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2007 Toledo Rockets Football Recruiting Class

Overview
The Rockets signed 20 players from seven states but concentrated heavily on their home state as ten of the recruits are from Ohio. Two recruits are from the following states, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania while one each are from Illinois and Tennessee. There was a heavy emphasis on offensive line, running back and linebackers while only one defensive lineman was signed. Over half of the class received all-state accolades while six different players received three-star ratings from various recruiting services. One recruiting service listed Toledo as having the league’s top class this year.

Below is a list of Toledo football recruits with their listed position, height, weight, hometown and high school.

Alexander, Disi OLB 6-2 200 Canton, OH-McKinley

Berry, Sean OL/DL 6-7 275 Irvington, NJ-Irvington

Bradbury, Matt OL 6-4 285 Elmhurst, IL-York

Brodbeck, Brett K 5-11 175 Brentwood, TN-Battle Ground Academy

Cadet, Travaris QB 6-0 196 Miami, FL-Central

Cortazzo, Tim WR 6-1 18 Irwin, PA-Penn-Trafford

Hancock, Kaunda WR 6-0 182 Detroit, MI-Birmingham Brother Rice

Jones, Jerome TE 6-7 220 Youngstown, OH-Ursuline/Harmony Prep

Kowalski, Kevin OL 6-4 270 Macedonia, OH-Nordonia

Lenehan, D.J. QB 6-3 190 Easton, PA-Wilson Area

McGhee, Tamawi S 6-0 190 Steubenville, OH-Steubenville

Noble, Danny TE 6-5 220 Elyria, OH-Elria

Parker, Marlin DE 6-2 235 Warren, OH-Warren Harding

Patrick, Tyson L 6-2 220 Trotwood, OH-Trotwood-Madison

Pree, Drey’Lon OLB 6-2 200 Steubenville, OH-Steubenville

Simpson, Hosea RB 5-9 196 Cincinnati, OH-Winton Woods

Thomas, Adonis RB 5-10 170 Newark, NJ-Weeguahic

VanDerMeulen, Mike OL 6-7 290 Marshall, MI-Marshall

Warner, Gordon RB/Slot 5-10 185 Miami, FL-Central

Williams, Morgan RB 6-0 190 Canton, OH-McKinley

Quarterbacks
The Rockets signed two impressive players slated for this area. Travaris Cadet was on his way to Minnesota but due their coaching change, he became available late and Toledo was able to snag him. Cadet had over a dozen major offers and was rated the #19 dual-threat QB in the country by one service. He was first team All-Dade County (FL) and second team all-state. DJ Lenehan threw for over 7,000 yards in high school and led his team to a state title in PA.

Running Backs
UT loaded up with several players who may end up as wide-outs, slot backs, outside LBs or defensive backs before their collegiate career is over. Morgan Williams is the #16 rated player in Ohio and considered to be one of the top-RBs in the Midwest by several recruiting services. Hosea Simpson was the #30 rated player in Ohio and is a two-time 1,000 rusher from the rugged Cincinnati (OH) area schools. Both would have signed with mid to high level Big Ten schools but academic concerns arose during their senior years. Both are expected to become full qualifiers. Adonis Thomas was a late scratch from his Kansas State commitment and both he and Gordon Warner have 4.4/40 speed.

Receivers
The two wideout prospects each have some impressive credentials. Tim Cortazzo is from the Pittsburgh area and earned all state honors and will participate in the Big-33 game between the Ohio/PA all stars this summer. ESPN had him rated the #134 receiver in the nation. Kaunda Hancock is a top-30 player from Michigan who is a real playmaker. At TE, Jerome Jones was a part of the 2006 class and resigned with Toledo after spending a year at Cincinnati’s Harmony Prep. Danny Noble is a real specimen at 6-5 220-pounds with 4.6/40 speed. He had several BCS offers to play defensive end but choose UT instead to play offense.

Offensive Line
Toledo continues to sign big offensive linemen with Sean Berry (6-7, 280), Matt Bradbury (6-4, 285), Kevin Kowalski (6-4, 280) and Mike VanDerMeulen (6-7, 290). Berry, a New Jersey native, picked UT over Temple while Kowalski was considered the best center prospect in Ohio this year.

Defensive Line
Only one player is initially slated for the defensive line from this class but he is a good one – Marlin Parker. Parker is a top-50 player from Ohio and is slated for DE. He registered 25 tackles for a loss as a senior and had reported offers from Boston College and Indiana.

Linebackers
Disi Alexander was considered a high level Big Ten recruit but academic concerns left him open late in the recruiting process. A first-team all-state performer, he also earned the district defensive MVP award. Patrick Tyson is more of a MLB prospect, earned his conference defensive MVP award. Dreylon Pree will participate in the Big-33 game and is slated for the OLB position.

Defensive Backs
Tamawi McGee rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 17 TDs as a senior but he will use his 4.4/40 speed at the DB position to begin his college playing career. A high school teammate of Dreylon Pree, they led their high school to two-straight state championships.

Specialists
Brett Brodbeck made 14-16 FGs during his high school career with a career long of 53-yards. The Tennessee native is one of the top rated place kickers in the southeast.

Final Analysis
It is said that good things happen to those who wait. Well for Toledo, that would be true for this year’s class. Just a few weeks ago there were a lot of questions surrounding this class, but with Travaris Cadet and Adonis Thomas falling to Toledo late, along with two studs from Canton McKinley High School, UT’s class is looking quite solid. Overall there is a nice blend of offensive playmakers and offensive linemen. On paper, UT did very well and this class rates as EXCELLENT compared to other MAC teams this year.

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