The Citadel football coach Brent Thompson announced seven signings on Dec. 15. File/Lauren Petracca/Staff

 

A punter who ran for 1,300 yards as a high school senior and a running back located on Twitter by coach Brent Thompson highlight a eight-player class signed by The Citadel on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs signed two players each from South Carolina and Georgia, and one each from Florida, Ohio and Virginia and New York, including four defensive backs. Thompson plans to sign about seven more players in February’s signing period.

“We decided we were going to fill some very important needs on the defensive side,” Thompson said. “We wanted to make sure we signed a couple of safeties in this class, and we’ll probably look for a couple of corners or defensive backs in the next class.

“Same thing with the offensive line. We have to replace three linemen this year, and we’ll need to replenish that group as well.”

Here’s a rundown on the seven new players:

• Ben Barnes, a 5-11, 184-pound kicker who also played running back and linebacker at Buckeye High School in Medina, Ohio. He rushed for 1,320 yards, kicked six field goals and had 102 tackles as a senior, when he was first-team All-Ohio in Division III.

Barnes, a left-footed kicker, is slated to replace All-America punter Matt Campbell, Thompson said, and obviously is a versatile athlete. He attended a kicking camp at The Citadel and impressed Bulldogs coaches.

“He’s got a really strong leg, and we’re excited to see what he can do here,” Thompson said. “You could do some onside kicks, some fake kicks. There’s a lot he brings to the table.”

• Johnny Crawford III, a 5-8, 180-pound running back from Clewiston (Fla.) High School. He’s listed as running a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash and the 100 meters in 11.19 seconds.

Clewiston is located in south Florida between West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, normally outside of The Citadel’s recruiting range. But Thompson found Crawford, who ran for 1,028 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior, on a trip down the Twitter rabbit hole a couple of weeks ago.

“We’re in the market for A-backs this year, and I came across Johnny on Twitter,” Thompson said. “I followed him and he hit me back right away. I DM’d him and said, ‘Let’s get an opportunity to talk.’”

After talking with Crawford and his coach and guidance counselor, Thompson sent assistants Lou Conte and Tom Simi down to visit and ended up offering him.

“He is fast, quick, dynamic,” Thompson said. “He’s exactly what we are looking for at the A-back position. He’s got good size on him as far as weight to speed, and he’s played at a high level of football with a lot of fast and skilled guys there.”

• Ethan Greenwood, a 6-0, 180-pound quarterback from Kellenberg Memorial in Baldwin, N.Y.

Greenwood played in four games as a senior, hitting 30 of 49 passes for 410 yards and five touchdowns, while running for 199 yards and two scores on 39 carries.

• Cale Williams, a 6-0, 200-pound receiver/defensive back from Creekview High School in Canton, Ga. Williams was first-team all-region as a defensive back and had 141 tackles and two interceptions in his last two seasons. His dad, Chad, played at ETSU.

“He’s from the same high school as (Citadel safety) Andy Davis and reminds us a lot of Andy,” Thompson said. “He can do a lot of different things and is very, very smart and sharp. He’ll probably start off at safety for us.”

• Josh Cole, a 6-3, 215-pound linebacker/running back from Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, Ga. He was named player of the year in his region with 120 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and two interceptions. He also ran for 274 yards and four TDs on 53 carries and caught 15 passes. He’s likely to start out at safety for The Citadel.

“He’s a little bit on the larger side, so we’re going to see what he can grow into,” Thompson said. “He could play on the backside of the defense, or move up closer to the line of scrimmage.”

• Avery Dixon, a 6-1, 170-pound defensive back from Rustburg High School in Lynchburg, Va., where he was first-team all-district. Like Cole, Citadel coaches found Dixon at a camp at Liberty.

“He’s a long cornerback who can come in and develop behind Destin Mack,” Thompson said. “It’s a position of need with so many spread teams that you see out there. A longer corner should fit into our system.”

• Sawyer Whitman, a 6-0, 290-pounder who played offensive and defensive line for Class AAAAA state champion Gaffney High School. He was selected to the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives all-star game. His father, Mike, played at South Carolina.

“He’s a guy right up our alley,” Thompson said. “He’s not real big, but has good size to him and he gets off the football. He’s mean and nasty, and knows what it’s like to play football at a high level.”

• Chase Burton, a 6-2, 190-pound receiver/defensive back from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson. Burton caught 12 passes for 193 yards and two TDs in seven games as a senior, and also intercepted two passes.

“His dad is a graduate of The Citadel, so he’s very familiar with the place,” Burton said. “We think he’s got tremendous upside and played for a very, very good team at T.L. Hanna.”

Notes

• Thompson said he’s in the process of finding a replacement for strength coach Donnell Boucher, who announced his departure last week after 14 years at The Citadel.

“We’re going to try to move quickly on it,” Thompson said. “It is very important for us to find the right guy. There’s really no good time to lose your strength and conditioning coach, but if there was, this would kind of be the optimal time because we start our training in January.”

Thompson also must replace special teams and recruiting coordinator Turner West, who left for Georgia Southern.

“I want to take a look at the staff and see what we need,” Thompson said. “I’m filling two major spots right there, so I’ve got to figure out how I want to do that … Both of those two jobs, I’ll handle hopefully over Christmas break.”

• Former Citadel linebacker Anthony Britton, who entered the transfer portal, has announced offers from Eastern Kentucky and Southeastern Louisiana … Thompson said spring practice will start the week after the spring signing day, which is set for Feb. 2.

The Citadel signees

Name, Pos., Ht., Wt., Hometown (previous school)

Ben Barnes, P, 5-11, 184, Medina, Ohio (Buckeye HS)

Chase Burton, DB/WR, 6-2, 190, Anderson (TL Hanna HS)

Josh Cole, DB, 6-3, 215, Roswell, Ga. (Fellowship Christian)

Johnny Crawford III, A-back, 5-8, 180, Moore Haven, Fla. (Clewiston)

Avery Dixon, DB, 6-1, 170, Concord, Va. (Rustburg)

Ethan Greenwood, QB, 6-0, 180, Baldwin, N.Y. (Kellenberg Memorial)

Sawyer Whitman, OL, Gaffney (Gaffney HS)

Cale Williams, DB, 6-0, 195 Canton, Ga. (Creekview)

 

 

Source:

Hartsell, J. (2021, December 15). The Citadel signs 8, including a punter who plays running back and a Twitter find. Post and Courier. Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/citadel/the-citadel-signs-8-including-a-punter-who-plays-running-back-and-a-twitter-find/article_b8bbafd0-5db5-11ec-a8fd-235c38e3914a.html