period

TU has a handful of spots left to fulfill the 2018 class and with a couple of commitments already, it is looking like Monty may be signing his best class yet.

By Chris Harmon After signing 16 prospects in the early signing period, Tulsa football coaches still have plenty of work to do in order to fill out their 2018 recruiting class. The Hurricane signed five mid-term junior college transfers and 11 high school seniors on December 20. Six of those are on offense and ten are on the defensive side of the ball.

That leaves approximately six to seven remaining spots in the 2018 class. On offense, the Hurricane will likely add one or two offensive linemen and one or two additional receivers in the regular February signing period. As for defense, TU will be looking for another defensive lineman, a cover safety and a Star safety – and all three could come from the junior college ranks.

Two of those spots are occupied by current Tulsa commitments that elected not to sign in the early period: College Station (Texas) WR Marquez Perez and Bixby (Okla.) OL Josh Owens.

Perez led his team to a state title on December 23, as College Station defeated Aledo 20-19. The 5-foot-10, 175 pound speedster played quarterback for the Cou-

gars but was recruited as a wide receiver

by Tulsa. He committed to TU in July over offers from Kansas, Houston, Rice, Texas State and others.

“I just felt like (Tulsa Assistant) Coach (Calvin) Lowry really wanted me,” Perez told Inside Tulsa Sports in August. “Me and him would talk literally every day about football and just life. Their offense is similar to what we run at my high school, so I know I can use my skill level into this offense.”

As for Owens, he helped Bixby back to the state title game, but the Spartans fell in the championship to Booker T. Washington. After committing to Tulsa in May, he helped the Bixby offense average over 391 yards per game this season. The 6-foot-4 and 270 pound offensive tackle also held offers from Nevada, Air Force, Utah State, North Texas, Ohio, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, Montana and others.

“Tulsa is close to home, and the coaches are great people,” Owens told Inside Tulsa Sports. “It’s an amazing education, and they are a great football team. It’s a great place. I like the campus, how it’s kind of all close together.”

Tulsa is also hoping to pick up commitments from two high school athletes that made recent official visits to the TU campus. Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek receiver Malik Rodgers and Lubbock (Texas) Coronado offensive lineman Jaylon Thomas both visited on December 15.

Marquez Perez

“We got a great start to our class and we’ll finish that up throughout the month of January and into the next Signing Day, February 7th,” said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery. “We’ll learn from it as we continue to go. We’ll see how the month of January goes.

“We’re looking for guys that fit our mold that are unbelievable football players but also have a burning desire to get a great degree that’s going to carry them on in life. They’ve got to be good on and off the

Rodgers is currently committed to Air Force, and Thomas is pledged to SMU, but both told Inside Tulsa Sports recently that they thoroughly enjoyed their time in Tulsa.

Malik Rodgers

January will be a very important month for the Hurricane. They will likely host groups of official visitors on the weekends of January 19 and 26, as they attempt to wrap up commitments prior to National Signing Day on February 7.

Jaylon Thomas

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field here, and we have to make sure we’re recruiting the right people.”

The following is a look at several of Tulsa’s top remaining targets in the 2018 class: • BRYCE BEEKMAN, SAF, Yuma (AZ) Arizona Western CC – Beekman was a ball-hawk, leading Arizona Western with seven interceptions. Many of those picks came in important situations, with none bigger than a game-sealing interception in a 28-23 win over Pima. Beekman intercepted a ball over the middle in the end zone with 1:05 to go in the game. He added 26 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss this season, earning a spot on the Western States Football League First Team. Beekman was also named a honorable mention JUCO All-American and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

• BRANDON JOHNSON, SAF, Tyler (TX) Junior College – Johnson is currently committed to Texas State but picked up an offer from East Carolina in the fall and has Tulsa and Baylor showing serious interest. As a sophomore this season, Johnson totaled 51 tackles, 19 pass breakups, 4.5 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions. In his freshman season, he had 45 tackles and two interceptions.

• JOSH OWENS, OL, Bixby (OK) – Owens committed to Tulsa in May over offers from Nevada, Air Force, Utah State, North Texas, Ohio, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, Montana and others . He helped Bixby back to the state title game, but the Spartans fell in the championship to Booker T. Washington. Owens was part of a Bixby offense that averaged over 391 yards per game this season.

• MARQUEZ PEREZ, WR, College Station (TX) – Perez led the Cougars to a 14-2 record and a state title as a senior. He played mainly at quarterback this season and completed 169-of-255 throws (66%) for 2,366 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also had 202 carries for 1,645 yards and 31 scores on the ground, averaging 8.1 yards per rush.

Perez committed to Tulsa in July over offers from Houston, Kansas, Rice and several others.

• MALIK RODGERS, WR, Pearland (TX) Shadow Creek – Rodgers picked up early offers from San Diego State, Air Force, UTSA, Army, Columbia and Dartmouth.

He eventually committed to Air Force in September and took an official visit there on December 8. Tulsa extended an offer on November 20, and Rodgers visited the TU campus on December 15. He told Inside 36

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Josh Owens

Tulsa Sports he will make a final decision between Air Force and Tulsa in January.

As a senior, Rodgers had 28 receptions for 709 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games, averaging 25.3 yards per catch.

• JAYLON THOMAS, OL, Lubbock (TX) Coronado – Thomas has been committed to SMU for six months, but the Mustangs had a coaching change in December, which always causes recruits to look at their options. Tulsa, Texas Tech and Stephen F. Austin have also offered, and Thomas took an official visit to TU on December 15.

Additional prospects will likely come into the picture with Tulsa throughout January, and there are several already getting varying degrees of interest from the Golden Hurricane. Two other recruits to keep an eye on are Tulsa (OK) Holland Hall teammates Corbin Daniels and Jackson Ostroski.

Daniels is a 6-foot-1 and 175-pound safety that helped the Dutch to a 12-1 record and a trip to the state quarterfinals this past season. He finished with 120 tackles and

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13 interceptions on defense, earning firstteam All-State honors. He also caught 43 passes for 1,095 yards and 16 touchdowns as a receiver, averaging 25 yards per catch.

Daniels was a contributor on special teams as well, scoring twice on kickoff returns and once on a punt return.

Ostroski, a 6-foot-3 and 250-pound offensive lineman, is the son of former TU All-American and NFL veteran Jerry Ostroski. The younger “Big O” anchored the Holland Hall line and was recently named the District 2A-7 Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a honorable mention AllState selection.

WHERE TULSA FANS GO FOR DAILY COVERAGE OF GOLDEN HURRICANE FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND RECRUITING • Daily exclusive information on Tulsa athletics and recruits, including feature articles, team and player notes, recruiting updates and video you won’t find anywhere else.

• Access to the most in-depth Tulsa recruiting coverage available for football and basketball.

• Hurricane Alley access, where you’ll find breaking news, team and player notes, the latest recruiting tidbits and more. Plus, a Tulsa-fans-only spot to discuss hot topics.

DON’T MISS OUT! GET A 30-DAY FREE TRIAL! Use the promo code HURRICANE30 for a 30-day free trial of all the premium information.

Just go to: InsideTulsaSports.com/subscribe.asp Code expires March 31st, 2018.

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THE University of Tulsa

TULSA SPRING PREVIEW MEN’S TENNIS TO PLAY 10 PRESEASON TOP-25 TEAMS The Tulsa men opened the spring portion of the season the weekend of Jan. 12-14, as they hosted Bryant University and Arkansas on Friday and 19th-ranked California on Sunday.

For the men, Tulsa will face 10 of the nation’s preseason top-25 teams on the season –– at home #3 North Carolina, #7 Texas A&M, #15 Oklahoma State, #18 Oklahoma, #19 California and #22 Tulane, while on the road the Hurricane will square off against #8 Texas, #10 TCU, #11 Baylor and #24 Texas Tech,

Thirteen of Tulsa’s opponents finished the 2016-17 season among the nations’ top-40 schools, including eight ranked in the top 15.

It’s a rather young Hurricane lineup for the men with no seniors and four freshmen.

Heading into the spring season, two Tulsa players are nationally ranked in the ITA singles top-100, including junior Majed Kilani at No. 56 and freshman Joshua Goodger, ranked No. 82.

In the fall, Kilani posted an overall 9-2

Martina Okalova

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record with a win over No. 18-ranked Julian Cash of Oklahoma State to earn the American Athletic Conference Player of the Month award.

Goodger posted a 9-3 record, including a win over the No. 57 player, Ohio State’s John McNally.

TULSA WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM LOOK TO KEEP NCAA STREAK ALIVE

The Tulsa women are coming off their 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, and will have to fill the holes left by three seniors, as they seek to continue their streak of NCAA tournament appearances.

Ksenia Laskutova, who posted an overall 17-14 record playing mostly at the No. 1 position a year ago, is the lone senior on the women’s squad that includes one junior, three sophomores and three freshmen. Sophomore Martina Okalova comes into the spring campaign ranked 122nd nationally after turning in a 20-10 record last year at the No. 4 position.

She posted a 7-3 fall mark, including knocking off No. 1 seed Ana Oparenovic of Arkansas at the ITA Central Regional Championships, thus earning American Athletic Conference Player of the Month honors.

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The women’s squad will play four teams

Majed Kilani

ranked in the preseason top 20, including #8 Texas Tech, #16 Oklahoma State, #18 Arkansas and #20 Baylor.

SOFTBALL READY TO DEFEND AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TITLE IN 2018

Year-in and year-out, Tulsa softball has become a program competing for conference championships, and one that has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 12 seasons.

This year, the Golden Hurricane expects to be right there competing for another conference title.

Now in his 13th season leading the Hurricane, head coach John Bargfeldt saw great improvement from his lineup in the fall, which hit .276 a year ago as the squad rolled to a 4117 record and the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships, as well as an improved pitching staff.

The Hurricane played an eight-game fall season against junior colleges and NAIA teams to prepare for the 2018 campaign.

“I think we saw some improvement from beginning (of the fall season)

THE University of Tulsa to end,” Bargfeldt said. “After going through last year and figuring out some things that maybe our hitters had trouble with, they were able to tweak some things. As the fall went on, I’d say they got more comfortable in the box and got rid of the anxiousness. I feel like our pitchers did a better job of understanding what pitches and locations they will get hurt with as opposed to ones that make them very successful, either with a swing and a miss or soft contact.”

That pitching staff will see the return of second-team NFCA All-American Emily Watson. Just the sixth NFCA All-America honoree in program history, Watson was The American Pitcher of the Year, went 30-6 in the circle and led the nation in shutouts (14) last season. She posted a 1.25 ERA and struck out 348 batters, which is the second-highest single-season total at TU. “She improves your whole team because she can hold a team down until your offense gets going,” Bargfeldt said.

“With her ability to strike out hitters, she takes pressure off your defense because she’s taking care of a lot of the 21 outs. When you get a pitcher that can be as dominant as she was last year, it just takes pressure off and gives

Emily Watson

your team time to figure out a way to score or allow you to overcome some mistakes in the field.”

Bargfeldt points to Watson’s movement, location and the ability to change speeds as the source of her success and the pair spent the fall working on her consistency. The coaching staff was able to give the senior a lighter workload in the fall to give more game

experience to the rest of the pitchers, including a pair of true freshmen in Erin Harris and Samantha Pochop.

“We have some really high hopes for those freshmen,” Bargfeldt said. “I think that they are the ones that probably learned the most this fall of how important it is to throw on the edges of the plate. The more often you can do that, the better chance of having success at

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THE University of Tulsa this level.”

While much of the defense returns, several players will shift around the field this spring as the team looks to replace Maggie and Maddie Withee at third base and in right field, respectively. Senior Shelby Estocado, who was a first-team all-conference pick at shortstop two years ago, moved back to the infield at third base during the fall, while junior Julia Hollingsworth has seen time in center field.

Hollingsworth batted .365 and had a .525 slugging percentage, while Estocado looks to get back to her form from her freshman season when she batted .329 with 41 RBI.

A versatile roster gave Bargfeldt plenty of options in the fall. Sophomore Mikayla Whitten had the majority of the work in left field with junior Haley Meinen seeing reps in right field.

Meinen also starred as a reliever last

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season as she went 6-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 61 innings of work and her time in the circle has given freshmen Marisa Olmos and Jesse Smith work in right as well.

While there was some rotation in the outfield in the fall, much of the infield remained the same with senior Shannon Hughes at shortstop and juniors Morgan Neal, Tori Stafford and Rylie Spell at second base, first base and catcher, respectively. Bargfeldt saw great improvement at the plate from that group during the exhibition season, as well.

“I think one of the things that has really sustained us in our program is having our players improve,” Bargfeldt said. “When you start going down the lineup with Julia Hollingsworth, Tori Stafford, Morgan Neal, Haley Meinen, Shelby Estocado and Shannon Hughes; all those players offensively look like

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Johanna Samuelsson

they could do something different than what they’ve done to this point.”

Bargfeldt understands that last year’s success has raised the bar for 2018 as Tulsa looks to advance to a Super Regional for the first time in program history.

“We want to go in and compete for conference championships, both regular season and postseason,” Bargfeldt said. “We’ve been to the regional so often that we feel like if we don’t go to a regional, we’ve kind of failed. I always feel like once you get to those levels, anything can happen. There’s no team here that’s won a regional championship. I just kind of put that challenge out to them: Is this the team that’s going to take that next step? We still have work to do, but I think we have a team that could get it done.”

AFTER THREE STRAIGHT SECONDPLACE FINISHES, TULSA ROWERS LOOKING FOR A CONFERENCE TITLE

After finishing second the past three seasons at the American Athletic Conference Rowing Championship, the Tulsa rowers have their sights set on the school’s first league crown.

After a scrimmage against Kansas at the Port of Catoosa on March 10, the Golden Hurricane will begin the spring season at the Louisville Cardinal Invitational in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, March 17-18.

In the fall, Hurricane boats turned in 26 top-3 performances and had nine first-place marks in the three regattas. Tulsa had nine boats medal at the season-opening Head of the Oklahoma, claimed four medals at the Jayhawk Jamboree and closed out the fall campaign with 13 top-3 finishes at the Tulsa Fall Invitational among boats from Kansas, SMU and UCO.

Aleks Rapp

WOMEN GOLFERS LOOK TO DEFEND DALE MCNAMARA INVITATIONAL IN APRIL The Tulsa women golfers will play four spring tournaments before the American Athletic Conference Championships, April 15-18. But the week before that, the Hurricane will host the Dale McNamara Invitational.

The Hurricane will look to defend its title at the Tulsa Country Club.

In the fall, Tulsa’s top performance was finishing in third-place at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational as junior Johanna Samuelsson turned in a career-best second-place individual performance with a oneunder par 215 score in leading the Golden Hurricane.

Samuelsson completed the fall campaign with a 73.9 stroke average in 15 rounds, flowed by fellow junior Anneke Strobach with a 74.9 average.

TRACK TEAMS GET INDOOR SEASON UNDERWAY

The indoor season began before the holiday break as the Golden Hurricane turned in four first-place finishes at the Bob Timmons Challenge in Lawrence, Kansas. Tulsa was back in action January 12, across the board at the Arkansas Invitational.

At the Kansas meet, three of the first-place performances came on the women’s side.

Anneke Strobach ond-place finish in the mile run with a time of 5:10.28. Hausmann finished behind Barnes in third place, with her 5:17.58 time.

On the men’s side, Aleks Rapp secured a first-place finish with a hurl of 19.69 meters (64-07.25) in the weight throw.

Tulsa will also race indoor meets at the Jayhawk Classic, Iowa State Classis and the Alex Wilson Invitational before competing at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, Feb. 23-24.

The outdoor season will get underway like usual, as the Golden Hurricane hosts the Tulsa Duels on March 16-17, at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium. The Tulsa Duels is the first of 11 meets that the Hurricane are scheduled to have athletes participating in during the outdoor campaign.

Freshman Aaliyah Birmingham, from Tulsa’s Central High School, clocked a winning time of 7.412 seconds in the 60-meter dash, which was a fraction of a second faster than ORU’s Aneikeme Etim’s time of 7.420 seconds.

In the 3,000-meter run, Alyssa Bolliger started her senior campaign with a victory as she posted a time of 10:23.77. The group of Ashley Barnes, Allison Bailey, Reagan Hausman and Quin Washington won the distance medley relay with a time of 12:49.15. Barnes picked up a sec-

Aliyah Birmingham

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THE University of Tulsa

TULSA FALL RECAP TULSA CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP …

Tulsa senior Ben Preisner finished in third place to lead Tulsa men’s cross-country team to its fourth consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship on October 28, in Philadelphia, Pa.

With a time of 25:12.5, Preisner recorded the third top-3 finish at the conference meet of his career to lead the Golden Hurricane to its eighth consecutive conference title, dating back to its time as a member of Conference USA. Tulsa won the championship with 53 points to top UConn, which totaled 63 points in second place.

The women finished in fourth place at The American Championships as Tulsa’s top four finishers return in 2018. Sophomore Ashley Barnes clocked a time of 21.59 in the 6K race to place ninth overall,

thus earning allconference accolades.

For the men, senior Henry Pearce placed eighth at the NCAA Midwest Regional and qualified as an individual to the NCAAA CrossCountry Championships, where he finished in 220th place.

MEN’S SOCCER TAKES DOWN NO. 1 STANFORD AGAIN …

As usual the Tulsa men’s soccer team played another tough schedule and grabbed its biggest win of the year on September 9, when the Hurricane defeated the No. 1-ranked Stanford Cardinal on the road, 2-0. Tulsa improved to 3-0-1 in the Stanford series, and for the second time in school history captured a win when The Cardinal was ranked first in the nation.

Miguel Velasquez

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Rachel Thun-Blankenship

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The Hurricane tied #25 Wisconsin 2-2, and defeated #19 SMU 1-0, while falling to #17 USF to finish the year 2-1-1 against top25 teams. The Hurricane closed out the season

with a dominating 6-0 road win at Memphis. Sophomore Miguel Velasquez led the Hurricane with four goals and 13 points.

Tulsa missed making the NCAA tournament in 2017, but prospects are bright for a return to the postseason in 2018.

THUN-BLANKENSHIP BECOMES TULSA WOMEN’S SOCCER ONLY FOUR-TIME FIRST-TEAM ALLCONFERENCE SELECTION …

Senior Rachel Thun-Blankenship was banged up early in the year, but returned to the field and for the fourth time in her career was named to the all-conference first team. She ended the year with four goals and 12 points to lead the Hurricane.

BREWER SETS AMERICAN AND TULSA ALL-TIME RUSHING RECORDS Senior running back D’Angelo

THE University of Tulsa Brewer, from Tulsa’s Central High School, became the school’s and American Athletic Conference’s record-holder for career rushing yards with 3,917 yards, surpassing Tarrion Adams’ (2005-08) school record of 3,651 yards.

Brewer became the record-holder for both Tulsa and The American in the second-to-last game of the season when he rushed for 163 yards against #23 USF in Tampa, Florida. He entered the game needing 110 yards to set the conference mark and 152 for the school record.

Brewer also set the school record with 17 100-yard rushing games, breaking the previous mark of 16 when he had his school record third 200+ rushing game with 255 yards against Temple in the season finale.

REDFORD JONES BECOMES TULSA’S ALL-TIME SCORING LEADER IN FOOTBALL

D’Angelo Brewer

Senior placekicker Redford Jones, a former walk-on athlete, became the school’s career leader in scoring in the ninth game of the season when he scored 10 points at SMU. He surpassed another kicker Kevin Fitzpatrick’s (2008-11) total of 299 points. Jones completed his career with 319 points on 50-of-67 field goals and 169-of-172 PATs.

VOLLEYBALL KNOCKS OUT DEFENDING AAC CHAMPION SMU IN SEASON FINALE… A young team grew leaps and bounds throughout the season as junior Emily Thorson and sophomore Taylor Horsfall guided the Golden Hurricane. Both Thorson

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THE University of Tulsa and Horsfall earned first-team American Athletic Conference honors.

Tulsa closed out the season with a 3-0 win over second-place SMU for its 15th win of the season.

Horsfall set the school and league record for single-season digs with 755, while being named the AAC’s Libero of the Year. Thorson led The American in kills with 525 to rank ninth in the nation.

Freshman Callie Cook and Emily Hubbard each had over 200 kills on the year. Five starters will return in 2018.

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Emily Thorson

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IN OTHER NEWS.......

2018 FOOTBALL SEASON OPENS SEPT. 1 The 2018 football season will kick-off on Saturday, Sept. 1 at home against the UCA Bears.

The Tulsa schedule features eight 2017 bowl participants, including none-conference games against Arkansas State and Texas, as well as a visit across the border to face the Arkansas Razorbacks in October. The American Athletic Conference schedule dates will be announced in the coming months. For tickets, call 918631-GoTU (4688).

HOME Central Arkansas (Sept. 1) Arkansas State (Sept. 15) UConn SMU USF Tulane

partment has new leadership as Chris Maxon and Ian Sadler were named to their posts in November. Maxon serves as associate athletic director for development and Sadler as assistant athletic director and director of the Golden Hurricane Club.

Maxon served in the capacity of assistant athletic director and director of the Golden Hurricane Club for four months before his current appointment. He came to Tulsa from the University of Oklahoma, where he held fundraising positions with the university’s annual giving program, the National Weather Center and OU Athletics. During his time in Norman, he was part of the successful completion of the Sooners’ $100 million “Great Expectations” capital campaign, which touched all sports.

Maxon also established the annual giving program with OU’s College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, while raising over $2.5 million in total giving. Prior to his work at OU, he was a private business owner holding three Marble Slab Creamery franchises in central Oklahoma.

AWAY Texas (Sept. 8) Arkansas (Oct. 20) Houston Memphis Navy Temple

SPRING PRACTICE 2018 DATES ANNOUNCED Tulsa spring football will get underway on Tuesday, March 6. The Hurricane will normally practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the spring season. Tulsa will get in seven practices before spring break, and following the break will have another eight practices including the Annual Spring Game scheduled for Saturday, April 7. Follow TulsaHurricane.com for more spring details and all TU football information.

GOLDEN HURRICANE CLUB GETS NEW LEADERSHIP The Golden Hurricane Club, the fund-raising arm of The University of Tulsa’s athletic de-

Sadler was most recently the manager of business development for Learfield’s Golden Hurricane Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for TU athletics. In that role, he was responsible for over $1.9 million in renewal negotiation and business revenue partnerships. In 2016-17, he achieved 111% of his new revenue goal. Prior to his arrival in Tulsa, Sadler was an assistant athletic director for strategic marketing, promotions and licensing at the University of Houston. He has also held positions with the University of Kansas athletic department, as well as the sponsorship teams at KU and the University of Arkansas.

Maxon is a native of Cashion, Oklahoma, and earned his degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1994. He and his wife, Stacey, have four children, Brennan, Brant, John and Katie.

Sadler, originally from Emporia, Kansas, and his wife, Meredith, have twin sons, Landon and Lucas. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Kansas.

Chris Maxon and before that served 1½ years as director of applied performance for the University of Missouri football program.

Previously, Anthony spent six years at Iowa State University, first as a student assistant and then as a graduate assistant before being named to a full-time strength & conditioning position in the spring of 2013.

Anthony has been involved in every aspect of strength & conditioning –– from developing, implementing and monitoring speed, strength and conditioning programs; developing nutrition programs for student-athletes to managing budgets. He also assisted with the design of a new Iowa State football weight room facility.

During his time as a student, Anthony also worked as the strength & conditioning coach at Ames High School, organizing and implementing strength and agility programs for the sports of men’s basketball, softball, volleyball and football.

Anthony earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Health in May 2012, and a year later received his master’s degree in Higher Education, both from Iowa State.

ERICH ANTHONY NAMED TULSA’S ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Erich Anthony was named The University of Tulsa’s assistant athletic director for athletic performance on January 8, 2018. Anthony came to Tulsa with eight years of strength & conditioning experience on the collegiate level. He will oversee the athletic performance staff and will work directly with the sport of football.

He spent the past season as the associate director of applied performance at the University of Texas, working with football,

Ian Sadler

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Erich Anthony

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