Tennessee Tech football announces 2017 signing class

Posted: Feb 01, 2017

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After a successful season that saw the Tennessee Tech football team complete a third-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference during Marcus Satterfield's first season at the helm, the Golden Eagles are building for the future.

With Wednesday's class of 19 signing their names on the line of their National Letters of Intent, it certainly looks like the Golden Eagles are aiming to soar even higher.

Among the 2017 signing class are highly decorated players, state champions, record breakers – all of which could make an impact for Tech football in the seasons to come.

On Saturday, the Golden Eagles added another to the class in Christian Smith, a defensive tackle from Trussville, Ala.

Christian Smith (DT, 6-2, 290 lbs., Hewitt-Trussville, Trussville, Ala.) – Smith, in his senior year with Hewitt-Trussville, collected 66 tackles, including 18 for-loss, as well as four sacks and 19 hurries. He was a second-team Alabama Sports Writers Association all-state second-team selection. He was also named the Trussville Tribune defensive player of the year, an honorable mention to the Birmingham News all-star team and was selected to play in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game in Montgomery, Ala. Smith also won a state championship in 2014 with Leeds High School. He received three player of the game honors during that season. That season, Smith recorded 111 tackles over 15 games, en route to a ASWA second-team all-state selection.

The rest of the class of 2017 included:

Robert Hatchett III (WR, 6-1, 190, Lithonia, Lithonia, Ga.) – A versatile athlete at cornerback and quarterback for Lithonia High, Hatchett has excelled and is looking to add a new position to his repertoire.
Hatchett threw for 2,131 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior, then also rushed for 620 yards and nine more scores. On defense, he also had 31 tackles and an interception, as well as six tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble.
Hatchett was named all-county, as well as the all-region offensive player of the year and was named to the Georgia Coaches Association All-State Team.

Kurtis Huff (OL, 6-1, 275 lbs., Camden, Deptford, N.J.) – Huff helped anchor an offensive line that rushed for 126.9 yards a game and passed for 124.8. Defensively, he recorded 12 tackles and one sack in three games.

Bryson Tolley (LB. 6-1, 220 lbs., Science Hill, Erwin, Tenn.) – Tolley completed a successful career at Science Hill, where he recorded 327 career tackles, including 42 for-loss. He also had two interceptions, a blocked punt and a defensive touchdown.
He was twice named to all-state rosters, was named to the All Big East team three times, was the defensive player of the year for the Johnson City Elite 11 in 2015 and was named to the Elite 11 again in 2016.

Hunter Willis (QB, 6-1, 198 lbs., Greenback, Greenback, Tenn.) – Willis is no stranger to the Tucker Stadium turf, playing in Cookeville the last two seasons in the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl – and his numbers show why.
Willis threw for 1,764 yards and 20 touchdowns, while he also ran for 511 yards on 71 carries – averaging 7.2 yards a carry – and scoring six more touchdowns. He was also impressive on defense, compiling 80 tackles, including seven for-loss, picked off six passes and also breaking up nine passes.
He was named to the Region 2-1A all-region first team, as well as first team all-Loudon County and to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) all-state team.

Tavin Kilpatrick (TE, 6-4, 238 lbs., Greenback, Greenback, Tenn.) – Willis will be joined by his high school teammate in Kilpatrick. The Region 2-1A defensive lineman of the year, Kilpatrick was also a TSWA all-state selection and first-team all-Loudon County.
As a tight end, he caught 25 passes for 332 yards – a 13.3-yard average – and caught four touchdown passes. He graded out with a 93-percent blocking rate.
Defensively, Kilpatrick also collected 60 tackles, including 14 for-loss. He also recorded seven sacks, forced two fumbles – recovering one for a touchdown – had 14 pass hurries and five breakups.

Davis Simmons (WR, 6-2, 205 lbs., Farragut, Knoxville, Tenn.) – Simmons saw limited action in 2016, but still made an impact for the Admirals. In four games, Simmons caught 14 passes for 288 yards, averaging 20.6 yards per catch and 72 yards a game. He hauled in four touchdowns and also recorded seven tackles on defense.

Trevor Kolb (WR, 6-5, 201 lbs., Creekview, Canton, Ga.) – Kolb saw limited action in his senior campaign, but his numbers were still impressive. In five games last season with the Grizzlies, Kolb caught 17 passes for 338 yards, averaging 12.6 yards a catch and 67.6 yards per game. He also hauled in four touchdown passes.

Mike Rhoades (DT, 6-3, 275 lbs., Campbell County, Jacksboro, Tenn.) – Rhoades put up fantastic numbers in 2016 as he recorded 68 tackles – including 14 for-loss – four sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
He was named a preseason all-state selection by Murphy Fair, named to the TSWA all-state team, the Region 3-5A Defensive Lineman of the Year, the Knoxville News Sentinel Prep Xtra first-team and was a semifinalist for the TSSAA-Tennessee Titans Mr. Football 5A lineman.

Jale'n Gladney (DT, 6-0, 285 lbs., Ramsay, Birmingham, Ala.) – Gladney was a force up front on defense, helping lead his Ramsay teammates to a 2016 Class 6A state championship.
Gladney recorded 68 tackles as a senior, including 34 for-loss, as well as 4.5 sacks, six batted passes and a blocked extra point. In his career, he tallied 194 total tackles, 79 for-loss, 15 sacks, seven batted passes, seven fumble recoveries, eight fumbles forced, an interception, a blocked PAT and a defensive touchdown.
He was named all-city in 2014, all-metro honorable mention in 2015, a second-team all-state selection, honorable mention Super All-State, and was on AL.com's preseason best players list to open the 2016 campaign.

Slater Howard (DB, 6-2, 200 lbs., Nashville Christian, Brentwood, Tenn.) – Howard had a strong 2016 season with 42 tackles, including 2.5 for-loss, three pass breakups, four interceptions – including one for a touchdown – and a forced fumble.
Offensively, Howard also caught 21 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns, as well as rushed eight times for 56 yards.
He was named to the all-Region 5-1A team in 2015 and 2016 and was the winner of the Nashville City Civitan Sportsmanship Award.

Marcus McMeans (DB, 6-0, 170 lbs., Winterboro, Talladega, Ala.) – A two-sport athlete, McMeans was named the 2016 Fox 6 Defensive Player of the Year, was Winterboro's defensive MVP and was also named to the All-County team as well as an all-state honorable mention.

Spencer Norrod (OL, 6-3, 295 lbs., Monterey, Monterey, Tenn.) – One of the highest decorated players coming out of the Upper Cumberland, Norrod was a key player for a Monterey program that had plenty of recent success.
His decorations are plentiful: TSSAA-Tennessee Titans Class 1A Mr. Football lineman semifinalist, two-time all-Region 5-1A, two-time all-Region 7-1A, twice named the Region 5-1A offensive lineman of the year, once the District 7-1A offensive lineman of the year, a three-time selection to the TSWA all-state team, a four-time selection to the Cookeville Herald-Citizen's All-Upper Cumberland and all-Herald-Citizen football teams, and was a preseason all-state selection by Murphy Fair.

Chris Hooks (WR, 6-0, 195 lbs., Baldwin County, Bay Minette, Ala.) – Hooks was a versatile weapon for the Baldwin County offense, catching 36 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns, rushing for 291 yards and five touchdowns, as well as completing six of his 12 pass attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Matthew Kenty (DE, 6-2, 235 lbs., Ramsay, Birmingham, Ala.) – Kenty helped lead his Ramsay teammates to a 2016 state championship. In his career, Kenty recorded 205 tackles, including 48 for-loss, 35 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and one touchdown.

Octavian Williams (OL, 6-7, 330 lbs., Lithonia, Lithonia, Ga.) – Williams was a force on the offensive line for Lithonia High, grading out with a 79-percent blocking average with 11 pancakes. He helped lead the team to a region championship and was named to the All-Region 5-AAAAA team and was honorable mention all-DeKalb County.

Mackell Pippen (DB, 6-0, 165 lbs., Jackson-Olin, Birmingham, Ala.) – Widely considered one of the fastest prospects in the Birmingham area, Pippen recorded 39 tackles, broke up 17 passes and intercepted two.

JayQuan Coles (DT, 6-2, 275 lbs., Woodland, Stockbridge, Ga.) -- Coles was named to the first team all-region and Georgia Class 5A all-state teams. He was also a force for Woodland, leading the team in tackles and sacks with 63 tackles and 14 sacks.

Hunter Hawkins (TE, 6-6, 260 lbs., Warren County, Morrison, Tenn.) – Hawkins brings some explosive skill to the Golden Eagles. He was twice named to the all-Region 2-6A team as a junior and a senior. In his blocking, he provided eight pancake blocks. Defensively, Hawkins recorded 77 tackles, six sacks and four pass knockdowns.

In addition to the signees, the Golden Eagles also have a transfer in Hunter Coleman, who transferred from Bowling Green State. He wrapped up his prep career at Roswell High in Georgia in the 2015 season. Coleman is currently enrolled at the university.

2017 TENNESSEE TECH FOOTBALL SIGNING CLASS
Chris Hooks, WR, 6-0, 195, Bay Minette, Ala. (Baldwin County)

Trevor Kolb, WR, 6-5, 201, Canton, Ga. (Creekview)

Robert Hatchett III, WR, 6-1, 190, Lithonia, Ga. (Lithonia)

Davis Simmons, WR, 6-2, 205, Knoxville, Tenn. (Farragut)

Hunter Willis, QB, 6-1, 198, Greenback, Tenn. (Greenback)

Tavin Kilpatrick, TE, 6-4, 238, Greenback, Tenn. (Greenback)

Octavian Williams, OL, 6-7, 330, Lithonia, Ga. (Lithonia)

Kurtis Huff, OL, 6-1, 275, Deptford, N.J. (Camden)

Spencer Norrod, OL, 6-3, 295, Monterey, Tenn. (Monterey)

Slater Howard, DB, 6-2, 200, Brentwood, Tenn. (Nashville Christian)

Marcus McMeans, DB, 6-0, 170, Talladega, Ala. (Winterboro)

Jale'n Gladney, DT, 6-0, 285, Birmingham, Ala. (Ramsay)