John L. Smith pinned the future success of the Fort Lewis College football program on this year’s signing class. After National Signing Day, he likes where the Skyhawks stand.
Smith will enter his third season as the head coach of the Skyhawks after stops with six Division I programs including Arkansas, Louisville and Michigan State. He announced the addition of 21 new high school players who signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Skyhawks on Wednesday during National Signing Day.
Smith was most pleased with his coaching staff’s ability to recruit talented players within the state of Colorado.
“There is quality in the class. The thing I think I’m most pleased with is the quantity and getting out to the state of Colorado,” Smith said. “It’s really good for us to get out and do the job we did in the state to get good Colorado kids to come to Fort Lewis. With a somewhat limited staff, we tried to look everywhere in the state. We uncovered all the rocks and found the best kids we could.”
FLC also announced five junior college transfers who will join the team for the 2015 season, helping bolster the team’s depth after only 12 seniors moved on from last year’s team that went 3-8 after a 4-7 season in Smith’s first year at FLC. The Skyhawks currently are mired in a stretch of eight consecutive losing seasons.
Smith said he needs a graduating class of 15 to 17 seniors every year to build a successful program without having ups and downs, and this class will bolster his team’s numbers for years to come.
Highlighting the high school class was two big defensive linemen from Lakewood – Mateaki Moala Jr. and Maumau Niko.
“I don’t like singling kids out, but we got a couple kids from Lakewood that are nice, good-sized Polynesian kids,” Smith said. “They’re big, athletic guys that I think are real good gets.”
Smith also was excited to land Tausolia Liufau, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins.
“The big kid out of Fort Collins will help us. He’s got a nice, big frame on him,” Smith said.
The addition of Michael Vanisko, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive lineman from Blinn College and Round Rock, Texas, also will help fill the void left by two-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference left guard Arthur Ray Jr.
“He’s a big kid, and we expect him to play immediately,” Smith said.
The Skyhawks also added AJ Thigpen, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback transfer from Phoenix College. With returning senior quarterback Jordan Doyle still recovering from a severe leg injury that included a broken fibula and tibia, Smith said Thigpen could be the starter Week 1.
“With Thigpen, we felt like with Doyle getting hurt and then coming back off that injury, that we had to go get somebody to step in to immediately give you some help and just possibly, depending on the injury and recovery and all of that for Doyle, as being the guy to start and maybe play,” Smith said. “We found a kid who is big, tall and very athletic. It’s just going to be a matter of how quick he picks it all up in spring ball. He will get the snaps and every opportunity.”
Among other skill-position highlights was the addition of Terrence Crowder, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound running back who is a double transfer from the University of Colorado by way of Galena Park, Texas. Gabe Ogbonaya, who committed to FLC a year ago, also will join the Skyhawks as a running back out of Gilbert, Arizona. Dexter Webb Jr., is another running back who signed with FLC out of Rock Canyon High School in Denver.
FLC also added wide receivers Arealous Hughes from Rangeview High School in Denver, Jack Parsons out of Grand Junction, Parker Strahler from Castle View High School in Castle Rock and Malcolm Wright from Denver South High School.
At tight end, FLC added 6-foot-5, 195-pound Joshua Sandoval out of Brighton.
Joining Vanisko on the offensive line will be 6-foot-4, 275-pound Julien Morford-Fouche out of Coronado High School in Colorado Springs, and Jacob Bighman, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound lineman from Butte College in California.
Another Colorado standout signed by FLC on Wednesday is Cayden James, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive lineman from Montrose.
“Officially committed to Fort Lewis to play football, so blessed to have this opportunity,” James posted to Twitter after signing Wednesday.
James will be joined on the defensive line by Kohlton Tegeler, a 6-foot-1, 300-pound defensive tackle out of Blinn College, and Jaelon Wright from Rangeview High School in Aurora.
FLC added a Class 6A state champion out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, in Ikaika Waters, a 5-foot-11, 220-pound linebacker. He’s joined at linebacker by Scott Betzer of Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs, Anisoni Kami of Rangeview High School in Aurora and Darrian Stickney out of Dohrety High School in Colorado Springs.
After giving up more big plays than any team in the RMAC a season ago, FLC committed to bulking up its defensive backfield. The Skyhawks signed five defensive backs Wednesday: Keishon Baker from Denver East, Payton Baird from Celina High School in Texas, Dre Cortez from Spruce High School in Dallas, Justin Reed from Foster High School in Richmond, Texas, and Cam Thierry from Pflugerville High School in Texas.
All of the Texas talent at defensive back is what Smith hoped to see when he hired Dwain Crawford, a Texas native and Baylor alum, as his defensive backs coach a year ago.
“I’m a big believer in finding a lot of length in the secondary,” Smith said. “If we can find a 5-11, 6-0 kid in the secondary, we’re going to do everything we can to take him.
“Last year, I didn’t think the depth was good to begin with at (defensive back). Hopefully we get some guys who don’t give up the big play like we did last year.”
Smith said the team still will go out and try to pick up a few more players to fill roles, especially at receiver, defensive back and the offensive line.
“We’re not quite done yet, but we’re more done than we were a year ago at this time,” Smith said. “We’re going to hand-pick a few guys, two offensive linemen, a wide receiver, a defensive back.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
FLC Football signing class
Note: Players who have signed with Fort Lewis College football.
Payton Baird, DB, 5-9, 175 pounds, Celina, Texas
Keishon Baker, DB, 5-10, 165 pounds, Denver
Scott Betzer, LB/RB, 6-1, 205 pounds, Colorado Springs
Dre Cortez, DB, 5-11, 170 pounds, Dalls
Arealous Hughes, WR, 5-10, 175 pounds, Denver
Cayden James, DE, 6-2, 220 pounds, Montrose
Tausolia Liufau, LB, 6-1, 205 pounds, Fort Collins
Mateaki Moala Jr., DE, 6-2, 227 pounds, Lakewood
Julien Morford-Fouche, OL, 6-3, 275 pounds, Colorado Springs
Maumau Niko, DE, 6-3, 235 pounds, Lakewood
Jack Parsons, DB/WR, 6-0, 165 pounds, Grand Junction
Justin Reed, DB, 5-9, 178 pounds, Richmond, Texas
Joshua Sandoval, TE, 6-5, 195 pounds, Brighton
Darrian Stickney, LB, 6-2, 190 pounds, Colorado Springs
Parker Strahler, WR, 5-10, 156 pounds, Castle Rock
Cam Thierry, CB, 5-9, 160 pounds, Pflugerville, Texas
Michael Vanisko, OT, 6-5, 205 pounds, Round Rock, Texas/Blinn College
Ikaika Waters, LB, 5-11, 220 pounds, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Dexter Webb Jr., RB, 5-10, 190 pounds, Denver
Jaelon Wright, DE, 6-0, 200 pounds, Aurora
Malcolm Wright, DB/WR, 5-9, 165 pounds, Denver
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