2017 Texas State Football Signees Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown (Previous School) Sami Awad DL 6-1 300 Jr. McKinney, Texas (Duncanville High School/Trinity Valley CC) T. J. Bedford WR 6-4 195 Fr. Covington, La. (St. Paul’s High School) John Brannon ILB 6-0 235 Fr. McKinney, Texas (Prosper High School) Caleb Carlile OL 6-4 300 Fr. Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie High School) Gjemar Daniels DL 5-11 315 Fr. Kennedale, Texas (Kennedale High School) Preston Dimery DB 6-0 180 Fr. Kerrville, Texas (Tivy High School) Nic Foster OL 6-4 275 Fr. Arlington, Texas (Arlington High School) Jaylen Gipson QB 6-2 195 Fr. Mexia, Texas (Mexia High School) London Harris OLB 6-2 210 Fr. Rosharon, Texas (Manvel High School) Jeremiah Haydel WR 5-11 175 Fr. Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor High School) Willie Lee Jones, III QB 6-3 190 Fr. Beaumont, Texas (Silsbee High School Reece Jordan OL 6-3 275 Fr. Decatur, Texas (Boyd High School) Kishawn Kelley QB 6-2 195 Fr. Corsicana, Texas (Corsicana High School) Tanner King OL 6-5 270 Fr. Houston, Texas (Deer Park High School) Anthony Mayes, Jr. OL 6-4 315 Jr. Washington, D.C. (H.D. Woodson High School/Lackawanna College) Jaylin Nelson ATH 5-8 200 Fr. Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville High School) Josh Newman DB 6-0 205 Fr. Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill High School) Caeveon Patton DL 6-2 285 Fr. Cuero, Texas (Cuero High School) Kieston Roach DB 6-0 185 Fr. Houston, Texas (North Shore HS) Kordell Rodgers DB 5-11 165 Fr. Lufkin, Texas (Lufkin High School) Anthony Smith RB 5-10 200 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas (Fossil Ridge High School) Jakharious Smith OLB 6-3 215 Fr. Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand Prairie High School) Caleb Twyford WR 5-11 175 Fr. Farmersville, Texas (Farmersville High School) Nick Wilkins DL 6-2 250 Fr. Rosharon, Texas (Manvel High School) Damian Williams QB 6-1 229 Sr. Metairie, La. (Archbishop Rummel High School/Mississippi State) TEXAS STATE FOOTBALL SIGNING CLASS BREAKDOWN: By State Texas (22) Louisiana (2) Washington, D. C. (1) By Position Offense (14) - five linemen, four quarterbacks, three wide receivers, one running back, one athlete Defense (11) – four lineman, three linebackers, four defensive backs By Class Freshmen (22) Juniors (2) Senior (1) 2017 Texas State Recruits Sami Awad, DL, 6-1, 300, Jr., Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville High School/Trinity Valley Community College) Earned All-Conference Second Team as a sophomore … helped lead Trinity Valley to an 11-win season, a Southwest Junior College Football Conference championship and a victory in the Heart of Texas Bowl … tallied 62 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, 16 quarterback hurries and one interception … had a season-high of nine tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and four hurries against Blinn … tallied eight stops versus Northwest Mississippi in the Heart of Texas Bowl game … recorded 53 tackles, including 14 solo stops, four tackle for losses, one sack … also intercepted a pass and broke up another … tallied 14 tackles, including three tackle for losses and 1.5 sacks as a freshman … played for Brad Smiley … played defensive nose tackle at Duncanville … named an All-District 8-6A selection as a senior … recorded 75 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks … earned All-District Honorable Mention honors as a junior … played for Jeff Dicus … son of Donya and Sameh Awad … plans to major in exercise and sports science. T. J. Bedford, WR, 6-4, 195, Fr., Covington, La. (St. Paul’s School) Named a First-Team All-State wide receiver … chosen All-District 9 First-Team selection after catching 63 passes for 869 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior … named an Honorable Mention All-District 9 selection as a junior … recorded 110 catches for 1,412 yards and 20 touchdowns in his two years at St. Paul’s … played under Coach Kenny Sears … was a shooting guard for the basketball team … son of Idell Jordan and Timothy Bedford, Sr. … expecting to major in business management. John Brannon, ILB, 6-0, 235, Fr., Prosper, Texas (Prosper High School) Rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com … was a two-star recruit by Rivals.com … recorded 140 tackles (99 his senior year), 26 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries … 502 career high school tackles …named to the Class 5A All-State team … chosen District 14-5A Defensive MVP and First-Team All-Collin County … was named First-Team All-District all four years … member of the Solar Car Team … played under Coach Brandon Schmidt … son of Trae and Susan Brannon … his dad played football at Louisiana Tech University … planning to major in computer science Caleb Carlile, OT, 6-4, 300, Fr., Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie High School) Rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com … was a two-star recruit by Scout.com and 247sports.com … ranked as #143 OT by 247sports.com … given a scout grade of 71 by ESPN.com … named All District 10-5A Second-Team selection … was an offensive MVP nomination … member of the National Honor Society with a 3.5 GPA … played for former NFL quarterback and current head coach Jon Kitna … son of Don and Tina Carlile … expecting to major in exercise and sports science. Gjemar Daniels, DT, 5-11, 315, Fr., Kennedale, Texas (Kennedale High School) Rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com and Scout.com … ranked as No. 102 DT by Scout.com and No. 90 DT by 247sports.com … listed as one of the top eight under the radar recruits in Texas … Named the District 5-4A Defensive MVP as a senior after earning Defensive Line MVP as a junior … earned Class 4A Second-Team All-State honors … recorded 121 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, three sacks and one safety … also forced eight fumbles and recovered one … broke up a pass … played for coach Richard Barrett … son of William and Gjekarta Daniels. Preston Dimery, S, 6-0, 180, Fr., Kerrville, Texas (Tivy High School) Rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com and ESPN.com ... as a two-star recruit by Scout.com ... ranked the #115 S by 247sports.com and given a scout grade of 70 by ESPN.com … named an All-District 26-5A First-Team selection as a sophomore and senior … was named to the All-Area First-Team by the San Antonio Express News … played in San Antonio All-Star game … played for Coach David Jones … tallied 84 tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble … also returned two fumble recoveries and two of his three interceptions for touchdowns … recorded 111 tackles, 16 pass break-ups, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, four interceptions, and one interception for a touchdown … son of Tremayne Dimery and Manuela Vasquez… expecting to major in exercise and sports science. 2017 Texas State Recruits Nic Foster, OT, 6-4, 275, Fr., Arlington, Texas (Arlington High School) Rated as a two-star recruit by Scout.com, 247sports.com and ESPN.com … ranked the No. 243 offensive tackle by 247sports.com and given a scout grade of 68 by ESPN.com … named an All-District 4-6A unanimous First-Team selection as an offensive tackle … averaged 10 knockdowns per game and graded out at 83 percent to earn the “Grover Cribbs” Lineman Award … played for Coach Scott Peach … son of Christy DuBois and Shane Foster … grandfather was a wrestler and has been inducted into the College Hall of Fame … expecting to major in biology. Jaylen Gipson, QB, 6-2, 200, Fr., Mexia, Texas (Mexia High School) Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, 247sports.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com … ranked the No. 100 QB by Scout.com and No. 45 QB by 247sports.com … had scout grade of 70 by ESPN.com … named the District 19-3A Newcomer of the Year as freshman … chosen All-District 7-4A First-Team honors in 2014 before being named the District 7-4A Second Team selection as a junior … also earned All-District 9-4A Second-Team honors as a senior … completed 60 of 131 passes for 1,025 yards, eight touchdowns … ran for 1,011 yards and nine TDs on 124 carries … played for Coach Chambers … served as the Class President and was a member of Future Farmers of America and H.E.R.O.E.S. (Helping Everyone Reach Outstanding Educational Success) … maintained a 3.5 GPA and ranked 29th in his class … son of Jeff and Misty Gipson … his dad played basketball at Baylor … expecting to major in business management. London Harris, LB, 6-2, 210, Fr., Manvel, Texas (Manvel High School) Rated as a two-star recruit by ESPN.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com … ranked the No. 127 OLB by 247sports and given a scout grade of 69 by ESPN.com … named an All-District 23-5A First-Team outside linebacker … played for Coach Kirk Martin … recorded 84 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass break-ups and one forced fumble … son of Manuel Harris and Natasha Criddle … his aunt competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and was a member of the track and field team at the University of Texas … expecting to major in engineering. Jeremiah Haydel, WR, 5-11, 175, Fr., Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor High School) Rated as a two-star recruit by 247sports.com, … named All-District 23-6A First-Team as a junior and senior … also chosen to the District 23-6A All-Academic First Team as a senior … recorded 140 receptions for 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns … best game came when he caught three passes for 150 yards and a touchdown while playing in just the first half against DeKaney … played for coach Brian Randle … was a member of the track and field team … son of Cora and Joseph Haydel … plans to major in fashion design.