Arkansas State Signs 5 Mid-term Jucos

MeanGreen61 · December 20, 2007

ASU signs five midterm transfers

By Kevin Turbeville

Sun staff writer

JONESBORO — Spring football drills will feature at least five new faces at Arkansas State.

The Indians announced Wednesday the addition of five junior college transfers as the signing period began for midterm transfers. All five will enroll at ASU next semester and be available for spring practice.

ASU’s signees include two defensive backs, two wide receivers and one offensive lineman.

“We’re real pleased. Obviously we had some immediate needs we had to fill with the departure of graduates in the secondary, at wide receiver and the offensive line,” ASU head coach Steve Roberts said. “We’ve been able to address what we could. We had six graduates at midterm that allowed us to sign six guys, and we were able to fill five of those with quality guys.”

ASU’s junior college signees include defensive backs Walter Moody of Northwest Mississippi and Leroy Trahan of San Bernardino Valley (Calif.), receivers Taylor Clements of Butte (Calif.) and Jahbari McLennan of Trinity Valley (Texas), and offensive lineman Bradley Guillory of Kilgore (Texas).

Moody and Trahan will have three years of eligibility with ASU while Clements, McLennan and Guillory will have two seasons apiece.

Roberts identified cornerback as one of ASU’s immediate needs after the Indians completed a 5-7 season this year. Both Moody and Trahan were cornerbacks at their respective junior colleges, but Roberts said he isn’t sure where they will fit into the secondary.

“Since we had four starters that we lost, there are a number of opportunities there,” Roberts said.

Moody (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) sat out his first season at Northwest Mississippi because of injuries. He played in all 10 games this year, starting seven, and finished with 38 tackles, four pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Northwest Mississippi assistant coach David Thornton said Kansas State and Baylor both recruited Moody, with Memphis showing interest late in the process.

“He’s a physical player. He’s a 3-for-3 kid (in eligibility), so that makes him even more attractive, as you can imagine,” Thornton said. “He’s a great kid. He graduated from here in three semesters with just over a 3.0 GPA, so he’s a great student, a great kid and a great player. I can’t say enough about him. That’s a good steal for Arkansas State, no doubt.”

Trahan (5-10, 175) earned first-team all-conference, All-California Community College and Region 3 All-America honors as a freshman for the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines. He finished with six interceptions, seven pass break-ups and 29 tackles.

A story on the SBVC Web site said Trahan was attracted to ASU because he would have the opportunity to play football and baseball. He said ASU uses the same base defense as his junior college, adding that it was a good fit for him.

McLennan (5-11, 185) was a first-team all-conference selection at Trinity Valley after making 29 receptions for 550 yards and six touchdowns. He attended ASU’s home game against North Texas and liked what he saw of the Indians’ offensive scheme.

The visit also gave McLennan an opportunity to become familiar with the academic opportunities at ASU and with Indian receivers coach Mike McCarty.

“It’s a school that I see myself in. It kind of reminded me of Trinity Valley, but a bigger school and a bigger atmosphere,” McLennan said. “I’m excited to be able to play there and I expect to come in and start and help the team get to another bowl and a conference championship. Those are my goals coming in.”

Toledo, Kansas State, New Mexico and Texas A&M all showed interest in McLennan, but he stopped taking visits after making a commitment to ASU.

Clements (5-10, 187) was a first-team all-conference selection for Butte after catching 44 passes for 831 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also a threat on special teams, returning 23 kicks for 662 yards.

Butte finished 7-4, and Clements earned MVP honors in the Roadrunners’ bowl victory. Clements was also a 2-sport athlete at Butte, earning first-team all-conference honors in baseball last spring.

ASU lost three seniors from its receiving rotation, including leading receiver Levi Dejohnette.

Roberts said the Indians will have to shuffle their depth chart, a process that will now include Clements and McLennan.

“Both of them have good speed and both of them have excellent hands,” Roberts said. “They have the ability to make the big play.”

Guillory (6-3, 308) helped Kilgore rank sixth nationally in total offense at 417.7 yards per game. The Rangers finished 8-4 and were ranked 15th in the final NJCAA/JC Football.com poll.

Roberts said Guillory will play tackle or guard for ASU. “He’s a rangy guy who has excellent feet,” Roberts added.

Guillory signed with TCU after a stellar high school career for Carencro, which is located just north of Lafayette, La. He was first-team all-state as a high school junior and earned second-team all-state honors as a senior.

ASU could sign one more midterm transfer. Roberts said the Indians would probably take an offensive lineman if the right one is available.

The signing period for midyear transfers runs through Jan. 15.