Ball State University Athletics
Football Team Signs 24 In 2007 Recruiting Class
February 08, 2007 | Football
Ball State University head football coach Brady Hoke announced 24 recruits have signed national letters of intent to attend Ball State and play football for the Cardinals.
"We are extremely happy with the quality of student-athletes in this year's class," Hoke says. "The coaching staff did a great job of filling some needs of our program. We recruited across the country and signed players from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan. We are ready to welcome these individuals to the Ball State football program, and are excited to welcome their families to Ball State football."
The Cardinals finished the 2006 season with a 5-7 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State posted five conference wins in a season for the first time since the 1996 campaign, and ended the season with three wins in the final four games. The Cardinals played seven games on television in 2006, including two on national television on ESPN2 and ESPNU, while an eighth game was shown on ESPN 360. Ball State posted a 3-1 record in MAC road games last fall, and set single-season records for most yards passing, most passes completed, most touchdown passes thrown and most first downs passing.
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) High School Coach
Sean Baker DB 6-1 200 Canfield, Ohio (Canfield) Mike Pavlansky
High School:
Earned three letters in football for Coach Mike Pavlansky . . . helped team to an 8-3 overall record as a senior and a 29-8 mark in his career . . . helped senior class to the most wins in school history . . . guided team to the state championship game as a junior, the first-ever appearance in school history . . . helped team to share of Metro Athletic Conference title as a senior . . . three-time all-conference . . . two-time All-Northeast Ohio . . . all-state as a junior and senior . . . Northeast Ohio and MAC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior . . . named Canfield's Offensive Most Valuable Player as a senior . . . tallied 90 tackles and two interceptions as a senior . . . also threw for five touchdowns, rushed for eight TDs and caught three touchdown passes as a senior . . . managed 240 tackles and eight interceptions in his career . . . totalled 13 rushing TDs, 11 passing touchdowns and five receiving TDs in his career . . . set a school record with 383 passing yards in a single game . . . also earned three letters in basketball for Coach John Cullen . . . averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists as a junior . . . earned one letter in baseball for Coach Tony Ross . . . Personal: Son of Kirk and Lisa Baker . . . two sisters and one brother . . . brother, Chad, played baseball for the University of Pittsburgh . . . born Nov. 6, 1988, in Youngstown, Ohio . . . owns a 3.1 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . full name is Sean Joseph Baker.
Koreen Burch CB 5-9 163 Broxton, Ga. (Coffee) Jerry Odom
High School: Earned four letters in football for Coach Jerry Odom . . . helped team to a 9-3 overall record as a senior and a 38-11 mark in his career . . . helped team to a ranking of No. 5 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 4 in the Coaches Poll . . . all-conference as a sophomore and senior, plus earned second team honors as a freshman and honorable mention as a junior . . . all-region and all-state as a senior . . . managed 62 tackles, six tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and two interceptions as a senior . . . returned one interception 86 yards for a TD as a senior . . . tallied two kickoff returns and two punt returns for touchdowns as a senior . . . four kickoff returns and 10 punt returns for touchdowns in his career . . . registered 10 interceptions, including eight returned for TDs in his career . . . had 120 career tackles . . . also earned four letters in basketball and track . . . averaged 10.0 points and 8.0 assists as a junior . . . advanced to the state as a member of the school's 400-meter relay team as a junior . . . owns a 3.1 grade-point average on school's 4.0 scale . . . Personal: Son of Cynthia Dansby . . . two sisters and one brother . . . cousin, Greg Threat, played football at the University of Miami . . . born Feb. 25, 1988, in Miami, Fla. . . . full name is Koreen Jamal Burch.
Brandon Carnegie CB 5-11 180 Novi, Mich. (Novi) Tab Kellepourey
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Tab Kellepourey . . . team was 20-8 in his career . . . helped team to the Kensington Valley Conference Championship as a sophomore . . . three-time all-conference . . . two-time all-area . . . managed 50 tackles and six interceptions as a senior . . . registered 319 yards rushing on 61 carries and 306 receiving yards on 11 catches as a senior . . . managed over 1,000 receiving yards and 400 rushing yards with 12 touchdown catches and eight rushing TDs in his career . . . owns a 3.4 grade-point average on school's 4.0 scale . . . academic all-conference . . . Personal: Son of David Carnegie Jr. . . . one brother . . . cousin, Antonio Bryant, played football for the University of Pittsburgh and in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers . . . born July 5, 1989, in Detroit, Mich. . . . full name is Brandon Christopher Carnegie.
Brendan Choy TE 6-4 240 Bradenton, Fla. (Lakewood Ranch) Shawn Trent
High School: Earned two letters in football for Coach Shawn Trent . . . helped team to a 6-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the conference as a senior . . . All-Suncoast First Team, all-district and all-county as a senior . . . selected to compete in the Florida North-South All-Star Game . . . had 13 receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns as a senior . . . Personal: Son of Samuel and Barbara Choy . . . one brother . . . born March 24, 1989, in Omaha, Neb. . . . full name is Brendan Peter Choy.
Frank Edmonds RB 5-8 191 Cleveland, Ohio (St. Edward) John Gibbons
High School:
Earned two letters in football for Coach John Gibbons . . . helped St. Edward to a 9-2 overall record as a senior and a 21-3 mark in his career . . . guided the Eagles to a sectional final as a senior and a 10-0 regular season record and a semistate appearance as a junior . . . helped team to a national ranking of No. 8 by USA Today . . . St. Edward was ranked preseason No. 1 in the state . . . gained over 1,400 yards rushing plus had 250 yards receiving with 18 total touchdowns as a senior . . . set the school's single-season rushing record with 2,135 yards as a junior . . . rushed for over 3,500 yards, plus had over 500 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns in his career . . . earned all-district honors as a junior and senior . . . received honorable mention on the all-state team as a senior after earning first-team honors as a junior . . . named the county Player of the Year as a junior . . . listed in Street and Smith's Magazine Top-50 Juniors to Watch list . . . also lettered four seasons in track and field as a sprinter . . . named team's Most Valuable Player and Top Sprinter as a junior . . . finished eighth in the state in the indoor 55-meter dash as a sophomore and qualified for the indoor state meet as a junior . . . Personal: Son of Frank Edmonds and Michele Duffy . . . born Aug. 19, 1989, in Cleveland, Ohio . . . three brothers and three sisters . . . full name is Frank E. Edmonds III.
Jerrod Gray DL 6-3 255 Bradley, Ill. (Bourbonnais) Craig Bundy
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Craig Bundy . . . all-state as a senior . . . All-Southwest Suburban Conference as a junior and senior . . . all-area as a junior and senior . . . managed 36 solo tackles, 41 tackle assists, four sacks and 16 tackles for loss as a senior . . . owns a 3.0 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . also earned three letters in track and field for Coach Mike Lehning . . . Personal: Son of Jerry Gray and Debra Schiel . . . one sister . . . born April 12, 1989, in Kankakee, Ill. . . . full name is Jerrod Thomas Gray.
Ryan Hartke LB 6-4 200 St. Henry, Ohio (St. Henry) Jeff Starkey
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Jeff Starkey . . . helped team to a 14-1 record and a state championship as a senior . . . helped the Redskins to a 38-12 mark in his career . . . also helped team to a state title as a sophomore . . . helped team to an 8-1 Midwest Athletic Conference record as a senior . . . All-Ohio as a senior . . . All-Northwest District as a senior, after earning honorable mention as a junior . . . all-conference as a linebacker and wide receiver as a senior . . . received honorable mention on the all-league team as a sophomore and junior . . . registered 100 tackles plus 800 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior . . . high school teammate of fellow recruit Andy Puthoff . . . also earned three letters in baseball for Coach John Dorner . . . Personal: Son of Bill and Kathy Hartke . . . two sisters and one brother . . . brother, Alan, plays football at the University of Dayton . . . cousin, Jameson, plays football at Ohio . . . owns a 3.0 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . born June 1, 1988, in Coldwater, Ohio . . . full name is Ryan Edward Hartke.
Derrick Henry CB 6-1 190 Columbus, Ohio (Worthington Kilbourne) Vince Trombetti
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Vince Trombetti . . . team was 24-13 in his career . . . helped team to the Ohio Cardinal Conference Championship as a junior . . . helped team to the regional crown as a sophomore and a regional runner-up finish as a junior . . . two-time all-conference second team selection . . . named Worthington Kilbourne's Defensive Back of the Year as a senior . . . all-city as a senior after earning honorable mention as a junior . . . managed 60 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery as a senior . . . also added four pass breakups and one blocked punt as a senior . . . managed nine catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns as a senior . . . totalled 85 tackles, three interceptions and five forced fumbles in his career . . . rushed for 707 yards and had 19 catches for 397 yards in his career . . . Personal: Son of Alton and Evelyn Henry . . . one sister and two brothers . . . born Nov. 28, 1988, in Kingston, Pa. . . . full name is Derrick Matthew Henry.
Jermaine Houston DL 6-4 230 Newberry, S.C. (Newberry) Sam Baird
Prep School: Played football at Georgia Military Academy during the 2005 and 2006 seasons . . . helped the team to a 9-3 record as a senior and an 18-5 mark in two years . . . managed 15 tackles and five sacks last season . . . High School: Earned two letters in football for Coach Sam Baird . . . helped team to a 6-3 mark and a regional championship in his senior season . . . tallied 70 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and two interceptions as a senior plus had five receptions for 130 yards as a tight end . . . totalled 125 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 20 sacks and five interceptions in his career . . . all-county as a senior . . . Personal: Son of Bobbie Houston . . . five sisters . . . cousin Cecil Caldwell played football at South Carolina and in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns . . . born April 14, 1986, in Newberry, S.C. . . . full name is Jermaine Kentron Houston.
Kreg Hunter OL 6-3 300 Lebanon, Ind. (Lebanon) Kent Wright
High School: Earned four letters in football for Coach Kent Wright . . . helped team to a 7-3 record as a senior and a 22-18 mark in his career . . . All-Sagamore Conference as a junior and senior . . . named the Daily Sun Boone County Player of the Year as a senior . . . voted Lebanon's Outstanding Lineman as a junior and senior and the team's Most Outstanding Sophomore . . . all-state as a junior and senior . . . tallied 43 solo tackles, 33 tackle assists, six sacks, six tackles for loss and two pass breakups as a senior . . . managed 97 solos, 72 assists, 15 sacks, 21 TFLs, 8 pass breakups in career . . . credited with 49 pancake blocks as a junior and 28 as a senior . . . also earned two letters in wrestling . . . qualified for regionals as a sophomore in the heavyweight division . . . earned three letters in track and field in the shot put and discus . . . Personal: Son of Lyle and Kari Hunter . . . two brothers . . . born July 2, 1988, in Lebanon, Ind. . . . full name is Kreg Andrew Hunter.
Daniel Ifft WR 6-3 175 Dover, Ohio (Dover) Dan Ifft
High School: Earned four letters in football for his father, Coach Dan Ifft . . . helped team to an 11-2 record as a senior and a 35-10 mark in his career . . . helped the Tornadoes to the state regional finals and Ohio's Elite Eight as a senior . . . guided his team to East Central Ohio League Championships in 2003 and 2005 . . . tallied 114 receptions for 1,822 yards with 20 touchdowns as a senior . . . registered 83 tackles as a senior . . . managed 270 receptions for 4,276 yards and 48 TDs in his career . . . started at quarterback as a sophomore and completed 173-of-294 passes (.590) for 2,333 yards and 29 touchdowns . . . set school records for pass receptions in a season (114) and career (271) plus set school marks for TD catches in a season (21) and career (45) . . . the 114 receptions as a senior set an Ohio state record . . . managed 21 TD catches as a junior, which is the second best single-season mark in the state of Ohio . . . his 4,295 career yards also ranks second all-time in the state of Ohio . . . averaged 145.9 receiving yards per game as a junior . . . two-time All-Ohio selection and two time Best Receiver by Ohio News Network/Ohio High Magazine . . . ECOL Receiver of the Year as a junior and senior . . . three-time all-region . . . two-time all-state . . . also earned four letters in basketball for Coach Bob Von Kaenel . . . ECOL Player of the Year and District Player of the Year in basketball as a junior . . . All-Ohio Third Team as a junior . . . set the school record for most steals in a year and most three-point field goals in a career . . . Personal: Son of Dan Ifft and Jill Ifft . . . one sister and one brother . . . father competed on the track and field team at Kent State . . . owns a 3.8 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . member of the National Honor Society . . . born April 27, 1988 in Massillon, Ohio . . . full name is Daniel Michael Ifft.
Ben Jacoby OL 6-2 270 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Buford) Jess Simpson High School:
Davyd Jones LB 6-1 205 Muncie, Ind. (Central) John Hochstetler
High School: Earned four letters in football for Coach John Hochstetler . . . helped the Bearcats to three sectional titles and two conference championships . . . two-time All-North Central Conference . . . received honorable mention on the all-state team as a junior and senior . . . two-time all-area . . . Indiana Football Coaches Association Top-50 as a senior . . . also earned two letters in basketball for Coach Matt Fine . . . Personal: Son of Russell Jones and Lillie Jones . . . one sister and three brothers . . . owns a 3.5 grade-point average on school's 4.0 scale . . . member of National Honor Society . . . born April 16, 1988, in Muncie, Ind. . . . full name is Davyd Jaron Jones.
Simeon Kelley WR 5-11 180 Atlanta, Ga. (Grady) Ronnie Millen
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Ronnie Millen . . . helped team to a 10-3 record as a senior and a 36-8 mark in his career . . . guided team to the school's first ever state semifinalist appearance as a junior . . . helped team to a final eight finish in the state tournament as a senior . . . helped the team to a region championship as a senior . . . tallied 1,900 yards passing with 23 touchdowns and 650 yards rushing with 11 TDs as a senior . . . managed 4,850 career passing yards with 63 touchdowns . . . posted 1,380 career rushing yards with 29 rushing TDs . . . set all Grady High School passing records, including yards in a season, yards in a career, touchdowns in a season, touchdowns in a career, completion percentage in a season and career, total touchdowns in a season and career . . . all-region, all-state and all-metro as a junior and senior . . . Personal: Son of Simeon and Michelle Kelley . . . one brother . . . full name is Simeon Kelley Jr.
Rayondon Kennedy DL 6-2 235 Dolton, Ill. (Mount Carmel) Frank Lenti
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Frank Lenti . . . helped Mount Carmel to a state runner-up finish as a junior and senior . . . helped team to a 12-2 overall record as a senior and a 41-5 mark in his career . . . helped team to a 5-1 Chicago Catholic League mark as a senior and a second straight conference championship . . . named team's Most Improved Player as a junior . . . also earned three letters in track and field for Coach Ray Maknowski . . . managed a personal best in the shot put with a throw of 53-feet, 2 inches . . . qualified for the state as a junior . . . Personal: Son of Raymond and Lucille Kennedy . . . one sister and three brothers . . . born Jan. 27, 1989, in Chicago, Ill. . . . full name is Rayondon Jerome Kennedy.
Dee Lett LB 5-11 203 Hopkinsville, Ky. (Christian County) Mike Whitaker
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Mike Whitaker . . . helped team to a 7-4 overall record as a senior and a 34-14 career mark . . . guided the Colonels to three conference championships, two regional titles and one district crown . . . All-New Era All-Star as a senior . . . registered 15 sacks and 18 quarterback hurries as a senior . . . managed 17 career sacks and scored two defensive touchdowns in his career . . . set Christian County school records for sacks in a season (15), sacks in a game (4) and tackles for loss in a game (4) . . . named team's Best Defensive Lineman as a senior . . . also earned two letters in track and field for Coach Ed Davis . . . owns a career best in the long jump with a leap of 19-feet and a personal best time of :10.9 in the 100-meter dash . . . Personal: Son of Derrick Lett and Johnnetta Lett . . . two brothers and one sister . . . born May 3, 1988, in Hopkinsville, Ky. . . . full name is Derron O. Lett.
Ian McGarvey PK/P 5-9 200 Greenwood, Ind. (Center Grove) Eric Moore
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Eric Moore . . . all-state and all-conference as a senior . . . Indiana Football Coaches Association Top-50 as a senior . . . Indiana's Mr. Football Kicker of the Year . . . two-time All-Johnson County . . . connected on 10-of-15 field goals as a senior with a long of 52 yards . . . made 26-of-26 point after attempts as a senior and 26-of-30 as a junior . . . averaged 35.0 yards per punt with a long of 81 yards as a senior . . . punted 47 times as a senior with 17 placing the opponents inside their 20-yard line . . . the 52-yard field goal and 81-yard punt set conference records . . . connected on 12-of-18 field goals in his career . . . made his high school football debut against the state's No. 1 ranked Warren Central and helped the team to a 50-49 victory . . . also earned two letters in soccer for Coach Phil Orlando as a goalkeeper . . . Personal: Son of Bernard and Ursula McGarvey . . . one brother . . . owns a 3.3 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . born June 16, 1989, in Cork, Ireland . . . full name is Ian David McGarvey.
Rene Perry DT 5-11 270 Lake City, Fla. (Columbia) Danny Green
High School: Earned four letters in football for Coach Danny Green . . . helped team to an 8-2 overall record as a senior and a 32-10 mark in his career . . . all-conference as a junior and senior . . . all-state as a junior and earned honorable mention as a senior . . . rushed 99 times for 621 yards with four touchdowns plus tallied 43 tackles and four sacks as a senior . . . set the Columbia school record for power clean with a 350 lift . . . All-Gainesville Area as a junior and senior . . . named team's Most Valuable Player as a junior . . . Personal: Son of Brenda Perry . . . one brother . . . owns a 3.6 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . member of the National Honor Society . . . born Oct. 24, 1988, in Slidell, La. . . . full name is Rene Lucious Perry.
Jafe Pitcock DT 6-2 257 Piqua, Ohio (Piqua) Bill Nees
High School: Earned four letters in football for Coach Bill Nees . . . helped team to a 13-2 record and the state championship as a senior . . . helped team to the Greater Western Ohio Conference title as a senior . . . all-conference second team as a senior after earning first-team honors as a junior . . . registered 78 solo tackles, 11 sacks, nine quarterback knockdowns and returned one interception for a touchdown as a senior . . . high school teammate of fellow recruit Pete Rolf . . . Personal: Son of Mike and Jane Pitcock . . . grandfather played football at Miami University . . . one brother . . . born June 7, 1988, in Piqua, Ohio . . . full name is Jafe Christopher Pitcock.
Andrew Puthoff DL 6-3 230 St. Henry, Ohio (St. Henry) Jeff Starkey High School:
Pete Rolf LB 6-4 220 Piqua, Ohio (Piqua) Bill Nees
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Bill Nees . . . helped team to a 13-2 record and the state championship as a senior . . . helped team to the Greater Western Ohio Conference title as a senior . . . guided Indians to a 23-12 mark in his career . . . two-time All-GWOC . . . All-Southwest District as a senior after receiving honorable mention as a junior . . . all-state second team as a senior . . . managed 90 tackles, five sacks, 18 tackles for loss and three interceptions as a senior . . . also earned four letters in basketball for Coach Marcus Bixler . . . all-conference second team as a junior . . . averaged 12.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as a junior . . . high school teammate of fellow recruit Jafe Pitcock . . . Personal: Son of Brian and Rachel Rolf . . . three brothers and one sister . . . owns a 3.6 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . uncle, Steve Kaufus, played football at Brigham Young and for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles . . . uncle Rich Kaufus also played football at BYU . . . four uncles played football at Utah . . . born May 8, 1989, in Salt Lake City, Utah . . . full name is Pete Edward Rolf.
Drew Sharick TE 6-6 230 Champaign, Ill. (Central) Dave Jacobs
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Dave Jacobs . . . All-Big 12 Conference Second Team as a junior and senior after earning honorable mention as a sophomore . . . all-area second team as a junior and senior after earning honorable mention as a sophomore . . . managed 11 catches for 200 yards and one touchdown as a senior . . . registered 25 tackles and three sacks as a senior . . . totalled 36 catches for 550 yards and seven touchdowns plus 160 tackles and 16 sacks in his career . . . also earned four letters in basketball for Coach Scott Davis and one letter in track for Coach Argie Johnson . . . helped basketball team to a 25-8 overall record, including a 12-1 Big 12 mark and a co-conference championship as a senior . . . placed fifth in the conference in the discus as a junior . . . Personal: Son of Pat and Susan Sharick . . . one brother . . . born Dec. 3, 1988, in Urbana, Ill. . . . full name is Andrew Patrick Sharick.
Michael Switzer OL 6-5 285 Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North) Tom Dilley
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Tom Dilley, a Ball State alum who lettered in baseball for the Cardinals from 1986-89 . . . all-conference as a senior . . . finalist for Mr. Football Offensive Lineman as a senior . . . Indiana Football Coaches Association Top-50 as a senior . . . IFCA Junior All-State . . . All-Marion County as a senior . . . Personal: Son of Mike and Liz Switzer . . . three sisters . . . cousin Dustin Scott played baseball for Marian College . . . born Dec. 21, 1988, in Indianapolis, Ind. . . . full name is Michael Monroe Switzer.
Lorren Womack LB 6-0 210 Huber Heights, Ohio (Wayne) Jay Minton
High School: Earned three letters in football for Coach Jay Minton . . . helped team to a 7-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the Greater Western Ohio Conference . . . helped team to state playoffs in three of four seasons . . . helped the Warriors to a regional championship as a junior and conference crowns as a freshman and junior . . . all-conference as a senior after earning second-team honors as a junior . . tallied 109 tackles, three sacks, eight tackles for loss, one interception and two fumble recoveries as a senior . . . managed 213 tackles, seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss, three interceptions and four fumble recoveries in final two seasons . . . selected as Wayne's team captain as a senior . . . Personal: Son of Bryan and Dana Womack . . . one brother . . . owns a 3.2 grade-point average on the school's 4.0 scale . . . born Dec. 20, 1988, in Toledo, Ohio . . . full name is Lorren Jamal Womack.
