February 7, 2018

Golden Eagles add 12 on National Signing Day

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- National Signing Day 2018 is now in the books and the Tennessee Tech football team added to its roster as head coach Dewayne Alexander puts together his first signing class. The group of 12 signees and two early enrollees join the group that signed in early December.

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- National Signing Day 2018 is now in the books and the Tennessee Tech football team added to its roster as head coach Dewayne Alexander puts together his first signing class. The group of 12 signees and two early enrollees join the group that signed in early December.

The class includes:

Bradley Clark, WR, 6-2, 190, Lakeland, Fla. (Victory Christian Academy)

Clark had a great season in 2017 at VCA as he hauled in 38 catches for 708 yards and eight touchdowns. Clark should be a valuable addition to the Tech receivers corps.

Brian Thompson, DB, 6-1, 180, Nashville, Tenn. (East Nashville Magnet HS)

An exceptional defensive force, Thompson picked off eight passes for a combined 186 yards while also deflecting seven passes last season. He also had 33 tackles – 27 solo and six assisted. Thompson also saw action on the offensive side of the ball, catching 26 passes for 393 yards and seven touchdowns.

Josh Lee, LB, 6-2, 245, Kathleen, Ga. (Veterans HS/Georgia Southern transfer)

Lee joins the Golden Eagle squad after a redshirt year at Georgia Southern. At Veterans High School, Lee set the single-game (20), single-season (130) and career (292) records in tackles. He was twice named an All-Region 5A first-team selection. Lee is already enrolled and taking classes at Tech.

Bailey Fisher, QB, 6-0, 195, Tiger, Ga. (Rabun Co. HS, already enrolled)

Fisher passed for 3,341 yards as a senior with 43 touchdowns, averaging 222.7 yards per game. He completed 211 of his 297 attempts and also rushed for 1,283 yards on 221 carries (85.5 avg. per game) with 27 touchdowns and seven games with 100 or more rushing yards. Fisher is already enrolled and taking classes at Tech.

Schaefer Almoyan, OT, 6-6, 290, Clarksville, Ga. (Habersham Central HS)

Almoyan played offensive tackle for a Habersham Central offense that passed for 2,503 yards and rushed for 2,093 yards, providing valuable coverage for the offensive skill positions.

Jarrett Key, LS, 6-0, 225, Livingston, Tenn. (Livingston Academy)

A product from former Golden Eagle standout and LA head coach Bruce Lamb, Key was a valuable member of the Wildcats' special teams efforts and should bolster a strong group of snappers for the Golden Eagles.

Bryson Garrett, OL, 6-5, 290, Knoxville, Tenn. (Karns HS)

Garrett brings in some good size from a young player as he joins the Golden Eagles' offensive front. Garrett provided valuable coverage for the Karns offense in 2017. Garrett was twice named all-region and all-district offensive lineman of the year. He was also named the adidas Showcase OL MVP, the NUC Showcase OL MVP and the Focus All Area OL of the Year in 2017.

Aidan Raines, S, 6-1, 180, Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (Mt. Juliet HS)

An all-region selection as well as a multi-sport athlete, Raines will bring a fantastic presence to the safety position. Raines ended his offensive career with 60 career touchdowns, more than 2,700 rushing yards and 1,100 receiving yards and scored more than 350 points. Because of his role on offense, his defensive efforts were limited, but still made more than 50 tackles and two interceptions this past season. He was a four-year starter on a two-time region champion Mt. Juliet team.

Jeremiah Edwards, WR, 5-10, 160, Nashville, Tenn. (Hillsboro HS)

Edwards put up solid numbers as a wide receiver at Hillsboro, hauling in 35 catches for 450 yards and 12 touchdowns. A versatile performer, Edwards also compiled 915 all-purpose yards in his senior campaign.

Michael Scavo, LB, 5-11, 225, Cookeville, Tenn. (Cookeville HS)

Offensively, Scavo rushed for 194 yards on 38 attempts and two touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards a carry. He also caught three passes for 28 yards and a touchdown. But his best numbers came on defense as he collected 131 tackles for the Cavaliers – 118 solo, 13 assisted – including four tackles-for-loss and two sacks. He also had two pass deflection, as well as an interception for 25 yards for a defensive touchdown.

Sam Oldham, H, 6-0, 215, Cookeville, Tenn. (Cookeville HS)

Oldham recorded 62 tackles in the 2017 campaign – 45 solo and 17 assisted – with eight tackles-for-loss and seven sacks. He also forced and recovered a fumble.

Cade Smith, QB/ATH, 6-0, 190, Cookeville, Tenn. (Cookeville HS)

Smith passed for 1,726 yards for Cookeville in 2017, completing 101 of his 169 passes with six interceptions. He threw 22 touchdown passes as he averaged 132.8 passing yards a game. On the ground, Smith rushed for 1,002 yards on 169 carries, with nine more touchdowns to his credit.

Drew Martin, QB, 6-2, 205, Franklin, Tenn. (Battle Ground Academy)

Martin threw for 3,084 yards for a BGA team that finished 11-2 in 2017. He completed 219 of his 311 passes and threw 37 touchdown passes as he averaged 237.2 yards per game. Martin also rushed 74 times for 237 yards and six touchdowns. BGA reached the Division II-AA semifinals before falling to eventual state champ Lausanne Collegiate.

Tai Carter, ATH, 5-10, 183, Spring Hill, Tenn. (Summit HS)

Carter was a TSSAA Class 5A Mr. Football finalist at Summit, rushing for 1,225 yards and 14 touchdowns on 141 carries in an injury-shortened season as he helped lead the team to its first region championship. Carter also threw two touchdown passes on 2-for-3 passing for 54 yards and caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.