The Youngstown State Football program will be announcing members of its 2020 Signing class throughout the day on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Follow @YoungstownStFB for the most-up-to-date National-Letter-of-Intent signees.
Below are bios on each of the newest Penguins.
| Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
High School |
Previous |
| Hunter Allen |
DL |
6-5 |
215 |
Fr. |
Canal Winchester, Ohio |
Canal Winchester |
|
| Ben Bentley |
TB |
6-0 |
190 |
Fr. |
Belfry, Ky. |
Belfry |
|
| Chase Glover |
WR |
6-4 |
200 |
Fr. |
West Bloomfield, Mich. |
West Bloomfield |
|
| Haeden Gump |
OL |
6-4 |
280 |
Fr. |
Girard, Ohio |
Girard |
|
| Anthony Johnson |
DT |
6-2 |
270 |
RFr. |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Cleveland Hts |
Bowling Green |
| Devin Johnson |
LB |
6-1 |
215 |
Fr. |
Paintsville, Ky. |
Johnson Central |
|
| Stephon Jones |
OL |
6-2 |
330 |
Jr. |
Miami, Fla. |
Grayson (Ga.) |
ASA College |
| Tyjon Jones |
DB |
6-1 |
190 |
Fr. |
Johnstown, Pa. |
Greater Johnstown |
|
| Sam Merryman |
LS |
6-2 |
190 |
Fr. |
Shadyside, Ohio |
Shadyside |
|
| David Metzler |
OL |
6-5 |
290 |
Fr. |
Hilliard, Ohio |
Hilliard Bradley |
|
| James Morrow |
OL |
6-7 |
280 |
Jr. |
Salina, Kan. |
Salina Central |
Butler CC |
| Devonte Murray |
DL |
6-3 |
230 |
Fr. |
Detroit, Mich. |
Cass Tech |
|
| Aidan Parker |
OL |
6-2 |
290 |
Fr. |
Westfield, Ind. |
Westfield |
|
| Logan Pasco |
LB |
6-0 |
210 |
Fr. |
Davison, Mich. |
Davison |
|
| Jackson Pruitt |
DB |
6-2 |
185 |
Fr. |
Jeannette, Pa. |
Jeannette |
|
| Amarian Robinson |
DB |
5-10 |
170 |
Fr. |
Akron, Ohio |
East |
|
| Gage Salyers |
DB |
6-1 |
205 |
Fr. |
Ironton, Ohio |
Ironton |
|
| Ezra Scott |
TB |
6-1 |
195 |
Fr. |
Whitehouse, Ohio |
Anthony Wayne |
|
| Lawson Schultz |
FB |
6-0 |
250 |
So. |
Buhler, Kan. |
Buhler |
Butler CC |
| Sean Sweet |
OL |
6-5 |
295 |
Fr. |
Crestwood, Ohio |
Crestwood |
|
| Brayden Taylor |
DB |
6-2 |
220 |
Fr. |
Wooster, Ohio |
Wooster |
|
| Tariq Williamson |
DL |
6-3 |
245 |
Fr. |
Akron, Ohio |
East |
|
| Evan Yockey |
OL |
6-6 |
335 |
Fr. |
West Chester, Ohio |
West Chester |
|
Signed With @YoungstownStFB During NLI Signing Day on Dec. 18
Hunter Allen
6-5 | 215 | Defensive Lineman
Canal Winchester, Ohio
Canal Winchester High School
High School: Special-Mention All-Ohio Division II selection as a senior...first-team All-Central District Division II selection on the defensive line...second-team Ohio Capital Conference pick...Indians won Conference Capital Division tiles in 2018 and 2019...coach was Joshua Stratton...also competed in track and field.
Ben Bentley
6-0 | 190 | Tailback
Belfry, Ky.
Belfry High School
High School: Helped lead Belfry to the Class 3A state championship as a senior...Belfrey defeated Bell County 30-20 in the Class 3A state championship game...finished with 52 yards on 12 carries in state title game...had more than 1,000 yards rushing on the seasons...Belfry completed the 2019 season going 11-3...as a junior ran for 873 yards and 12 touchdowns and hauled in nine passes for 327 yards and four scores...was a force defensively finishing with 72 tackles as the Pirates finished 10-3, falling to Boyle County in the Class 3A regional championship matchup...coach was Philip Haywood.
Chase Glover
6-4 | 200 | Wide Receiver
West Bloomfield, Mich.
West Bloomfield High School
High School: Standout wide receiver at West Bloomfield...two-star rated recruit by 247sports.com...helped lead the Lakers to a 10-2 season in 2019...West Bloomfield was 9-3 in 2018...coach was Ron Bellamy.
Haeden Gump
6-4 | 280 | Offensive Lineman
Girard, Ohio
Girard High School
High School: First-team All-Ohio Division IV selection as a senior...primarily played left tackle...first-team Northeast 8 Conference pick in 2019...third-team All-Ohio Division IV pick as a junior...two-time first-team All-Northeast Inland District Division IV selection...helped lead Girard to the Class 4A State Championship in 2018, the first state title game appearance in school history...Indians dropped a 42-14 contest in the state final to Cincinnati Wyoming to finish the season 13-2...as a sophomore was an Honorable Mention All-Ohio honoree...coach was Pat Pearson.
Anthony Johnson
6-2 | 270 | Defensive Lineman
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland Heights High School
Bowling Green
Bowling Green: Redshirted...saw action in three games...was credited with one tackle...registerd a solo stop against Akron.
High School: Second-team Division I All-Ohio selection as a senior...named a Cleveland.com All-Star...team finished 7-3 on the season...credited with 11 TFLs and five sacks...Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) ...attended Jeannette High School in Pennsylvania as a junior, recording 134 tackles and 12 sacks...helped lead Jeannette to WPIAL and PIAA championships in 2017....coach was Mac Stephens.
Devin Johnson
6-1 | 215 | Linebacker
Paintsville, Ky.
Johnson Central High School
High School: Talented two-way standout who helped lead Johnson Central to the Class 4A state championship in Kentucky...in the title game, Johnson Central beat Boyle County 21-20...had a 22-yard touchdown run in the game...Golden Eagles finished the season with a perfect 15-0 record...was a two-star linebacker by Rivals.com and 247sports...as a junior, rushed for 1,218 yards and scored 14 touchdowns...coach was Jim Matney.
Stephon Jones
6-2 | 330 | Offensive Lineman
Miami, Fla.
Garyson (Ga.) High School
ASA College
ASA College: Second-team All-Northeast Football Conference selection as a sophomore...two-year starter on the offensive line at ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y....in 2019, Avengers were 8-2 on the year with both losses coming by a combined eight points...offense averaged 46.7 points, 463.4 yards per game and 254.6 yards rushing per contest...helped paved the way for the 2nd ranked rushing attack in NJCAA...ASA averaged 470.8 yards of total offense in 2018, including 250 on the ground...coach was Chris Calabrese.
Tyjon Jones
6-1 | 190 | Defensive Back
Johnstown, Pa.
Great Johnstown High School
High School: Was a standout wide receiver and defensive back at Johnstown Central...as a junior, had 54 catches for 707 yards...cousin of current YSU cornerback Bryce Gibson...coach was Bruce Jordan.
Sam Merryman
6-2 | 190 | Long Snapper
Shadyside, Ohio
Shayside High School
High School: Played tight end, defensive end and served as long snapper for Shadyside...Tigers advanced to the state playoffs and posted an 8-4 record in 2019...as a junior, caught 37 passes for 539 yards and five touchdowns...as a sophomore, earned Division VI All-Ohio Honorable Mention honors...coach was Mark Holenka.
David Metzler
6-5 | 290 | Offensive Lineman
Hilliard, Ohio
Hilliard Bradley High School
High School: Special Mention All-OCC Cardinal Division selection as a senior...helped program win three consecutive OCC-Cardinal Division Championships from 2016-18...coach was coach Mike LoParo...also competes in track and field.
James Morrow
6-5 | 280 | Offensive Lineman
Salina, Kan.
Salina Central High School
Butler CC
High School: Member of talented offensive line at Butler...played offensive tackle for the Grizzlies...Butler won the 2019 Midwest Classic Bowl title and finished with a 10-3 overall mark...it was the first 10-win season for the school since 2012...program was 8-4 in 2018 and won the Midwest Classic Bowl...coach was Tim Schaffner.
Devonte Murray
6-3 | 230 | Defensive Lineman
Detroit, Mich.
Cass Tech High School
High School: Selected to participate in the 2019 Xenith Football All-Star Game...played defensive end and tight end for Cass Tech...Cass Tech reached the regional finals in 2019...Technicians were 10-1 in 2018...coach was Thomas Wilcher.
Aidan Parker
6-2 | 290 | Offensive Lineman
Westfield, Ind.
Westfield High School
High School: Played center at Westfield...Shamrocks advanced to the sectional final in 2019...as a junior, was an honorable-mention Class 6A All-Indiana selection...coach was Jake Gilbert.
Logan Pasco
6-0 | 210 | Linebacker
Davison, Mich.
Davison High School
High School: Helped Davison win the MHSAA Division 1 State Championship as a senior...Cardinals beat Brighton, 35-25, at Ford Field...was the first state championship in school history...had 16 total tackles in the title game, including 11 solo stops and two TFLs...Davison finished the season 12-2...had 164 total tackles and 22 TFLs as a senior...first-team All-Saginaw Valley League Red Division as a linebacker... as a junior was an honorable-mention Division 1-2 All-Michigan pick...coach was Jake Weingartz.
Jackson Pruitt
6-2 | 185 | Defensive Back
Jeannette, Pa.
Jeannette High School
High School: Two-time member of the Tribune-Review Westmoreland football all-star team...talented two-way player at Jeannette...Caught 21 passes for 323 yards and six touchdowns for the Jayhawks...on defense, had 31 tackles and four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns...Jeannette was 11-1 in 2018...defense allowed just nine points per game in 2018...had 303 yards receiving and five touchdown receptions as a junior...was a four-year starter...coach was Roy Hall...also played basketball.
Amarian Robinson
5-10 | 170 | Defensive Back
Akron, Ohio
Akron East High School
High School: Honorable-Mention Division III Northeast Inland District pick as a senior...had four interceptions for East...as a junior, finished with a team-high eight interceptions...also was a standout kickoff returner and wide receiver...in 2018, the Dragons reached the second round of the Division III playoffs and was 9-3...spent two seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary and final two at Akron East...coach was Marques Hayes.
Gage Salyers
6-1 | 205 | Defensive Back
Ironton, Ohio
Ironton High School
High School: Second-team All-Ohio Division V selection as a senior quarterback...also played strong safety at Ironton...helped lead the Tigers to the Division V State Championship Game and a 13-2 record in 2019...as a junior, completed 61 passes for 917 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 531 yards on 101 carries and scored eight touchdowns...two-time first-team All-Southeast District Division V pick...Special-Mention All-Ohio selection as a junior...two-time first-team All Ohio Valley Conference honoree...coach was Trevon Pendleton.
Lawson Schultz
6-0 | 250 | Fullback
Buhler, Kan.
Buhler High School
Butler CC
BUTLER CC: First-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection...was a key blocker in the Grizzlies' backfield, which gained 2,250 rushing yards on the season – an average of 187.5 yards per game...caught two passes out of the offensive backfield for 12 yards...Butler won the 2019 Midwest Classic Bowl title and finished with a 10-3 overall mark...it was the first 10-win season for the school since 2012...program was 8-4 in 2018 and won the Midwest Classic Bowl...coach was Tim Schaffner.
Southwestern Oklahoma State: Redshirted in 2018.
High School: Was a first-team Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League III selection as both an offensive and defensive lineman during senior season...Spartans advanced to the Class 4A state championship game and finished with an 11-2 record in 2016...coach Steve Warner...was also a first-team all-state Division IV selection on the baseball team.
Ezra Scott
6-1 | 195 | Tailback
Whitehouse, Ohio
Anthony Wayne High School
High School: Special-Mention All-Ohio Division II selection as a senior...two-time first-team All-Northwest Ohio Divison II selection...two-time first-team All-Northern Lakes League selection...MVP of Blue and White Game...Generals were 11-1 in 2019...won first 11 games of the season...had 234 carries for 1,577 yards and 18 touchdowns...coach was Andy Brungard.
Sean Sweet
6-5 | 295 | Offensive Lineman
Crestwood, Ohio
Crestwood High School
High School: Special-Mention All-Ohio Division V selection as a senior...played center for Crestwood...three-year starter...coach was Nathan Peters.
Brayden Taylor
6-2 | 220 | Linebacker
Wooster, Ohio
Wooster High School
High School: Third-Team All-Ohio Division II selection as a senior...Played middle linebacker, running back and was a long snapper for Wooster...first-team All-Northeast Inland District Division II honoree...first-team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference pick...rushed for 13 touchdowns...second-team All-Northeast Inland District pick as a junior...coach was Doug Haas.
Tariq Williamson
6-3 | 245 | Defensive Lineman
Akron, Ohio
Akron East High School
High School: Three-star rating by 247sports.com...two-star rated outside linebacker by rivals.com...as a senior, had 51 total tackles, including 42 solo stops...had 12 TFLs and two sacks...as a junior, had 55 total tackles, including 11 sacks and 13 TFLs...two-time second-team All-Northeast Inland District Division III pick...second-team All-Akron pick as a junior...in 2018, the Dragons reached the second round of the Division III playoffs and was 9-3...attended Akron Ellet High School for two years...was a special-mention all-district Division II pick in 2017...coach was Marques Hayes.
Evan Yockey
6-5 | 335 | Offensive Lineman
West Chester, Ohio
West Chester High School
High School: Two-year starter on the offensive line...Thunderhawks were 8-4 in 2018...coach was Rick Haynes.
