Local Stars Dominate 17-Member Football Signing Class
Feb 4, 2015 | Football
Video Of Tulane Football's National Signing Day Press Conference
Complete Transcript From Wednesday's Press Conference
2015 Tulane Football Signing Day Blog
NEW ORLEANS - In what has become a recurring theme for the Green Wave since the arrival of head coach Curtis Johnson, the Tulane University football team received a heavy dose of local flavor as the program signed 17 student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent on National Signing Day.
Highlighting the list of incoming freshmen are 14 Louisiana natives, including 10 from the Greater New Orleans area. The remainder of the signing class - which features nine defenders (four cornerbacks, three safeties and two defensive tackles), seven offensive players (three offensive linemen, two running backs and two wide receivers) and one special teamer - hail from Florida. In wrapping up his fourth signing class at the helm of the Green Wave program, Johnson has now inked a total of 61 from Louisiana and 42 local products.
"I said from my very first day here that we wanted to declare this `The State of Tulane,'" Johnson said. "We made it a point to keep the local talent here in New Orleans to not only create a great atmosphere on game day but also to build a foundation for a winning tradition.
"We've been doing this for four years now and the inroads we've made as a staff with the state's high school head coaches is paying off. Some of these kids were recruited by some big-time schools, we're glad to have them and I look forward to seeing them in action when we start preseason camp in August."
Headlining the list of Tulane signees are KohlsKicking.com five-star kicker/punter Zachary Block (Clermont, Florida/East Ridge HS), 12 student-athletes who received three-star status from the various recruiting services, 11 who ranked among the Top 100 recruits in their respective states and 10 who ranked among the Top 150 at their positions nationally.
Five players on the signing list were prep teammates as the Green Wave signed Warren Easton Fundamental High School cornerbacks Jeremie Francis and Dedrick Shy, along with running back Devin Glenn, as well as a pair of Belle Chasse High products in safety Darius Black and wide receiver Andrew Hicks. In addition, Tulane added a member of its own family - literally - as Baton Rouge native and McKinley High offensive lineman Keeyon Smart will join his brother, rising junior defensive tackle Tanzel Smart - on the roster for the 2015 campaign.
Other offensive signees were running back Nigel Anderson (LaPlace, Louisiana/East St. John HS), wide receiver Darius Williams (New Orleans, Louisiana/McDonogh 35 HS) and the offensive linemen tandem of Leeward Brown (Miami, Florida/Miramar HS) and Keyshawn McLeod (Port Charlotte, Florida/Port Charlotte HS).
Defensively, the Green Wave added defensive tackles John Washington (West Monroe, Louisiana/West Monroe HS) and Brian Webb (New Orleans, Louisiana/Miller-McCoy Academy), cornerbacks Douglas Henry (New Iberia, Louisiana/Westgate HS) and Taris Shenall (Marrero, Louisiana/John Ehret HS), as well as safeties Malik Eugene (Lafayette, Louisiana/Acadiana HS) and Roderic Teamer (New Orleans, Louisiana/Brother Martin HS).
Newcomers have played major roles on the gridiron under Johnson's watch as 38 true freshmen have taken the field since the 2012 campaign and 18 have earned at least one start along the way. In the previous three seasons, four Green Wave rookies have earned Freshmen All-America honors, three were named to conference All-Freshman Teams and one was named conference Freshman of the Year.
"We are going to put the best players we have on the field on game day," Johnson said. "If the best player is a fifth-year senior, he'll play. If it's a true freshman, they'll go in. We're looking for this class to make an immediate impact, just as others have in the past."
Anderson, Black, Brown, Eugene, Francis, Glenn, Henry, Hicks, Smart, Washington, Webb and Williams all received three-star status. Washington holds the highest ranking state-wise, ranking No. 24 by 247Sports while holding the No. 5 defensive tackle in the state and the No. 21 defensive tackle in the South by Scout.com. Other Green Wave signees ranking in the state Top 100 are Anderson (54 by 247Sports, No. 6 RB in the state and No. 38 RB in the South by Scout), Black (60 by ESPN, 100 by 247Sports), Brown (71 by 247Sports, 93 by ESPN, 5 guard in the state and 22 guard in the South by Scout), Eugene (71 by ESPN, 85 by 247Sports), Francis (74 by ESPN), Glenn (75 by ESPN), Henry (80 by ESPN), Hicks (94 by 247Sports), Smart (74 by 247Sports, 78 by ESPN, 3 tackle in the state and 48 tackle in the South by Scout) and Williams (63 by 247Sports).
Block holds the signing class' highest-ranking national honor in the positional races as the No. 11 kicker and No. 21 punter nationally by KohlsKicking.com while being tabbed the No. 16 kicker in the country by ESPN. Also holding Top 150 national spots in the positional battles are Anderson (54 by Rivals, 75 by 247Sports, 96 by Scout), Black (99 by ESPN, 137 by 247Sports), Brown (33 by 247Sports, 42 by ESPN, 54 by Rivals, 68 by Scout), Eugene (125 by ESPN, 136 by 247Sports), Francis (121 by ESPN), Hicks (137 by 247Sports), Smart (143 by 247Sports, 149 by Scout), Washington (28 by 247Sports, 60 by Scout) and Williams (140 by 247Sports).
Season tickets for the 2015 Tulane football season are on sale now through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. The deadline for renewals and new sales to be eligible for priority seating is May 29. For additional information, contact the Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE (9283) or visit www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
2015 Tulane Football Signing Class
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/High School/Previous School |
| Nigel Anderson | RB | 5-10 | 187 | LaPlace, La./East St. John HS |
| Darius Black | S | 5-10 | 166 | Belle Chasse, La./Belle Chasse HS |
| Zachary Block | P/K | 6-4 | 182 | Clermont, Fla./East Ridge HS |
| Leeward Brown | OL | 6-3 | 344 | Miami, Fla./Miramar HS |
| Malik Eugene | S | 5-8 | 162 | Lafayette, La./Acadiana HS |
| Jeremie Francis | CB | 6-10 | 166 | New Orleans, La./Warren Easton HS |
| Devin Glenn | RB | 5-6 | 144 | New Orleans, La./Warren Easton HS |
| Douglas Henry | CB | 5-10 | 162 | New Iberia, La./Westgate HS |
| Andrew Hicks | WR | 6-2 | 198 | Belle Chasse, La./Belle Chasse HS |
| Keyshawn McLeod | OL | 6-4 | 250 | Port Charlotte, Fla./Port Charlotte HS |
| Taris Shenall | CB | 5-10 | 171 | Marrero, La./John Ehret HS |
| Dedrick Shy | CB | 6-1 | 161 | New Orleans, La./Warren Easton HS |
| Keeyon Smart | OL | 6-4 | 332 | Baton Rouge, La./McKinley HS |
| Roderic Teamer | S | 5-11 | 191 | New Orleans, La./Brother Martin HS |
| John Washington | DT | 6-1 | 302 | West Monroe, La./West Monroe HS |
| Brian Webb | DT | 6-0 | 298 | New Orleans, La./Miller-McCoy Academy |
| Darius Williams | WR | 6-2 | 195 | New Orleans, La./McDonogh 35 HS |
