Stewart Stocks Stables With 28 for 2016

Head coach Mitch Stewart is pleased to announce the signing of 28 student-athletes that have chosen to further their educational and football careers at Murray State.

This year's class includes seven defensive linemen and wide receivers, four offensive linemen, four safeties, three linebackers, two cornerbacks and one quarterback. Geographically, Alabama leads the way with 11 signees, while Missouri and Tennessee follow at five and four, respectively. Georgia, Mississippi and California each had two members of this year's class, while Kentucky & Illinois round out the 2016 signing class with one representative each.

In total, this year's batch of Racers represents 20 total stars from the three major recruiting services, including two three-star recruits and seven two-star recruits. Below is information about each member of the signing class of 2016.

Ethan Burbank · OL · 6-3 · 270 · Florence, Ala./Florence HS
Burbank will largely be remembered as part of one of the most successful teams in school history in 2014. That year, the Falcons won 11 games, a region title and went to the state semi-finals, and that success was in part due to Burbank. He played on an offensive line that specialized in pass protection, protecting a quarterback that passed for over 2,000 yards on the year.

Cam Carter · OL · 6-6 · 280 · Adamsville, Ala./Minor HS
Carter helped the Tigers to an 8-5 record in 2015 and a trip to the state quarterfinals. He also features for the Minor basketball team where notched multiple double-doubles this season.

Steven Clemmons · OL · 6-4 · 295 · Lewisburg, Tenn./Marshall County HS
Clemons helped the Tigers to a near perfect regular-season in which they went 10-1. He served on an offensive line that helped score 588 points on the season for an average of 53.5 points per game.

Ryan Rainey · OL · 6-1 · 295 · Saucier, Miss./Harrison Central HS/Pearl River CC
After earning All-Conference honor during his senior season at Harrison Central HS, Rainey went on to play two years at nearby Pearl River CC where he was a two year starter. While playing for the Wildcats, the January MSU enrollee was the recipient of the school's prestigious Dobie Holden Memorial Scholarship. After a senior season, in which he helped lead PRCC to an upset of top-ranked Copiah Lincoln, Rainey earned a spot in the MACJC All-Star Game.

Eli Oltean · QB · 6-2 · 190 · St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden HS
Oltean was a key factor in St. Joseph-Oden's undefeated 2015 regular season and run to the state semi-finals. Through three seasons for the Spartans, he was 223-for-404 for 3,394 yards and 45 touchdowns. After tossing 27 touchdown passes and just two picks in the regular season in 2015, he earned second team All-Area honors.

Nick Collins · WR· 5-7 · 185 · Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge HS
Collins is coming off a very successful senior campaign at Rock Bridge for which he earned All-Area honors from the Columbia Daily Tribune. The two-time All-District selection had 921 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns during his senior season. As a receiver, he added an additional 306 yards and three scores.

Tyre Gray · WR · 5-10· 170 · Alexander City, Ala./Benjamin Russell HS
A dual-threat quarterback, Gray for all intents and purposes was the offense for the Wildcats over the past three seasons with over 1400 yards passing and 3000 yards rushing. A 6A ASWA first-team All-State selection in 2015, he earned the honor by passing for 617 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for a whopping 1,848 yards to go along with an astounding 31 touchdowns. The 1,800-plus yards in 2015 marks the second straight season in which Gray, a two-star rated athlete by Scout, rushed for over 1,000 yards.

Mareio McGraw · WR · 6-0 · 180 · Nashville, Tenn./Overton HS
After three consecutive seasons of losing in the Class 1A semi-finals, McGraw helped Nashville Christian get over the hump and win a state title in 2015. A three-star rated player by 247Sports and Scout, he is currently ranked as the 44^th best athlete and second-best corner back in the state of Tennessee. McGraw, now of Overton High school, had 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard run, in the state title game and after the season was named as the region's Skill Player of the Year.

Jonathan Moss · WR · 6-0 · 165 · Madison, Ala./Bob Jones HS
Moss has been a standout at Bob Jones since his middle school days and is currently a two-sport star for the Patriots. Like his older brother and current Racer men's basketball player, Jeff, Jonathan plays both football and basketball, but Jonathan has chosen to play football at Murray State. Moss was a key player in Bob Jones' 2015 season that included a Class 7A Region 4 title. In the Patriot's win over seventh-ranked Buckhorn, Moss came down with a 32-yard touchdown in the end zone during the second quarter that would go on to be the game-winner.

Rajai Perkins · WR · 6-0 · 187 · St. Louis, Mo./Hazlewood East HS
Perkins is a two-sport star from Hazlewood East in St. Louis, excelling in both football and track. In his junior and senior seasons he earned back-to-back first-team All-Suburban XII North Conference honors. In 2014, Perkins had 500 yards on 31 catches and 12 touchdowns, which was followed by 413 yards on 27 catches. In just two seasons, he totaled over 900 yards and averaged 15.7 yards per reception.

Sterling Taylor · WR · 6-0 · 190 · Morrow, Ga./Morrow HS/Contra Costa
After a standout career at Morrow HS in Georgia, Taylor played two years for the Comets of Contra Costa. Over his two-year career, the mid-year enrollee amassed 826 yards on 63 catches with eight touchdowns. The 2015 season served as a breakout season for Taylor, as he hauled in seven touchdowns to go along with 481 yards.

Sylvaughn Turner · WR · 6-2 · 170 · Athens, Ala./East Limestone HS
A two-star recruit by 247Sports.com, Turner averaged 23 yards per catch in 2015 on his way to the second ASWA 5A All-State selection of his career. As a receiver, he had four touchdowns 412 yards and 21 catches, while rushing for 313 on 43 carries with five touchdowns. The offense did not stop there for Turner in his senior season, as he also racked up 474 return yards with another four touchdowns.

Andre Davis · CB · 5-11· 175 · Lexington, Ky./Bryan Station HS
Davis was a stand-out quarterback for Bryan Station, who will play defensive back for the Racers. In 2014, he led Kentucky Class 6A with an astounding 2,390 yards. In his final two seasons for the Defenders, he was 300-for-489 for 4,720 yards with 62 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions

Nigel Walton · CB · 6-0 · 170 · Atlanta, Ga./Carver HS
Walton is coming off of an outstanding senior year in the Carver secondary. He racked up 53 total tackles in 2015, averaging 4.8 per game. In addition, he had two interceptions for 90 yards of return and nine pass deflections. For his efforts, he was named to the 6-AAAAA Div. B All-Region first team.

Kerry Benton · DL · 6-1 · 265 · St. Louis, Mo./Clayton HS
Benton just finished up a four-year career in which helped lead Clayton to the playoffs in 2015. He ended his career with a 128 tackles, including a team-high 51 in his sophomore season. Benton was an All-Conference selection in both 2013 and 2014 and also amassed 12 sacks over his four years as a Greyhound.

Quindarius Coles · DL · 6-4 · 250 · McCalla, Ala./McAdory HS
Coles is coming off of an excellent senior season in which he helped guide his team to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. He played a key part in the Yellowjackets 10-2 season and was on a defense that allowed just 16.1 points per game.

Matthew McClellan · DL · 6-5 · 215 · St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS
McClellan is fresh off of a breakout senior season in which he helped lead Francis Howell to the Class 6 quarterfinals. He racked up 61 tackles last season, including 41 solo and 15 yards of loss. In addition, McClellan added two sacks and two fumble recoveries on the season. For his efforts, he was named as a first-team All-Gateway Athletics South selection.

Dee Nalls · DL · 6-4 · 305 · Fayette, Ala./Fayette County HS
The three-star rated recruit by all three major recruiting services is already enrolled at MSU and ready to make an impact. While primarily known as an offensive guard, he was ranked as one of the top 100 in the nation by Scout, he will be on the defensive line at Murray State. He capped an incredible career at Fayette County HS in 2015 by helping the Tigers to Class 4A title game appearance. Following the season, he was named as a first-team All-Class 4A selection by the ASWA.

Kameron Petty · DL · 6-2 · 290 · New Market, Ala./Buckhorn HS
For the second straight season, a Buckhorn defensive lineman will come to Murray State, as Petty joins Silas Owens as a Racer. Petty is a two-star rated prospect by all three major recruiting services. He is coming off of a 41 tackle, four sack season in which he earned honorable mention All-Huntsville Region honors.

Chris Stahl · DL · 6-2 · 285 · St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS
Stahl is coming off of a great senior season for University HS, in which he racked up 100 tackles and six sacks. His accomplishments were well recognized as he was both a first-team St. Louis All-Metro and a first-team All-Missouri Class 6 selection. Stahl's senior season, while an improvement, was no fluke, as he tallied 61 tackles in 2014 as a junior.

Korey Tillman · DL · 6-2 · 270 · Murfreesboro, Tenn./Blackman HS
Tillman is coming off of a terrific senior year at Blackman HS that saw him earn first-team Class 6A All-State honors from the TSWA. He recorded 42 tackles in 2015 including 3.5 sacks and 15.0 tackles-for-loss. The Rivals two-star recruit's performance last season was no fluke, as the year prior he earned All-District honor by tallying 37 tackles and 3.0 sacks.

Marico Paige · LB · 6-1 · 220 · Wesson, Miss./Lake Cormorant HS/Copiah Lincoln CC
Paige comes to Murray State after a great two-year for Copiah-Lincoln, where he racked up 69 total tackles and four sacks for a loss of 22 yards. In 2015, he helped lead the Wolfpack to a No. 1 national ranking for four weeks of the regular season and finished the year with 43 solo tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. For his accomplishments during the 2015 season, the January MSU enrollee was named second-team All-State by the MACJC. Prior to playing at Co-Lin, Paige had a great career at Lake Cormorant High School where he was named to the Best of the Preps Mississippi/Arkansas team by Memphis' Commercial Appeal.

Derrick Shaw · LB · 6-1· 240 · Alabaster, Ala./Thompson HS
Shaw is a speedy, gifted linebacker from Thompson HS, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and has a 36-inch vertical. The linebacker came-up with multiple sacks and hurries this season, thanks to his speed and agility. Shaw is also a two-sport star for the Warriors, playing in Thompson's front court in basketball, as well.

Robert Adams · LB · 6-2 · 230 · Tuscaloosa, Ala./Northridge HS
Adams was a highly-successful two-way player for Northridge at both linebacker and tight end. Following the 2015 season, he earned West Alabama All-Star honors from the Tuscaloosa News. In the Jaguars' season opener against Etowah, Adams sealed the 13-6 win for his team when came up with an interception with just 1:29 left in the game.

Ernest Kenty · S · 6-2 · 205 · Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS
Kenty, a two-star rated prospect by all-three major recruiting services, has been an key component in resurrecting a football program that was dormant for over 35 years until 2012. In 2015, he helped lead the Rams to their second playoff berth in as many seasons, as well as 17 wins over that same span. One of the best examples of what Kenty can do came in his game against Carver when he racked up eight tackles and returned an interception 99-yards for a touchdown.

Marcus Meredith · S · 5-11 · 190 · San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS/Saddleback CC
Meredith capped a great two-year career at Saddleback CC by helping lead them to the 2015 CCCAA title game, in which he led the team with nine tackles. In 2015, the first-team CCCAA All-American racked up 86 tackles to finish fourth in his league and 17^th in the CCCAA and had a team-high 11 break-ups, which was third in the conference and 14^th in the CCCAA. On top of his tackles and break-ups in 2015, the two-star rated prospect by Rivals and Scout, who is already enrolled at Murray State, had 5.0 tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Zach Wade · S · 5-11 · 215 · Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS/Saddleback CC
Wade played two years for Saddleback CC where he racked up over 100 tackles in his career and helped lead his team to the CCCAA title game in his sophomore season. In 2015, the mid-year enrollee led the National Southern Conference with 129 total tackles and finished eighth in all of the CCCAA, on his way to second-team All-Conference honors. In addition to his tackles, Wade, a two-star recruit according to Rivals, racked up 4.0 tackles for a loss of 13 yards for the Gauchos to go along with four breakups, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

D'Vaughn Whitt · S · 5-10 · 175 · Clarksville, Tenn./Clarksville HS
Witt has been a stalwart in the Clarksville secondary over the past two seasons, earning post-season accolades in each. In 2014, he tallied 67 total tackles and two picks and earned All-District honors for his efforts. In 2015, Whitt was named to the Clarksville All-Area team after he had 46 tackles, 12 of which were for loss, one sack and one interception.

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