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2005 MAC Football Recruiting - Buffalo Bulls

Overview

In Jim Hohfer’s 5th recruiting class, UB welcomes 27 players from 13 different states. Of these 27 players, 16 have been added to the offense to help one of the nation’s most anemic scoring offenses in the country. The majority of the help is in the offensive line and WR areas. Eleven players were added on defense with a heavy emphasis on DBs, as Hohfer and his staff signed eight. UB signed five from their native state of New York, four from New Jersey, three from Maryland and Connecticut, two from Ohio, Florida and Michigan, and one from the following states; VA, PA, IL, MA, ME & CA. Three JUCOs were signed for immediate help at QB, DT & WR. Overall this group offers much more speed than previous classes. One player of note is Phillip Warren, an intriguing FB prospect at 6-1, 270.

Top Player - Matt Bacoulis, OG

• Rated as a top-100 prospect in Illinois
• All-state performer
• Received offers from MAC and Big 12 schools

Highlights

• The five offensive linemen signed average 6-4 306-pounds per man. Along with Bacoulis highlighted above, Ray Norell was an all-state performer in Connecticut and drew interest from the Huskies while Kevin Johnson was an all-area player in New Jersey and drew interest from Rutgers and Temple.
• The Bulls signed three QBs in this class, taking their current total of QBs to 6 on their roster. Tony Paoli is the JUCO brought in to compete for an immediate starting job after tossing for over 2,600 yards and 23 TDs at Palomar JC. James Starks is a tremendous "athlete" QB from nearby Niagara Falls. He also excels on their nationally ranked high school basketball team. New Jersey native Drew Willy is the 3rd QB, produced nearly 5,400 yards passing in high school as well as 51 TDs.
• Signing eight DBs is truly amazing. In the pass-happy and wide-open offenses of the MAC, quality DBs are needed to succeed on defense. Andre Evans is a late bloomer from famed Cleveland Glenville High. He is also a track man with 4..4/40 speed and played against some of the best high school talent in the county, including Ohio State’s Ted Ginn. Gerald Jackson was a 1^st team all-state player in Virginia while Mike Newton was a 1^st teamer in Maryland. Brevon Williams earned the game MVP in the Connecticut/Rhode Island All-Star Game.

Final Thoughts

Buffalo has a hard time recruiting compared to other MAC schools. They have little to no football tradition, very limited success of late, and the most difficult academic standards in the league. Put that all together and you have the makings of a long-term “building plan” for Jim Hofher and his staff. This is certainly a quality class for UB and there are several players who will make an impact on the field this year. UB needed more depth at the O-line spot and got some nice prospects. They needed DBs and signed some speed and potential playmakers. They needed QBs to compete right away and to add quality depth there and they did just that. Overall this class rates as AVERAGE compared other MAC schools but compared against previous Buffalo classes this group rates as very good bordering on excellent.

Name, Pos.	      Ht.	Wt.	Previous School
Matt Bacoulis, OL     6-4	320	Des Plaines, IL/Maine East
Julian Cartie, DB     5-9     	175    	New Britain, CT/New Britain/Milford Academy
Andre Evans, DB       5-10     	165    	Cleveland, OH/Glenville
Labinot Hakanjin, DL  6-0    	280    	Brooklyn, NY/Fort Hamilton/Erie CC
Brett Hamlin, WR      6-0    	170    	Jupiter, FL/William T. Dwyer
Kendric Hawkins, DB   5-10    	170    	Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic
Mario Henry, DB       5-9    	195    	Erie, PA/Strong Vincent
Ernest Jackson, WR    6-2   	200    	Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili
Gerald Jackson*, DB   5-11    	165    	Alexandria, VA/DeMatha Catholic
Kevin Johnson, OL     6-3    	295    	Newton, NJ/Newton
Ike Nduka, RB         6-0    	200    	White Plains, NY/White Plains
Derek Newell, OL      6-4    	310    	Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central
Mike Newton, DB       5-10    	175    	Pasadena, MD/Calvert Hall
Ray Norell*, OL       6-5    	285    	Monroe, CT/Masuk HS/Milford Academy
Tony Paoli*, QB       6-0    	205    	Fort Lauderdale, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas/Palomar JC
Alex Pierre, DB       6-0    	175    	Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack
Frankie Pointer*, DL  5-11    	285    	Detroit, MI/Clarenceville
Jesse Rack, TE        6-3    	220    	Maspeth, NY/Christ The King
Gary Rice, WR         5-9    	170    	Hamilton, OH/Hamilton
Dane Robinson, DL     6-1    	245    	Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall
James Starks, QB      6-3    	190    	Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls HS
Evan Wallace*, WR     5-8    	170    	Santa Clara, CA/Wilcox HS/West Valley CC
Phillip Warren*, FB   6-1    	270    	Brunswick, ME/Brunswick HS/Kent School
Andrew West, OL       6-6    	320    	Croswell, MI/Croswell-Lexington
John White*, TE       6-3    	235    	Kingston, MA/Archbishop Williams/Salisbury School
Brevon Williams, DB   6-0    	200    	Hartford, CT/Weaver HS/Milford Academy
Drew Willy, QB        6-3    	204    	Randolph, NJ/Randolph

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