Four COS players headed to Mountain West to play for Rebels
Former College of the Sequoias head football coach Curtis Allen has helped send more than 160 players to four-year universities to continue their education while playing football.
One of the reasons Allen has been successful in sending his players to four-year schools is the relationships and connections he has developed with people over the years.
One of those relationships paid off big for four of Allen’s players off his 2010 COS team.
Defensive tackle Louvan Green, running back Eric Johnson, offensive lineman Allen Carroll and defensive back Kenneth Spigner have all signed their national letters of intent to play football at UNLV next season.
They are four of at least 20 players from the Giants’ 2010 team who will move on to a four-year university.
Allen’s connection to UNLV is J.D. Williams, the assistant head coach, the pass defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Williams was a former Fresno State player who spent seven seasons in the NFL. Allen coached him while a member of the Fresno State coaching staff as a graduate assistant.
“They got a lot of top-notch players from us,” said Allen, who stepped down as COS head coach in November. “They have some guys who can come in and contribute in big ways.”
Williams, who went to Coalinga High School, was familiar with players from California’s San Joaquin Valley and he knew Allen had some players who were capable of playing for the Rebels right away.
“Those guys are going to come in and play for us right now,” Williams said. “We’re a young team and needed some guys who could hold up physically.”
Green, a defensive tackle out of Fresno High School, earned All-American honors for the Giants. Some of the other schools that showed a lot of interest in him were Washington State, Iowa State, Baylor, Oregon State and Nevada, but at the last minute, he decided UNLV was the best fit for him.
“I have a chance to start right off the bat. I like the coaches and I had a good vibe from them,” Green said about why he chose UNLV over the other schools. Going with three other teammates from COS also helped make his decision.
Spigner, from Miami, Fla., is also excited about going to UNLV with his COS teammates.
“We expect to do big things because they [coaches] expect a lot out of us,” Spigner said. “We’re going to show up and over the summer try to build up that championship mentality we’re going to need.”
Johnson, an explosive and dynamic running back from Green Cove Springs, Fla., is already at UNLV, and Carroll, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman out of Oakland, was not at the COS signing day press conference.
Last season, the Rebels went just 2-13 in head coach Bobby Hauck’s first season.
“These have to be the guys that get this team going in the right direction,” Williams said. “We went through last year with a lot of high school players. We thought they could hold up physically but we were unfortunate to have to deal with some injuries. These guys have been around college football and know the demands. They know what to expect.”
Green also expects things to be different for UNLV in 2011.
“This is a class that will change the program,” he said.
UNLV wasn’t the only Division I football program to recruit to players from COS.
Tyler Houk announced Monday that he would be signing with the University of Nevada, and he made it official on Wednesday.
Defensive back Kenny Morton signed with Baylor and quarterback/linebacker Kipeli Koniseti signed with Arizona State.
Delta State, the Division II runner-up, will have two COS players next season in wide receiver Kevin Jackson and running back Brant Botill.
Delta State, which is located in Cleveland, Miss., is coached by former Mt. Whitney High School coach and former COS linebacker Ron Roberts.
“I wanted to play for a good team,” Botill said about choosing Delta State. “I wanted to play for something like a national championship. I want to win something.”
Botill had some issues with his paperwork and wasn’t able to fax it to Delta State Wednesday morning so Roberts was unable to comment on him other than confirming he was recruiting Botill. Delta State features a pass-heavy offense, which was a big reason for Jackson wanting to go there.
“He’s a very talented skill player,” Roberts said. “We really like his athletic ability and we know he can come in and make plays for us.”
Roberts said his team relies on junior college players to fill out his roster so it was nothing new to find players from California.
“We recruit that area every year,” he said. “And Robert [Dougherty] and Curtis [Allen] are two guys we know very well.”
Offensive lineman Olukayaode Akinmoladun was also at the signing day press conference and he is headed to Western Carolina.
Several other COS players have already signed their letters of intent and joined their programs during the early signing period.
Sheldon Richardson, a top-rated defensive lineman, signed with Missouri.
Some local products who are at four-year schools via COS are Mt. Whitney defensive end Kyle Bell and El Diamante kicker Earvin Gonzalez, who are both at Morgan State (Baltimore). Tulare Western product defensive lineman Joseph Edwards is at Jamestown (North Dakota), and he was joined by two COS teammates in linebacker C.J. Costello and wide receiver A.J. Downs.
Damen Vargas, a defensive end out of Hanford West, is at Rhode Island. Vargas had his sophomore season derailed early because of a broken leg.
Rounding out the Giants signees are wide receiver Mark Foster (Menlo) and wide receiver Jimyane Christian (Prairie View A&M-Houston) and wide receiver Dominique Mitchell (West Virginia Tech).
COS has had several other players receive offers, but they have decided to wait to make their decision. Those players include quarterback Phillip Brandt, cornerback Miguel Rodriguez, cornerback Isiah Crunk and offensive lineman Marquis Gray.
For the players who signed, there has been a big weight lifted off their shoulders, said Robert Dougherty who was promoted to the COS head coaching position in December.
Dougherty, a former Mt. Whitney High School and COS standout, can relate to what the players are going through.
“There is a lot of relief for these players today,” said Dougherty who played quarterback at Boston University. “It is a nervous feeling because even though you’ve made your decision, there is still some uncertainty if it is a good decision or not. But there is also a lot of excitement. They are dealing with a lot of anxiety and excitement.”
Signing day has been a busy time at COS over the last few years, and Dougherty plans on keeping it that way by continuing the COS tradition of moving players on to four-year schools.
“I don’t feel any pressure because everything has been set into place,” Dougherty said. “I just need to keep it going. Colleges know to come here and recruit our players, and the athletes know to come here if they want to move on.”
article courtesy of the Visalia Times Delta, to view the article, click here.
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