First Posted: 2/4/2015
CINCINNATI — The Bearcats added another highly rated prep quarterback Wednesday, getting Ross Trail from Arkansas to commit as Gunner Kiel’s backup for now.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback from Wynne, Ark., was the highest ranked in Cincinnati’s 28-player recruit class. The Bearcats went 9-4 last season behind Kiel, a sophomore who threw for 3,254 yards in his first season and tied the school record with 31 touchdown passes.
The Bearcats recruited Trail as a junior and he stuck with them. He’ll have a chance to win time as Kiel’s backup next season.
“He’s a better athlete probably than the other quarterbacks we have in terms of running,” coach Tommy Tuberville said. “Throwing the football, that’s kind of his forte. He’s a big kid. He’s perfect for us. We like a pocket passer.”
Cincinnati shared the American Athletic Conference title with Memphis and Central Florida. The Bearcats lost to Virginia Tech 33-17 in the Military Bowl.
Tuberville also restocked the senior-heavy position of receiver, signing four of them. He said Cincinnati’s style of throwing the ball deep helped get recruits.
“We’re one of the few teams that does throw the ball deep down the field (often),” Tuberville said. “A lot of other teams across the country, they run this chuck-and-duck stuff, throw it 3 yards and hope they break a tackle.
“We do some of that, but we like to throw deep. That not only helps us with quarterbacks like Ross Trail but it helps us with receivers. They see pro routes, they see deep routes, post routes, all those things where they can learn to be route runners.”
The Bearcats signed 10 linemen — five each on offense and defense.
Ohio signees
Here are players signed by Ohio Division I schools other than Ohio State:
AKRON
Chris Bivins, db, 5-11, 185, Highland CC, Gainesville, Fla.
Brock Boxen, dl, 6-3, 272, Beaver Falls HS, New Galilee, Pa.
Avery Cagle, te, 6-4, 210, Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, Ga.
Richie Cooper, wr, 5-10, 185, Hallandale HS, Hollywood, Fla.
Jaquavis Dixon, ath, 6-2, 185, Hagerty HS, Oviedo, Fla.
Van Edwards Jr., rb, 5-9, 185, Island Coast HS, Cape Coral, Fla.
Ulysees Gilbert III, lb, 6-1, 220, Trinity Catholic HS, Ocala, Fla.
Mitchell Hlay, ol, 6-7, 275, Revere HS, Richfield, Ohio
Montel Jordan, ol, 6-2, 310, Deerfield Beach (Fla.) HS
Travonte Junius, de/lb, 6-3, 205, St. Vincent-St. Mary HS, Akron, Ohio
Rich Kallay, ol, 6-5, 290, Central Catholic HS, Clearwater, Fla.
Michael Means, wr, 6-2, 200, Scottsdale (Ariz.) CC
Tyler Shipman, dt, 6-1, 240, Buford (Ga.) HS
Kevin “Ray Ray” Smith Jr., ath, 5-9, 190, Apopka HS, Hollywood, Fla.
Jason Williams, db, 6-3, 185, Champagnat HS, Hialeah, Fla.
K’von Wilson, db, 5-11, 182, Boca Raton HS, Maitland, Fla.
BOWLING GREEN
JC Bartok, ol, 6-5, 275, Kilbourne HS, Worthington, Ohio
Jamari Bozeman, db, 6-2, 190, Suncoast Community, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Sam Crosa, k, 5-8, 140, Scioto HS, Dublin, Ohio
Matt Domer, rb, 5-11, 190, Mount Carmel HS, Hazel Crest, Ill.
Michael DuVernois, p, 5-11, 170, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Plantation, Fla.
Matthew Finkler, lb, 6-2, 234, Kirtland (Ohio) HS
Brandon Harris, ath, 6-3, 205, Shaw HS, East Cleveland, Ohio
Tyler Horstman, dl, 6-4, 230, Vero Beach (Fla.) HS
Robert Jackson Jr., db, 5-11, 168, Bishop McNamara HS, Ft. Washington, Md.
Bobo Jones, db, 6-1, 181, Xenia (Ohio) HS
Kyle Junior, dl, 6-3, 245, Middletown (Ohio) HS
Jack Kramer, dl, 6-3, 295, North HS, Plainfield, Ill.
Nico Lautanen, dl, 6-3, 270, Mentor (Ohio) HS
Charles Lamar, rb, 6-0, 204, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
Derek Lee, fb/te, 6-4, 255, Maize HS, Wichita, Kan.
Blake Lucky, lb, 6-3, 210, South Fork HS, Hobe Sound, Fla.
Scott Miller, wr, 5-10, 163, Barrington (Ill.) HS
James Morgan, qb, 6-4, 215, Ashwaubenon (Wis.) HS
Shemar Moss, dl, 6-1, 240, Marion-Franklin HS, Columbus, Ohio
Deric Phouthavong, wr, 6-3, 205, Hamilton Township HS, Columbus, Ohio
Janarvis Pough, wr, 6-1, 175, American Heritage Plantation HS, Hollywood, Fla.
Harrison Roberts, lb, 6-1, 220, Euclid (Ohio) HS
Zack Sharp, ol, 6-8, 320, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
Antonyo Sotolongo, db, 6-0, 200, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami, Fla.
CINCINNATI
Christian Angulo, cb, 6-2, 175, East Bay HS, Gibsonton, Fla.
Reed Armagost ol, 6-6, 230, Gainesville (Fla.) HS
Caleb Ashworth, de, 6-3, 235, Tunstall HS, Dry Fork, Va.
Doug Bates, te, 6-4, 230, Moeller HS, Cincinnati.
Brayden Beard, wr, 5-10, 186, IMG Academy, Fredericksburg, Texas
Taylor Boose, rb, 6-0, 200, Centreville HS, Clifton, Va.
Malik Clements, s, 6-2, 185, George Washington HS, Danville, Va.
Daniel Cobb, wr, 5-10, 170, Dunbar HS, Fort Myers, Fla.
Marquise Copeland, de, 6-3, 230, Bedford (Ohio) HS
Jhavonte Dean, cb, 6-1, 168, South Dade HS, Homestead, Fla.
Josiah Deguara, te, 6-3, 210, Folsom (Calif.) HS
Matthew Draper, lb, 6-2, 214, Brush HS, South Euclid, Ohio
Joshuwa Holloman, rb, 5-11, 180, Avondale HS, Auburn Hills, Mich.
Bryce Jenkinson, lb, 6-2, 220, Greenville (Ohio) HS
Lyndon Johnson, de, 6-6, 270, Holmes (Miss.) CC
Antonio Kinard, lb, 6-3, 220, Arizona Western JC
Frank Labady, ath, 5-7, 170, Milford Academy, Hialeah, Fla.
Kahlil Lewis, wr, 6-0, 180, Miramar HS, Hollywood, Fla.
Evan Mallory, ol, 6-5, 302, IMG Academy, Brownsburg, Ind.
Tyler McGarr, ol, 6-4, 275, Harris County HS, Hamilton, Ga.
Jaylyin Minor, lb, 6-1, 240, Tyler (Texas) JC
Delonte Murray, ol, 6-5, 311, Lackawanna (Md.) JC
Braxton Neal, wr, 6-4, 168, Lakota West HS, Cincinnati, Ohio
Norman Oglesby, dt, 6-0, 265, Ben Davis HS, Indianapolis
Josh Pasley, k, 5-11, 205, Highland (Kan.) CC
Idarius Ray, ol, 6-5, 305, LA Valley (Texas) JC
Ross Trail, qb, 6-3, 200, Wynne (Ark.) HS
Bryan Wright, de, 6-4, 235, Jireh Prep, New Castle, Del.
KENT STATE
John Henry Bronczek, s, 5-8, 172, Washington HS, Massillon, Ohio
Conor Brumfield, te, 6-4, 235, Allatoona HS, Acworth, Ga.
Troy DiPre, lb, 6-1, 211, St. Edward HS, Lakewood, Ohio
Antwan Dixon, wr, 5-8, 170, South HS, Fort Myers, Fla.
Theodore Eboigbe, de, 6-2, 239, Arabia Mountain HS, Lithonia, Ga.
Nick Faulkner, lb/de, 6-2, 223, McKinley HS, Canton, Ohio
Bryce Gibbs, ol, 6-4, 291, Wellington (Ohio) HS
Dominic Hill, dl, 6-0, 280, Boswell HS, Fort Worth, Texas
Alex Hoag, de, 6-4, 255, Venice HS, Sarasota, Fla.
Jim Jones, lb, 6-1, 214, Godby HS, Tallahassee, Fla.
Mike Marinelli, ol, 6-4, 280, Hampton HS, Allison Park, Pa.
Darryl Marshall, cb, 5-11, 170, DeMatha Catholic HS, Hyattsville, Md.
Will Matthews, rb, 5-9, 210, Destrehan (La.) HS
Juantez McRae, s, 5-11, 170, Franklin HS, Reistertown, Md.
Mylik Mitchell, qb, 6-4, 181, John Hay HS, Cleveland
P.J. Simmons, rb, 5-11, 181, Godby HS, Tallahassee, Fla.
D’Andre Smart, cb, 5-11, 157, Norland HS, Miami, Fla.
David Smith, ol, 6-5, 290, George Washington HS, Charleston, W.Va.
Chase Van Hoef, ol, 6-4, 285, Grand Haven (Mich.) HS
Myles Washington, rb, 5-10, 210, John Curtis HS, New Orleans
MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Joshua Allen, db, 6-0, 192, Victory Christian HS, Charlotte, N.C.
Cedric Asseh, wr, 6-2, 180, Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga.
Billy Bahl, qb, 6-4, 214, Marian Central Catholic HS, Woodstock, Ill.
Quinn Calcagno, de, 6-6, 220, St. Francis HS, Wheaton, Ill.
Nick Dowd, k, 5-9, 185, Westfield (Ind.) HS
James Gardner, wr, 6-3, 197, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) HS
Jordon Hardwick, de, 6-3, 235, St. John Vianney HS, St. Louis, Mo.
Isaiah Hill, rb, 5-11, 207, Byrnes HS, Duncan, S.C.
Allan Koikoi, db, 6-0, 185, St. Paul’s HS, Randallstown, Md.
Kyle Kramer, qb/p, 6-3, 200, Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Ian Leever, ol, 6-6, 295, Loveland (Ohio) HS
Dean Lemon, de, 6-3, 231, Archbishop Alter HS, Kettering, Ohio
Carter Masek, lb, 6-2, 225, East Grand Rapids (Mich.) HS
Luke Mayock, wr, 6-5, 192, Clements HS, Sugar Land, Texas
Sam McCollum, ol, 6-3, 290, Coffman HS, Dublin, Ohio
Junior McMullen, lb, 6-2, 225, Oak Park (Mich.) HS
Ryan Mullen, ol, 6-4, 280, Lakes Community HS, Lake Villa, Ill.
De’Andre Montgomery, db, 6-2, 197, Dutchtown HS, Hampton, Ga.
Sam Murrer, ol, 6-5, 280, Covington Catholic HS, Park Hills, Ky.
Leonard Ross, rb, 5-11, 195, Lyons Township HS, LaGrange Park, Ill.
Jack Schroer, dl, 6-5, 260, New Albany (Ohio) HS
Matt Skibinski, ol, 6-5, 275, Churchill HS, Livonia, Mich.
Maurice Thomas, rb, 6-0, 170, Talawanda HS, Oxford, Ohio
Mckenzie Thomas, db, 6-0, 185, Talawanda HS, Oxford, Ohio
Nate Trawick, dt, 6-1, 295, Richmond (Ind.) HS
Alexx Zielinski, te, 6-5, 230, Brighton (Mich.) HS
OHIO
Joe Anderson, ol, 6-6, 320, El Camino (Calif.) College
Brian Arp, dl, 6-3, 256, Kearney (Neb.) HS
Elijah Ball, wr, 6-1, 185, Princeton HS, Cincinnati
Kyle Belack, wr, 5-11, 190, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) HS
Jeff Christian, cb, 5-10, 165, Colerain HS, Cincinnati
London Cloud, lb, 5-11, 233, Bedford (Ohio) HS
Josh Cooper, ol, 6-2, 309, Delta (Miss.) CC
Evan Croutch, lb, 6-0,217, Boardman HS, Youngstown, Ohio
Clayton Glasco, lb, 6-0, 225, Pickerington (Ohio) Central HS
Marques Grimes, ol, 6-5, 319, Southfield (Mich.) HS
Javon Hagan, s, 6-0, 207, Trinity Christian Academy,Jacksonville, Fla.
Jake Hale, ls, 6-0,220, Olentangy Liberty HS, Powell, Ohio
Maxwell Howell, cb, 6-1, 188, Palm Beach Lakes (Fla.) HS
Keith Key, dl, 6-3, 221, Bishop Hartley HS, Powell, Ohio
Conner Krizancic, qb, 6-2, 200, Mentor (Ohio) HS
Adam Luehrman, ath, 6-4, 210, Athens HS, Albany, Ohio
Ryan Luehrman, ath, 6-4,214, Athens HS, Albany, Ohio
Quinton Maxwell, qb, 6-3, 214, Richmond R-XVI HS, Rayville, Mo.
Sam McKnight, dl, 6-3, 267, Glenville HS, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Austen Pleasants, ol, 6-7, 295, Coal Grove HS, Ironton, Ohio
Matt Seymour, wr, 6-1, 167, New Westminister (British Columbia) Secondary
Deontai Williams, s, 6-1, 185, Trinity Christian Academy, Jacksonville, Fla.
Mayne Williams, s, 5-11, 175, Colerain HS, Cincinnati, Ohio
Louie Zervos, k, 5-9, 152, Tarpon Springs (Fla.) HS
TOLEDO
Cameron Bell, ol, 6-8, 360, Nordonia HS, Macedonia, Ohio
Nate Childress, dl, 6-3, 275, Rossford (Ohio) HS
Chad Coeling, dl, 6-2, 275, Centerville (Ohio) HS
Chandler Cotterman, ol, 6-4, 285, Anna (Ohio) HS
Aaron Covington, cb, 5-9, 175, Armwood HS, Tampa, Fla.
LaMarr Davis Jr., dt, 6-1, 305, Benedictine HS, Cleveland
Jordan Fair, ol, 6-5, 281, Mason (Ohio) HS
Jordan Fisher, te, 6-3, 210, Tuscarora HS, Leesburg, Va.
Chris Green, lb, 6-0, 230, Central Catholic HS, Toledo, Ohio
Mitchell Guadagni, lb, 6-0, 230, Central Catholic HS, Toledo, Ohio
Bryce Harris, ol, 6-5, 286, Firestone HS, Akron, Ohio
Brandon Heidecker, ol, 6-6, 309, Columbia HS, Columbia Station, Ohio
Sami Kassem, ol, 6-4, 305, ASA (NY) College
Darrion Landry, wr, 6-2, 200, Blinn (Texas) College
Danzel McKinley-Lewis, wr, 5-9, 173, Seton-La Salle HS, Pittsburgh
Ramone Miles, ol, 6-4, 271, Central Catholic HS, Toledo, Ohio
Tyler Taafe, lb, 6-1, 221, Hubbard (Ohio) HS
Josh Teachey, cb, 5-11, 172, McDonough HS, Pomfret, Md.
Art Thompkins, rb, 5-8, 165, Woodland Hills HS, Pittsburgh
Jameson Vest, k, 5-9, 203, Our Lady of Mercy HS, Peachtree City, Ga
