The final weekend before National Signing Day for the 2014 class saw a flood of East Texas recruiting news.

Five players in the region's senior class committed to Division I FBS programs: Chapel Hill defensive end Shaquille Warren, Elkhart running back Jeffery Wilson, Pine Tree quarterback/athlete Caleb Chumley, and two players from Texas High -- running back Treveon Walker and receiver Taylor Jackson.

Chapel Hill DE Shaquille Warren. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Chapel Hill DE Shaquille Warren. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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Warren visited ULM and switched his commitment to the Warhawks on Sunday morning. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, who had 69 tackles, 15 for loss, and seven sacks as a senior, previously pledged to Division I FCS-level Central Arkansas on Jan. 26, but the trip to the FBS campus yielded an offer and led to the the change. Warren joins Palestine running back Ben Luckett, Palestine offensive lineman Brian Thlang, and Chapel Hill athlete Wesley Thompson as East Texas' four ULM-pledged seniors.

Elkhart head coach Sam Wells told ETSN.fm around noon Sunday that Wilson committed to North Texas, where he spent the final weekend before signing day. Wilson led East Texas in rushing in 2013 with 2,749 yards and 36 touchdowns, giving him more than 5,000 yards and 59 touchdowns in his final two seasons.

Wilson also held offers from New Mexico State, Texas State, and ULM. He is North Texas' fifth East Texas commitment in the 2014 class, joining Carthage receiver Terian "Tee" Goree, Sulphur Springs athlete Willy Ivery, Carthage receiver O'Keeron Rutherford, and Chumley, who told ETSN.fm late Friday evening that he had committed to the Mean Green and plans to sign with North Texas on Wednesday.

Texas High's Tre Walker runs in one of his five touchdowns in the Tigers' 43-7 win over Sulphur Springs on Oct. 19 in Texarkana. (Evan Lewis, ETSN.fm)
Texas High's Tre Walker runs in one of his five touchdowns in the Tigers' 43-7 win over Sulphur Springs on Oct. 19 in Texarkana. (Evan Lewis, ETSN.fm)
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Texas High teammates Walker and Jackson recently received offers from Navy and committed over the weekend, according to Network Athletics. Walker ran for 1,287 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Tigers, who finished 9-2 and won the District 14-4A championship. Jackson caught 19 passes for 394 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns.

East Texas has 32 FBS commitments entering the week of National Signing Day. The region had 17 players sign with FBS programs last year.

In other recruiting news around the region, Whitehouse linebacker Joseph Klein and Troup defensive lineman Tristen Walsworth committed to Ouachita Baptist, joining recent OBU commitments from East Texas in Liberty-Eylau athlete Michael Carr and Lufkin safety Michael Farley. Klein had 94 tackles as a senior, while Walsworth earned Co-Defensive Line MVP honors in District 9-2A D-I. OBU is a Division II program in Arkadelphia, Ark., that competes in the Great American Conference.

White Oak OL/DL Jason Heim. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
White Oak OL/DL Jason Heim. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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In that same conference, Henderson State -- which already has a half dozen East Texas commitments and several more targets -- extended an offer to Whitehouse receiver Jaylon Dews. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Dews caught 47 passes for 697 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2013.

Another 9-2A D-I lineman MVP -- White Oak offensive lineman Jason Heim -- got an offer from Tarleton State over the weekend and committed to the Texans, joining Whitehouse defensive tackle Kostin Wallace as TSU pledges. Another GAC school -- Southeastern Oklahoma State -- offered Whitehouse linebacker Reggie Long, who has piled up numerous offers, including one from Air Force and several at the Division II level.

Carthage OG Griffin Bankhead. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Carthage OG Griffin Bankhead. (Christopher Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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In the Southwest Junior College Football Conference, Trinity Valley got two commitments in the last two days.

The JUCO Division I program offered San Augustine receiver Dez Randle and Carthage offensive lineman Griffin Bankhead and got commitments from both. Randle caught 65 passes for 1,380 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2013, when Bankhead played a key role on a Carthage offense that scored a school-record 721 points and led the Bulldogs to a 15-1 record and Class 3A Division I state title.

Another Carthage offensive lineman -- center Cade Clinton -- committed to Mary Hardin-Baylor over the weekend. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder also held a Navarro College offer and played a key role making blocking checks at the line of scrimmage for the state champion Bulldogs.

Jacksonville receiver Trent Sansom is expected to take visits to Southwestern University, Trinity, Texas Lutheran, and Louisiana College in the next few weeks as he takes time to decide his future. Sansom tied with Tony Lane for a team-leading 47 receptions for 472 yards and one touchdown. They teamed with Texas A&M-Commerce pledge Claude Franklin, who caught 44 passes for 691 yards and seven scores, to give junior quarterback Josh McCown three dependable targets.

San Augustine WR Dez Randle. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
San Augustine WR Dez Randle. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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2014 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

  • Blake Bogenschutz, QB, Carthage, 6-1, 175 -- committed to UTSA (1)
  • Jacob Bragg, OL, Nacogdoches, 6-4, 310 -- committed to Kansas; additional offers from Louisiana Tech, Oregon State, ULM (4)
  • K.D. Cannon, WR, Mount Pleasant, 6-0, 160 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Arizona, Clemson, Florida State, Houston, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Purdue, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia (21)
  • Caleb Chumley, QB/ATH, Pine Tree, 6-5, 240 -- committed to North Texas; additional offers from Houston, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Missouri, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Texas State (9)
  • Joseph Clark, RB/S, Chapel Hill, 5-9, 175 -- committed to Texas Tech; additional offers from Air Force, Navy, Texas State (4)
  • Kade Clayton, ATH, Tyler Grace, 6-0, 180 — offers from Navy, Texas State (2)
  • Terrell Cuney, C, Jasper, 6-3, 260 — committed to Texas; additional offers from TCU, Texas Tech (3)
  • Devondrick Dixon, ATH, Gilmer, 5-9, 170 -- committed to Texas State (1)
  • Rashaan Donelson, QB, Liberty-Eylau, 6-0, 187 -- offer from Navy (1)
  • Adrian Goodacre, OL, Carthage, 6-4, 318 -- committed to ULL; additional offer from Houston (2)
  • Terian "Tee" Goree, WR, Carthage, 6-2, 170 -- committed to North Texas; additional offers from Colorado, Colorado State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, San Diego State, ULL, ULM, UTSA (9)
  • Davion Hall, ATH, Liberty-Eylau, 6-2, 191 — committed to Baylor; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, SMU, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (9)
  • Zaycoven Henderson, DT, Longview, 6-1, 300 — enrolled at Texas A&M; additional offers from Baylor, Florida, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Washington, Washington State (18)
  • Travin Howard, S, Longview, 6-0, 178 -- committed to TCU; additional offer from UTSA (2)
  • Willy Ivery, ATH, Sulphur Springs, 5-8, 180 -- committed to North Texas; additional offers from Colorado State, New Mexico, Texas State, Toledo (5)
  • Taylor Jackson, WR, Texas High -- committed to Navy (1)
  • Jamal Jeffery, WR, Lufkin, 5-9, 165 — committed to Texas A&M (1)
  • Chris Jefferson, ATH, Athens, 6-2, 200 -- committed to SMU (1)
  • Jawuan Johnson, DB, New Boston, 6-0, 195 -- committed to Northern Illinois (1)
  • Dorian Leonard, WR, Longview, 6-4, 200 — committed to Texas; offers from Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas Tech (6)
  • Reggie Long, LB, Whitehouse, 6-0, 218 -- offers from Air Force (1)
  • Ben Luckett, RB, Palestine, 6-0, 195 -- committed to ULM (1)
  • Patrick Mahomes, QB, Whitehouse, 6-3, 203 — committed to Texas Tech; additional offers from Houston, North Texas, Rice (4)
  • Stephan Maxey, DB, Longview, 5-11, 185 -- offer from UTSA (1)
  • Keith Minor, DL, Chapel Hill, 6-3, 237 -- committed to New Mexico; additional offer from Cincinnati (2)
  • Jarrell Owens, LB/DE, Palestine, 6-3, 230 -- committed to TCU; additional offers from Texas State, Texas Tech, ULM (4)
  • Greg Roberts, DE, Nacogdoches, 6-5, 200 -- committed to Baylor (1)
  • Anthony Rhone, LB, Texas High, 6-0, 210 -- committed to SMU (1)
  • O'Keeron Rutherford, WR, Carthage, 6-5, 181 -- committed to North Texas; additional offer from ULM (2)
  • Anthony Sanders, ATH, Athens, 5-11, 185 -- offer from ULM (1)
  • Kevin Shorter, RB/S, Newton, 6-0, 190 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Arkansas, Army, Baylor, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, ULM, Utah (22)
  • Brian Thlang, OL, Palestine, 6-2, 290 -- committed ULM (1)
  • Wesley Thompson, ATH, Chapel Hill, 6-1, 185 -- committed to ULM (1)
  • Josh Walker, RB/LB, Gilmer, 6-1, 220 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech (4)
  • Treveon Walker, RB, Texas High, 5-10, 175 -- committed to Navy (1)
  • Shaquille Warren, DE, Chapel Hill, 6-4, 230 -- committed to ULM (1)
  • D.J. Williams, DT, Lufkin, 6-4, 293 -- committed to Kansas; additional offers from Houston, Miami, Missouri, North Texas, Oklahoma (6)
  • Jeffery Wilson, RB, Elkhart, 6-0, 190 -- committed to North Texas; additional offers New Mexico State, Texas State, ULM (4)

 

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