Stewart Inks 25 For National Signing Day 2017

Head coach Mitch Stewart is pleased to announce the signing of 25 student-athletes that have chosen to further their educational and football careers at Murray State. Wednesday's signings join five others that signed in the early signing period and are already enrolled in classes at Murray State.

This year's class includes eight offensive lineman, seven wide receivers, five defensive backs, three quarterbacks, two running backs, two defensive lineman, an athlete, a kicker and a long snapper. Geographically, Tennessee led the way with 12 signees, while Kentucky followed closely behind with eight. Illinois and Mississippi each had four members of the 2017 class, while Alabama and South Carolina rounded out the talented group with one player each. Twelve of the signees coming to Murray State out of high school were All-State selections in their home state.

Below is information about each member of the signing class of 2017.

Shuler Bentley · QB · 6-1 · 200 · Duncan, S.C. (Byrnes HS/Old Dominion)
J.R. Burns · OL · 6-2 · 295 · Corinth, Miss. (Corinth HS/Northwest Mississippi CC)
Rico McGraw · DB · 6-0 · 194 · Nashville, Tenn. (The Ensworth School/Georgia)
Preston Rice · QB · 6-2 · 215 · Waynesboro, Tenn. (Wayne County HS)
Kenney Wooten · DL · 6-1 · 235 · Meridian, Miss. (Meridian HS/Itawamba CC)

Rodney Castille · WR · 5-11 · 165 · Humboldt, Tenn. (Liberty Tech Magnet HS)
Castille had an outstanding senior year for the Crusaders earning Class 3A All-State honors from the TSWA after being a key player in their run to the state championship game. He was also selected to play in the 2016 West Tennessee All-Star Game. Last spring, in his first season with the track team, Castille took home the state title in the 300m hurdles at the A-AA level.

DeQuan Dallas · WR · 6-1 · 176 · Memphis, Tenn. (Melrose HS)
Dallas was an All-District selection as a defensive back in 2016 and was an All-Region honoree for his performance as a wide receiver. Following the season he was selected to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game.

C.J. Henagan · WR · 6-3 · 185 · Hopkinsville, Ky. (Hopkinsville HS)
Henagan caught 38 passes for 796 yards and 11 touchdowns for Hopkinsville in 2016. Defensively, he added 38 tackles and two interceptions. Following the season, he was named as an All-State honorable mention by the Associate Press. Henagan is also a standout for the Tigers' basketball team where he currently averages 10.5 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game.

Corey Jones · WR · 6-1 · 185 · Collierville, Tenn. (St. George's Independent HS)
Jones earned back-to-back All-State selections from the TSWA in 2015 and 2016 and was an integral part of the Gryphons' 2015 state championship. Following the 2016 season, he was selected to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game and was named as his district's Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches. In addition to football, Jones also helped St. George's win the 2015 state basketball title.

Alec Raboin · WR · 6-3 · 195 · Mattoon, Ill. (Mattoon HS)
Raboin is fresh off a senior season for the Green Wave that saw him catch 38 passes for 574 yards and four touchdowns. Following the season, Raboin was named to the All-Apollo Conference second team and as an honorable mention All-Wabash Valley selection by the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association.

Austin Thomas · WR · 6-1 · 180 · Dresden, Tenn. (Dresden HS)
Thomas helped lead the Lions to the Tennessee Class 1A state title in 2016. He was a first team All-State selection by the Tennessee Sportswriters Association and was selected to play in the 2016 West Tennessee All-Star Game.

Kylan Martin · WR · 6-1 · 190 · Humboldt, Tenn. (Humboldt HS)
Martin was an effective receiver for Humboldt in 2016, serving as one of the Viking's primary targets. The speedy receiver found the end zone several times throughout the season thanks to his 4.6 40-yard dash time. His speed also helped him on defense where he played as a defensive back.

Trajon Bright · RB · 5-5 · 175 · Mayfield, Ky. (Mayfield HS)
After being named as an All-State honorable mention by the Courier-Journal in 2016, bright had a breakout senior season for the cardinals and earned first team All-State honors from both the Courier-Journal and the Associated Press. Bright scored 23 touchdowns and rushed for 1,635 yards to help Mayfield advance all the way to the Class 2A state semifinals.

D.J. Penick · RB · 5-10 · 195 · Highland Park, Ill. (Highland Park HS)
Penick rushed for 1,718 yards last season and 23 touchdowns for Highland Park en route to being named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 7A All-State team and as the Central Suburban League North Offensive Player of the Year. He has also been a member of the USA Football U18 National Team and played in the 2016 International Bowl in Dallas, Texas. In addition to football, Penick advanced to the Illinois Class 3A state wrestling tournament where, at 170-pounds, he finished sixth to earn medalist honors.

Corey Newble · QB· 6-0 · 180 · Jackson, Tenn. (Liberty Magnet Tech HS)
Newble passed for over 2,000 yards in 2016 and found the end zone 19 times to propel Liberty Tech to the 2016 Class 3A state championship game. He rushed for an additional 400-plus yards and 11 more scores and was a 2016 All-State selection by the TSWA.

Austin Daulton · OL · 6-3 · 329 · Burnside, Ky. (Southwestern HS)
Daulton helped Southwestern to two district titles and two region title game appearances during his time as a Warrior. As a defensive lineman, he earned back-to-back All-State recognition from the Associated Press, being named honorable mention in 2015 and getting a second team nod in 2016, thanks in part to his 72 total tackles. Prior to the 2016 season, he was named as one of the top 50 prospects in the state of Kentucky by the Courier-Journal.

Levi Nesler · OL · 6-2 · 290 · Mayfield, Ky. (Graves County HS)
Nesler was a key element in Graves County's success over the past few years including consecutive playoff berths and an appearance in the 2014 Class 5A state championship game. He was a 2016 All-State second team honoree by the Associated Press and was a Courier-Journal All-State honorable mention.

Davian Phillips · OL · 6-3 · 305 · Cadiz, Ky. (Trigg County HS)
Phillips had an outstanding senior year at Trigg County that saw him earn All-State second team honors from both the Courier-Journal and the Associated Press. In addition to his work on the offensive line in 2016, he also added 66 tackles on defense. He is a two-time All-Western Kentucky Conference honoree and was chosen to play in the 2017 Kentucky/Tennessee Border Bowl.

Mitch Ponder · OL · 6-5 · 285 · Glasgow, Ky. (Glasgow HS)
Ponder was a part of four Glasgow teams that made four straight trips to the Class 2A playoffs. Ponder, a two-time All-SKY conference selection, served as the starting center for two seasons on an offense that average just under 2200 yards in each of those seasons through the air.

Keilan Rooks · OL · 6-6 · 285 · Dresden, Tenn. (Dresden HS)
Rooks was one of the main pass blockers for Dresden's prolific passing offense that carried the Lions to the 2016 Class 1A state title. This year, he added basketball to his list of talents where he is has had double-digit performances on multiple occasions.

Jacob Vance · OL · 6-5 · 270 · Prospect, Ky. (North Oldham HS)
A two-year starter, Vance has twice earned All-Conference honors, being named to the second team in 2015 and the first team in 2016. After the 2016 season, he was also named first-team All-Region and was selected to play in the Greater Louisville Football Coaches Association's East-West All-Star Game.

Shane Walker · OL · 6-5 · 285 · Bartlett, Ill. (St. Francis HS)
Walker has been a mainstay on the Spartan offensive line for each of the past two seasons. He was also previously a member of the St. Francis basketball team.

Colin Boyd · K · 5-11 · 175 · Springfield, Ill. (Sacred Heart-Griffin HS)
Boyd is currently ranked as one of the Top 100 high school kickers in the country by Kohl's National Rating System, earning 4.5 out of five stars. He played an integral role in the Cyclones' run to the Class 6A state championship.

Chandler Moody · LS · 6-0 · 185 · Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood HS)
Moody recently turned heads at a recent long snapping camp hosted by renowned long snapping instructor Chris Rubio. Moody has the ability to produce snap times under .7, with times between .6 and .7 viewed as worthy of consideration by NFL scouts.

Jeremy Bumpus · ATH · 6-3 · 198 · Union City, Tenn. (Union City HS)
Bumpus played wide receiver and defensive end on a Union City team that won two state titles during his tenure. He entered the2016 season as a Class 1A Preseason All-State selection by the Tennessee High School Football magazine.

Tristan Bonstetter · DB · 6-0 · 185 · Jackson, Tenn. (Trinity Christian Academy)
Bonstetter has been the starting quarterback and a starting defensive back at Trinity for two seasons after transferring from Graves County. In 2015, he helped lead the Lions to the Class 2A semifinals and in 2016, he was named All-West Tennessee honorable mention by the Jackson Sun.

Juwon Hayes-Keyes · DB · 5-9 · 186 · Mt. Olive, Miss. (Taylorsville HS/East Central CC)
Keyes had a breakout sophomore year for the Warriors in which he totaled 51 tackles and led the team with four interceptions and six pass breakups. In 2015, finished with 20 tackles, a forced fumble and two pass breakups.

Don Parker · DB · 6-2 · 178 · Hopkinsville, Ky. (Hopkinsville HS)
Parker racked up 171 tackles for the Tigers over the past two seasons with 90 in 2015 and 81 in 2016. Over the same span, Parker returned five interceptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He was twice named All-State honorable mention by the Courier-Journal and once by the Associated Press.

Qmond Woods · DB · 6-1 · 185 · McComb, Miss. (North Pike HS/Holmes CC)
Woods is coming off of a two-year stint at Holmes CC where he helped lead his team to a bowl game win and a top-10 national finish in 2016. He finished second on the team in tackles in 2016 with 63 to go along with a team-high three interceptions and two pass breakups en route to second-team All-MACJC honors. As a freshman for the Bulldogs in 2015, Woods totaled 39 tackles with 1.0 sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and two pass breakups.

JaQuez Hill · DL · 6-1 · 230 · Pleasant Grove, Ala. (Pleasant Grove HS)
Hill helped lead Pleasant Grove to playoff appearances in both 2015 and 2016. He finished his senior season with 52 tackles, 41 of which were solo, and 15.0 sacks for 96 yards of loss, as well as a fumble recovery.

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