ETSU football head coach Paul Hamilton and his staff announced last Wednesday the commitment of 25 players to join the Buccaneer football program for the 2002 season. The group includes 20 freshmen and five transfers and is highlighted by a strong group of 11 players from Tennessee.

“I feel that we have really accomplished the goals that we had,” Hamilton said. “One of those goals is for us to be a dominant I-AA program in the state of Tennessee.

“This recruiting class is probably as elite a group that we have signed from the state of Tennessee. We are really proud to see some of our local kids come into the program as well as being able to go into Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville and get some outstanding players. I really feel good about our impact in the state of Tennessee.”

2002 Recruiting Class

Scott Butler QB

Ben Cooper TE

Mike Cullen LB

Jason Davis QB

Marshall Doss LB/RB

Michael George QB

Jonathon Godfrey PK

Frank Green WR

Quinton Hale OL/DL

Tony Haynes DL

Judd Hyde LB

Steven Jackson DL/LB

Erik Losey OL

Carl Meadows QB

Jeffrey Mitchell RB

Ric O’Buck OL

Matt Palmer LB

Brock Pittman OL

Terrence Scurry QB/DB

Kenya Salter DL

Andrew Tudor RB/DB

Gaven Varner RB

Tyrus Ward WR/DB

Stanton Yarborough WR

Zach Yenser OL

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Scott Butler, 6-3, 185, Quarterback, Kingsport, Tenn./Dobyns-Bennett HS

Team captain as a junior and senior … Honorable mention All-State as a junior and senior . All-Northeast Tennessee 4A-5A first team as a senior . All-Northeast Tennessee 4A-5A second team as a junior … Set school career records of 2,965 passing yards and 44 TD passes . His TD pass record broke the previous mark of 37 set in 1926 by Bobby Dodd . Holds school single-season records of 24 touchdown passes, 1,725 passing yards and completed 71 percent of his passes … Also holds school single-game records with 249 passing yards and four TD passes.

Ben Cooper, 6-5, 240, Tight End, Greenville, Tenn./Greenville HS

Team MVP as a senior … Caught 39 passes for 550 yards and eight touchdowns . Also recorded 55 tackles as a defensive lineman . Had 11 tackles for loss and nine sacks . AP first team All-State . TSWA 4A first team All-State … All-Northeast Tennessee by Kingsport Times.

Mike Cullen, 6-0, 205, Linebacker, Roswell, Ga./Roswell HS

Team Defensive Player of the Year at Roswell High School . Totaled 356 tackles as a three-year starter . First team all-region as a senior . First team all-region and all-area as a junior . Led team with 151 tackles.

Jason Davis, 6-1, 195, Quarterback , Sevierville, Tenn./Seymour HS/Virginia Tech

Transfer from Virginia Tech . Was redshirted during the 2000 season and did not see action in 2001 . Will have three years of eligibility at ETSU. High School: Rated the No. 1 quarterback and No. 7 overall prospect in Tennessee by the Knoxville News Sentinel following his senior season at Seymour High … Played quarterback and handled the punting and place-kicking duties … Connected on 96 of 165 passing attempts for 1,608 yards and 16 touchdowns … Only threw four interceptions … Ran for over 300 yards and six TDs … Quarterbacked team to a 10-0 mark his junior season … Averaged 37.2 yards punting as a junior and 39 yards as a senior … Kicked field goals of 52 and 48 yards as a junior … Seventy-five percent of his kickoffs were touchbacks … Was named the most valuable offensive player in his region in 1999 … Listed as the No. 12 pro-style quarterback prospect in the nation by Tom Lemming’s Prep Football Report … Made PrepStar’s All-Southeast Region team and was listed No. 1 quarterback prospect in Tennessee … Named honorable mention All-USA by USA Today.

Marshall Doss, 6-3, 215, LB/RB, Marion, Va./Marion HS

Set new school records with 1,704 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns as a senior . Averaged 11 tackles per game as a senior linebacker . Virginia AA first team All-State linebacker . AP second team all-state . First team on both offense and defense in Region 4 . All-Southwest Virginia defensive Player of the Year . Highlands district defensive Player of the Year and leading rusher.

Michael George, 6-2, 180, Quarterback * Alcoa, Tenn./Alcoa HS

Named Tennessee’s 2A Mr. Football in 2001 . Team MVP as a senior . Rushed for 2,122 yards as a senior and 2,027 yards as a junior . All-State as a senior and junior . East Tennessee Player of the Year and region MVP . Blount County Player of the Year as a senior and junior.

Jonathan Godfrey, 5-11, 170, Kicker, Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill HS/Tennessee

Three-time letterwinner at Science Hill High School . A team captain as a junior . Career-long field goal of 47 yards . 90 percent of his kickoffs were touchbacks . Named all-conference and all-district . Invited to Ray Guy’s Elite Kicking Camp . Also won three letters in soccer . Played Olympic Development soccer for three years.

Frank Green, 6-1, 180, Wide Receiver, Monks Corner, S.C./Berkley HS

Totaled 1,212 yards on 36 receptions in his career . Scored 15 touchdowns . Had over 1,700 all-purpose yards . Selected to play in the North/South All-Star game . Led the South in receptions and yardage . Also long snaps and returns punts.

Quinton Hale, 6-3, 280, OL/DL, Chattanooga, Tenn./Tyner HS

Graded out at 90% as an offensive lineman . Recorded 26 pancake blocks . Named all-state, all-region and all-city in Class AA . A finalist for Mr. Football . Selected to play in the Tennessee/Georgia All-Star game . Made 131 tackles with 17 sacks on defense.

Tony Haynes , 6-5, 250, Defensive Line, Franklin, Tenn./Centennial HS

A three-year starter at Centennial High School . Made 57 tackles as a senior, including eight sacks and three tackles for loss . Was also a starter along the offensive line . Named all-conference, all region and all-county.

Judd Hyde, 6-1, 220, Linebacker, Nashville, N.C./South Nash HS

Team captain as a senior . Totaled 109 tackles . Had 22 tackles for loss totaling 67 yards . Also had three sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one interception . Named all-area and all-conference . Senior leadership award . As a junior totaled 102 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and four sacks . Also had four forced fumbles, two recoveries and two interceptions.

Steven Jackson, 6-1, 250, DL/LB, Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley HS

An AAA All-State selection as a senior . Totaled 163 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 18 sacks . Also caused eight fumbles and recovered seven . All-Area . Two-time All-Region . Also rushed for 490 yards and nine touchdowns as a fullback . Selected to play in the North/South All-Star game.

Erik Losey, 6-2, 265 , Offensive Line, Hixson, Tenn./Soddy Daisy HS

Team captain as a senior . Three-year starter . Earned team’s top defensive and top offensive awards . A finalist for the Mr. Football award (Tenn. – Class 5A Lineman of the Year) . Named All-Sate (defense) by TWSA . All-State (offense) by Prep Talk . All-Region . Selected to play in the Tenn./Ga. high school all-star football game . All-State, All-Region and All-City as a junior.

Carl Meadows, 6-1, 190, Quarterback, Cummings, Ga./North Forsyth HS

Lettered four years at North Forsyth High School . Started the last two games of his freshman season and never missed another start . Threw for 3,262 yards and 48 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions . Holds school records for yardage, TD passes . Also holds school record with four TD tosses in a game . All-area as a senior.

Jeffrey Mitchell, 5-10, 170, Running Back, Knoxville, Tenn./Fulton HS

Named the Knoxville News-Sentinel’s offensive Player of the Year in the Knoxville Football League . Gained 2,334 yards rushing as senior, scoring 25 touchdowns . Finished his high school career with 5,308 all-purpose yards, including 4,223 rushing . Named to the 3A All-East Tennessee team . 4.41 speed . Made 67 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes broken up as a defensive back . Rated 17th on the News-Sentinel’s list of top-25 players in Tennessee.

Ric O’Buck, 6-5, 280, Offensive Line, Marietta, Ga./Pope HS/Hargrave Military

Helped lead Pope High School to two regional championships . Played one semester at Hargrave Military Academy.

Matt Palmer, 6-1, 235, Linebacker, Summerton, S.C./Georgia Military College

All-region performer at Georgia Military . Part of a GMC defense that led the nation by allowing only 68 yards per game and helped the Bulldogs win the national junior college championship.

Brock Pittman, 6-2, 280, Offensive Line, Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis HS/Fork Union MA/Scottsdale CC

Played both on the offensive and defensive lines at Lee-Davis High School . Selected as an all-state, all-metro, all-district and all-county player . Led the team in forced fumbles on defense … Teammate of current Buc Brandon Calton at Fork Union . Played two seasons at Scottsdale Junior College, earning first team all-Conference and all-Region accolades.

Terrence Scurry, 5-11, 170, QB/DB, Clinton, S.C./Thornwell HS

Region Player of the Year as a senior . Selected four times as the South Carolina High School Sports Report IA Player of the Week . Finished his career responsible for 8,000 yards of offense . Totaled 2,415 all-purpose yards and 5,646 passing yards . Tossed 49 TD passes and rushed for 27 more . Ran for 1,947 yards . As a defensive back he totaled 183.5 tackles . Broke up 33 pass attempts and had five interceptions and forced eight fumbles . Region Player of the Year . All-State as a defensive back . Second team all-region as a junior.

Kenya Salter, 6-1, 280, Defensive Line, Norfolk, Va./Lake Taylor HS

Had 37 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior . Also was credited with 12 QB hurries . First team All-District offensive tackle and nose guard as a senior . Two-time second team All-Tidewater selection . First team All-Eastern region as a junior.

Andrew Tudor, 5-11, 175, RB/DB, Powell, Tenn./Powell HS

District three 4A Most Valuable Player at Powell High School . Rushed for 1,675 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior . Also made 58 tackles on defense . Broke up three passes . Named All-State, All-East Tennessee and All-Knoxville Football League . Has 4.4 speed.

Gavin Varner, 6-2, 215, Running Back, Summerville, S.C./Stratford HS/Ga. Military Coll.

Rushed for 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior at Stratford High School . Named first team All-State, All-Region and All-Low Country . Helped lead his team to the state championship with a 15-0 record . Played in the North/South All-Star game . Named the most valuable running back in that contest.

Tyrus Ward, 5-10, 170, WR/DB, Chattanooga, Tenn./Brainerd HS

Played at Brainerd High School as a quarterback . Threw for 1,339 yards and rushed for 1,038 more as a senior . Accounted for 46 touchdowns passing and 13 rushing during his career . Also set the school record with 446 passing yards in a game . Two time all-state player.

Stanton Yarborough, 5-10, 170, Wide Receiver, Summerville, S.C./Fort Dorchester HS

Team MVP as a senior … Schools all-time leader in receptions, yards per catch and touchdowns in a season . As a senior he grabbed 57 passes for 1,053 yards and 12 touchdowns. Named All-Region and All-Low Country . Also selected to the South Carolina High School Sports Report All-State team … All-Region as a junior . Had over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 17 TDs.

Zach Yenser, 6-1, 265, Offensive Line, Marietta, Ga./Harrison HS

Lettered four years at Harrison High School . Team captain as a senior . Played on the offensive and defensive line, at center and as a long snapper . Named All-State as a senior by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Sportswriters .Team finished as state runner-up as a junior.

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