2008 Southern Miss Football

Signing Class

Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Hometown/High School/Junior College

Leroy Banks TE 6-3 230 Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven HS/Coahoma CC
Bud Barksdale DB 6-0 190 Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS
Rolando Barragan DT 6-3 295 Inglewood, Calif./Morningside HS/El Camino CC
Darius Barnes DT 6-4 285 Memphis, Tenn./Westwood HS
DeAndre Brown WR 6-6 215 Ocean Springs, Miss./Ocean Springs HS
R.J. Brown OL 6-3 300 McLain, Miss./Greene County HS/Jones County JC
Kyle Burkhart OL 6-4 280 Kinsley, Kan./Kinsley HS/Dodge City (Kan.) CC
Nick Chartain OL 6-5 325 Baton Rouge, La./Desire Street Academy
Terrance Conner DE 6-3 234 Clarksdale, Miss./Coahoma County HS/Coahoma CC
Austin Davis QB 6-2 205 Meridian, Miss./West Lauderdale HS
Joe Duhon OL 6-3 284 Lake Charles, La./Washington-Marion Magnet HS
Jamison Hughes DB 6-1 200 Hattiesburg, Miss./Oxford HS/Ole Miss
Bret Jefcoat QB 6-1 200 Fulton, Miss./Itawamba AHS
Desmond Johnson RB 5-11 190 Yazoo City, Miss./Yazoo City HS
Jonathan Massey TE 6-3 250 Gautier, Miss./Gautier HS/Copiah-Lincoln CC
Jordan McNair WR 6-1 170 Port St. Joe, Fla./Port St. Joe HS
Willie Packer DT 6-1 275 Moss Point, Miss./Moss Point HS
Freddie Parham WR 5-11 180 Margaret, Ala./St. Clair County HS/East Central CC
Quinton Pierce WR 6-0 175 Mobile, Ala/Davidson HS
Terrance Pope DT 6-1 280 Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS
Kendrick Presley DB 6-1 195 Kosciusko, Miss./Kosciusko HS
Austin Quattrochi OL 6-3 275 Marietta, Ga./George Walton HS
Marcal Robinson DB 6-0 175 Prichard, Ala./Vigor HS
Joel Ross DT 6-1 300 Houma, La./Vandebilt Catholic HS
Quin Sanford OL 6-1 295 Batesville, Miss/South Panola HS
Bo Tillman DT 6-6 305 Meadville, Miss./Franklin HS
Josh Tillman DE 6-5 245 McCall Creek, Miss./Franklin HS
Ronnie Thornton LB 6-3 215 Miami, Fla./Killian HS
Andre Watson DB 5-10 180 Ocean Springs, Miss./Ocean Springs HS/Miss. Gulf Coast CC
Bruce Wilbourn WR 6-0 185 Sardis, Miss./North Panola HS

Breakdown By Position Breakdown By State

Offensive Line - 6 Mississippi 17
Tight Ends - 2 Alabama 3
Quarterbacks -2 Louisiana 3
Running Backs - 1 Florida 2
Wide Receivers - 5 Georgia 1
Defensive Line - 8 California 1
Linebackers - 1 Kansas 1
Defensive Backs - 5 Tennessee 2
Leroy Banks
TE • 6-3 • 230
Memphis, Tenn. (Whitehaven HS/Coahoma CC)
A second team North pick on offense by the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College coaches
... A two-year player for coach Freeman Horton ... Caught 37 passes for 585 yards and four touchdowns as a
sophomore ... Grabbed 25 receptions for 513 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of touchdowns ... Played
for coach Maurice Harris at Whitehaven.

Bud Barksdale
DB • 6-0 • 190
Batesville, Miss. (South Panola HS)
Collected 48 tackles, 28 pass breakups and six interceptions during his senior campaign ... Named second
team All-State ... A Top 25 prospect in the state of Mississippi by Rivals.com, ranking No. 23 on the list ... A
three-star defensive back by Rivals and the No. 67-ranked safety ... Earned three stars from Scout.com and
was the No. 67 ranking safety ... Participated in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Football Classic in Decem-
ber ... Played on a four-time 5A state championship team which has won a state-record 75-straight games ...
Coach is Lance Pogue.

Rolando Barragan
DT • 6-3 • 295
Inglewood, Calif. (Morningside HS/El Camino CC)
Played in 10 games and tallied 11 solo stops, 17 assisted tackles for 28 total this past fall at El Camino CC...
Seven of his stops were for losses of 13 yards ... Added a half sack and three quarterback hurries ... Recov-
ered two fumbles and forced one ... Notched 46 tackles and nine tackles for loss, including four sacks during
his freshman season at El Camino for Coach John Featherstone ... A two-time all-state selection for Coach
Lafayette Fletcher ... Saw action on offense at right tackle and rush end on defense finishing with 101 tack-
les, 36 for loss, 17 quarterback sacks, recovered six fumbles and forced five others as a senior.

Darius Barnes
DT • 6-4 • 285
Memphis, Tenn. (Westwood HS)
Rated as the ninth-best defensive end in Tennessee by Scout.com ... Played in the Autozone Liberty
Bowl All-Star game, featuring the top seniors in the city of Memphis ... Played for Carl Coleman at
Westwood High School, where he was a co-captain his senior campaign ... Tallied 60 tackles and
12.5 sacks in seven games played ... Voted to the Pepsi Best of the Prep All-MIAA 1A-2A-3A team
... Member of the varsity basketball team for four years ... Candidate for the homecoming court in
2007 ... Member of the NAACP Youth Council and participated in the Top Teens of American event in
2007 ... Voted a city of Memphis Academic Student All-Star for Westwood High.

DeAndre Brown
WR • 6-6 • 215
Ocean Springs. Miss. (Ocean Springs HS)
A Parade All-American who tallied 31 catches for 625 yards last season for Coach Todd Mangum and totaled
1,800 all-purpose yards ... Named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio and caught a touch-
down pass in the game ... Rated in the Top 10 nationally as a wide receiver including No.3 by Scout.com, No.
4 by Rivals.com and No. 7 by ESPN ... Tabbed as top player in the state by Rivals ... Ranked No. 13 by Scout,
No. 22 by Rivals and No. 23 by ESPN ... Named by the Clarion-Ledger as a member of their Dandy Dozen,
first team All-State and the No. 1 Most Wanted recruit in the state ... First team all-state by the Mississippi
Association of Coaches and all-South State by the Sun Herald ... Scored on a 55-yard pass from fellow signee
Bret Jefcoat in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic in Mobile in December.
R.J. Brown
OL • 6-3 • 300
McLain, Miss. (Greene County HS/Jones County JC)
Saw action at both guard and center at Jones County Junior College as the Bobcats tallied a 9-2 record last
fall including a trip to the Mississippi Junior College championship game ... An All-Region 23, All-State and
All-South Division performer in 2007 and was a second-team All-State player in 2006 ... Participated in the
MACJC All-Star game earlier this month ... Played for Coach Eddie Pierce ...A three-star prospect by Rivals.
com, where he played his prep football at Greene County High School ... His 2003 team won the 3A state
championship.

Kyle Burkhart
OL • 6-4 • 280
Kinsley, Kan. (Kinsley HS/Dodge City CC)
A second team all-conference selection on the offensive line this season at Dodge City CC in Kansas for
Coach Bob Majeski ... Made the transition this past season from the defensive to offensive line ... Named
honorable mention All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College after tallying 54 tackles (23 solos), 6.5 tackles for
loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and and one forced fumble as a freshman ... A three-star prospect
by Rivals.com ... Was an all-area selection at Kinsley High School in football and also was a member of the
school’s basketball team.

Nick Chartain
OL • 6-5 • 325
Baton Rouge, La. (Desire Street Academy)
Played for coach Mickey Joseph at Desire Street Academy, which orignally was located in New Orleans but
moved following Hurricane Katrina ... Chartain moved to Baton Rouge after the storm ... The team reached
the Louisiana 1A semifinals this past fall... A two-star offensive lineman by both Rivals.com and Scout.com
... A second team all-state guard by the Louisiana Football Coaches Association ... Earned first team All-
District 7-1A honors.

Terrance Conner
DE • 6-3 • 234
Clarksdale, Miss. (Coahoma CC)
Played for coach Freeman Horton at Coahoma Community College for two seasons ... Named a Fab50 junior
college player by Fab50.com ... Tallied 67 tackles, 8 quarterback sacks, one interception for 45 yards, and
a blocked kick as a sophomore and recorded 55 tackles, 12 sacks, two fumble recoveries and added two
blocked kicks ... Also plays basketball ... A two-star perfomer by Rivals.com ... A Top 25 Junior College pros-
pect in the state of Mississippi by the Clarion-Ledger ... A member of the football team as well as the 2005
and 2006 Class 2A state champion basketball teams at Coahoma County High.

Austin Davis
QB • 6-2 • 205
Meridian, Miss. (West Lauderdale HS)
A freshman walk-on last fall who has earned a scholarship ... Threw for 1,100 yards passing with 15 touch-
downs in 2006 … Rushed for 600 yards with six touchdowns… Recorded a 67 percent completion rating … Win-
ningest quarterback in West Lauderdale HS history … A four-year letterwinner for Head Coach Stan McCain …
Named team MVP … Also named best offensive back in the district … Received all-area honors … Chosen to
participate in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star game … Also lettered in baseball … Named all-state
in baseball.
Joe Duhon
OL • 6-3 • 284
Meridian, Miss. (West Lauderdale HS)
A Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State first teamer at center for Coach John Jenkins at
Washington-Marion Magnet High School ...Earned All District 4-4A four times and Class 4A All-State honorable
mention as a junior ... Rated two stars by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Jamison Hughes
DB • 6-1 • 200
Hattiesburg, Miss. (Oxford High)
Transfer from Ole Miss ... Will not be eligible in the fall due to the NCAA Transfer rule ... Named first team
All-State by the Mississippi Association of Coaches and selected for second team All-State honors from The
Clarion-Ledger following his senior season... Ranked the No. 14 player in Mississippi and the No. 39 cor-
nerback in the nation by Rivals.com ... Ranked the No. 17 player in the state of Mississippi by the the Sun
Herald ... Named to the SuperPrep All-Region team and ranked the No. 13 player in Mississippi by that
publication ... Ranked the No. 64 cornerback in the nation by ESPN.com ... Rated the No. 71 safety in the
nation and the No. 19 player in Mississippi by Scout.com ... Selected to the Oxford Eagle All-Area team ...
Participated in 2007 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic in Mobile, Ala., and was credited with six tackles,
with three solo stops … As a senior in 2006, was credited with 22 tackles, two pass interceptions, seven pass
breakups and two fumble recoveries ... Helped lead team to Class 4A North State Championship in 2005 ...
Coached in high school by Johnny Hill ... Earned two letters in football and two in track.

Bret Jefcoat
QB • 6-1 • 200
Fulton. Miss. (Itawamba AHS)
Threw for 1,321 yards on 81-of-147 passing with eight touchdowns and just two interceptions and rushed for
587 yards on 111 carries with 20 touchdowns during his senior season for Coach Jamie Mitchell at Itawamba
Agricultural High School ... The top rated quarterback in the state of Mississippi and No. 10-ranked product
by Rivals.com ... A versatile player that can also kick and punt which earned him first team 4A All-State hon-
ors as a punter by the Mississippi Association of Coaches amd was the first team all-state All-Purpose player
by the Clarion-Ledger... Named All-Area by the Daily Journal ... Played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star
Classic in December and threw for 81 yards on 8-of-15 attempts for 81 yards ... Rivals also rated him the
No. 12 pro-style quarterback in the nation ... Threw for 900 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 800
yards and 12 touchdowns rushing as a junior.

Desmond Johnson
RB • 5-11 • 190
Yazoo City. Miss. (Yazoo City HS)
Rushed for 1,003 yards and 15 touchdowns before an injury ended his season duirng the middle of the cam-
paign for Coach Tony Woolfolk ... Named to the Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen after rushing for 2,509 yards
and 33 touchdowns as a junior ... Tabbed as the Delta Touchdown Club Player of the Year, the Yazoo County
Player of the Year, and the division 3-4A Player of the Year after leading the state in rushing yardage ... A
three-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout and is the No. 24-ranked player in the state by Rivals ... Holds
the distinction of being the No. 85 player ranked at the running back spot in the country by Scout.

Jonathan Massey
TE • 6-3 • 250
Gautier. Miss. (Gautier HS/Copiah-Lincoln CC)
Played his freshman season this past fall at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson for Coach Glenn
Davis ... Collected 22 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown in his only season there ....The three-star pros-
pect according to Rivals.com, while also being regarded as the top junior college tight end in the state by
the website, attended Gautier High School ... Was the No. 64-ranked player out of high school on the ESPN
150 list and was the fourth-rated tight end in the nation that year.
Jordan McNair
WR • 6-1 • 170
Port St. Joe, Fla. (Port St. Joe HS)
A two-star rated wide receiver by Rivals.com from Port St. Joe High School who played for Coach John Palm-
er ... Named first team all-district all-utility player by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association as a junior ...
A versatile player who also saw action in the offensive and defensive backfield ... Overcame injury during
the season as the team just missed winning their division championship.

Willie Packer
DT • 6-1 • 275
Moss Point, Miss. (Moss Point HS)
Named Defensive MVP for the Gulf Coast Region by the Sun Herald ....Collected 90 total tackles, 20 for loss,
five forced fumble and three recovered fumbles for the Class 4A South Finalist at Moss Point High ... Played
for Coach Jerry Alexander ... Also named to the first team All-Region 7-4A squad, 1st Team All-State in Class
5A, 2nd Team All-State by the Clarion-Ledger and participated in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic
in which he tallied 2.5 tackles for loss and six hurries ... A Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen product, who was
tabbed the No. 12 player in the state by Rivals.com ... Ranks No. 23 by Scout.com and No. 27 by Rivals na-
tionally at the defensive tackle position.

Freddie Parham
WR • 5-11 • 180
Margaret, Ala. (St. Clair County HS/East Central CC)
Played his last two seasons at East Central Community College in Decatur. He is a four-star prospect ac-
cording to Rivals.com and was ranked No. 36 by the website on the nation’s top junior college prospects ...
Member of the Sun Herald’s Top 50 Junior College prospects ... A Top 25 JC prospect by the Clarion-Ledger
... Played his prep football at St. Clair County High School in Odenville, Ala.

Quinton Pierce
WR • 6-0 • 175
Played at Davidson High in Mobile, where he was a two-star propect by Scout.com and a three-star from Ri-
vals.com at quarterback ... Rushed for 862 yards with eight touchdowns and threw for 663 yards on 35-of-74
attempts ... Threw for 950 yards and rushed for 700 with 13 touchdowns as a junior.

Terrance Pope
DT • 6-1 • 280
Batesville, Miss. (South Panola HS)
Notched 51 tackles, including 15 for loss to go along with eight sacks and two forced fumbles en route to
being named first team All-State by both the Clarion-Ledger ... Played on a four-time 5A state championship
team which has won a state-record 75-straight games ... Coach is Lance Pogue ... Played in the Mississippi/
Alabama All-Star Classic in December and recorded a pair of hurries ... A two-star product by both Rivals.
com and Scout.com and was rated the No. 110 ranked defensive end in the country by Scout.

Kendrick Presley
DB • 6-1 • 195
Kosciusko, Miss. (Kosciusko HS)
A two-way player for Coach John Perry at Koscisuko High School ... Tallied 31 tackles and three interceptions
as a defensive back and had 1,890 yards of total offense with 11 rushing touchdowns and 11 passing scores
... A first team All-State selection by the Clarion-Ledger at defensive back and a first team pick by the Mis-
sissippi Association of Coaches at cornerback ... A three-star player and No. 13 rated player in the state by
Rivals.com, also is the No. 43 player nationally as an athlete ... Rated No. 63 as a safety by Scout.com ...
Tallied over 2,000 yards of total offense as a junior.
Austin Quattrochi
OL • 6-3 • 275
Marietta, Ga. (George Walton HS)
Played center at Walton High School for Coach Ed Dudley as the Raiders reached the semifinals of the 5A
state playoffs ... A two-star propect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com and was the No. 11 ranked center in
the country by ESPN ... Earned All-Cobb County honors and was a Cobb County TD Club Offensive Lineman
award winner ... Played in the Cobb Senior Bowl all-star game and the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association
North-South All-Star Football Classic ... Made the second team on the offensive line for CSS (Comcast Sports
Southeast) consisting of schools in the Atlanta area ... Member of a state championship baseball team.

Marcal Robinson
DB • 6-0 • 175
Prichard, Ala. (Vigor HS)
Registered 40 tackles, 16 pass breakups and two interceptions as a senior for Coach Kerry Stevenson ... He
was awarded a spot on the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic roster .... A three-star player by both Rivals.
com and Scout.com ... Rated as the No. 26 player in the state of Alabama and the No. 30 ranked cornerback
in the nation by Rivals ... Listed as the No. 36-ranked cornerback by ESPN and No. 87 by Scout ... An honor-
able mention 5A All-State selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Joel Ross
DT • 6-1 • 300
Houma, La. (Vandebilt Catholic HS)
Tallied 60 solo tackles and 28 assists to go along with 7.5 sacks for Coach Mark King as the Terriers reached
the Class 4A quarterfinals ... A two-time 4A All-State selection, while also earning All-Region and All-District
three times ... Tabbed as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and the website has him list as the No. 29
player out of Louisiana and the No. 69 defensive tackle nationally ... Ranked No. 45 by ESPN nationally at
defensive tackle.

Quin Sanford
OL • 6-1 • 295
Batesville, Miss. (South Panola HS)
An all-state selection by the Clarion-Ledger and a Class 5A all-state pick by the Mississippi Association of
Coaches ... Played on a four-time 5A state championship team which has won a state-record 75-straight
games ... Coach is Lance Pogue ... Saw action primarily at right guard and blocked for the state’s leading
rusher as South Panola rushed for 4,662 yards (304 yards per game) for a 7.1 rush aveage per carry ... A
three-star product by Rivals.com and also is the No. 17-ranked player in the state and No. 14 rated center
in the nation ... A three-star propect by Scout.com and No. 44 nationally at offensive guard ... Played in the
Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic in December.

Bo Tillman
DT • 6-6 • 305
Meadville, Miss. (Franklin HS)
Recorded 85 tackles, 10 sacks and two fumble recoveries en route to being named the Region 7-3A Defen-
sive Player of the Year ... Saw action for Coach Grady McCluskey at Franklin High School which won the
state championship in 2006 and reached the final in 2007... Named to the Daily Leader All-Area team and
the Natchez Democrat All-Metro team ... A first team 3A all-state honoree by the Mississippi Association of
Coaches as well as an All-State pick by the Clarion-Ledger ... A Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen selection and
the No. 7 ranked player in the state by Rivals.com ... Also ranked No. 31 nationally at his position and No.
22 by Scout.com ... Played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic in December ... Cousin Josh is also a
member of the signing class.
Josh Tillman
DE • 6-5 • 245
Meadville, Miss. (Franklin HS)
The 3A Defensive Player of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches garnered 101 tackles, 20 sacks
and five fumble recoveries ... Named to the Daily Leader All-Area team and the Natchez Democrat All-Metro
team ... Saw action for Coach Grady McCluskey at Franklin High School which won the state championship
in 2006 and reached the final in 2007... A first team All-State selection by the Clarion-Ledger ... Ranked
nationally as a defensive end at No. 53 by Rivals.com, No. 56 by ESPN and No. 77 by Scout.com ... The No.
22-ranked player in the state of Mississippi by Rivals ... Played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic in
December ... Cousin Bo is also a member of the signing class.
Ronnie Thornton
LB • 6-3 • 215
Miami, Fla. (Killian HS)
Originally signed by Southern Miss last year, but never enrolled in school ... Recorded 97 tackles as a senior,
including 17 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, four interceptions and six sacks … named first-team
all-county and second-team all-state … Chosen to participate in the All-DadeCounty All-Star game … Played
for Head Coach Billy Tholle at Miami Killian HS ... A two-sport prospect by Scout.com and the No. 73 ranked
strong linebacker in the country.

Andre Watson
DB • 5-10 • 180
Ocean Springs, Miss. (Ocean Springs HS/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Played on undefeated 12-0 team that shared the national championship for Coach Steve Campbell ... Mem-
ber of the Sun Herald’s Top 50 Junior College prospects ... Recorded 59 tackles (46 solos), one tackle for
loss, one forced fumble and seven interceptions ... A three-star product out of high school by Rivals.com ...
Prepped at Ocean Springs High School.

Bruce Wilbourn
WR • 6-0 • 185
Sardis, Miss. (North Panola HS)
Prepped for Coach Clifton Davis for North Panola High School ... Rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 18
touchdowns after injuries to a running back prompted the change from receiver ... Collected the Region
3-3A Most Valuable Player honor ... Added three interceptions as a defensive back and also returned kicks
and punts ... Rated a two-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.