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Commits

South Fayette Lineman Tom Elia Commits to Richmond
Written by: Billy Splain on Wednesday, June 27th, 2018
Tom Elia is a grinder. He’s the kind of kid you want to lead your rushing attack while protecting your quarterback. In the 2018 season he’ll not only be a Lion, he’ll be a future Spider. After traveling the east coast visiting places like Holy Cross, Colgate, Cornell, Harvard and others he found a future home. E. Claiborne Robins Stadium at the University of Richmond.

“I chose Richmond because as soon as I walked onto the campus I fell in love with it. It’s also great football, great academics, and a great atmosphere there which I loved” said the senior offensive lineman. He announced his choice via twitter earlier:




“The entire coaching staff at Richmond was very welcoming which made me feel at home. My parents are extremely happy and proud with my decision. They supported me throughout the process and thought this was the right choice.”

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With a guy like Elia, the Spiders are getting a very intelligent football player. Boasting offers from Columbia, Colgate and Cornell among others Elia has the smarts college coaches look for. They are also “getting a hard worker who wants to win championships. I am going to play offensive line there.”


“I committed early because I knew that Richmond was the best of both worlds for academics and football. The CAA has extremely good competition and Richmond is a highly ranked school in the nation. It also allows for me to focus on my senior season. I either want to study biology or business.”

 
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Great work coaching staff, first one in the books, let's let the dominoes start to fall!
 
Seems like we are a bit ahead of where we usually are for July but a number of our peers have a number of commits already. Any analysis from others on how the early signing period has adjusted things?
 
To directly quote Coll in his commitment tweet “After a brand new locker room and weight room renovation reveal, I realized where my home was meant to be for the next four years”

If this isn’t a testament to the importance that facilities can have on recruiting, current player morale, etc I don’t know what is. There is a special buzz with our football recruiting that’ll lead to an exciting summer and fall of recruiting. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple more commits announce this weekend/early next week

The new Queally Athletic Center will have the same, if not more, of an impact with basketball. Exciting times to be a Spider fan
 
When I stepped foot on UR's campus for the first time in '99 when visiting, I was astounded at how small the weight room was. My high school had facilities that were far superior. I don't think a whole lot improved between then and last year. Things like this do matter. We don't have to lead the pack in facilities, but we can't be left behind. We must have table stakes to play. That comes from donations and alums. Tip of the cap to the group that got the Grassroots going. You all made a difference.
 
You could say we are on a hot streak right now. I love the energy and enthusiasm moving into camp.
 
FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018: With plenty of talent back for the Briarcrest Saints a postseason run is the goal



Senior Jackson Walker will be counted on heavily this season.



Jabari Small will play more running back this season.

Head coach: Brian Stewart (5th season)

Last year: 9-2, lost to McCallie in state quarterfinals

Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense


Players to watch: QB Jackson Walker, RB Jabari Small, T Omari Thomas, LB Carrington Kelsey, S Landon Wright

Season opener: Aug. 17 at home vs. White Station

By any measure, the first four seasons under head coach Brian Stewart have been successful.

He took over after a losing season in 2013 and promptly turned things around, going 30-16 over four seasons, including nine wins last year. The Saints lost in the quarterfinals each year, meaning they were among the top eight teams in the state in DII-AAA.

With that said, Stewart wants more.

“We want to take the next the step,” said Stewart. “Everybody wants to win a state championship, but you’ve got to get to the next step. The next step for us is making it to the state semifinals. If we get there, anything can happen. Of course if you get to the next one, that’s the dance floor. If you get there, anybody can dance. That’s what our goal is.”

With 12 starters back, including all five offensive linemen and a senior quarterback who has started since his freshman season, it seems like a reasonable goal.

The offense starts with signal caller Jackson Walker, who threw for 2,526 yards and 29 touchdowns a season ago.

“I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the state of Tennessee,” Stewart said. “He’s so accurate. He’s been in the fire and he’s been tested.”

Walker will have some new targets this season with the graduation of wideouts Bradley Ellis, Chandler Montgomery and Hudson Clark.

Seniors Wyatt Speed, Hayden Gray, Richard Hunt and Peyton Miller, junior Reggie Neely and sophomore Peyton Moore are among a group of guys looking to make a mark as receivers.

“We’re trying to get these new guys comfortable and acclimated,” Stewart said. “We feel confident they can do the job. “

As for the running game, the production of Tyler Badie, a Mr. Football finalist who is now playing at the University of Missouri, will have to be replaced. He rushed for 1,186 yards and 18 TDs last year.

Junior Jabari Small, who ran for 148 yards and two TDs last season, will be called on to fill that role.

Up front things are more concrete with the return of five starters on the offensive line: Omari Thomas, Manny Corless, Jack Jobe, Zach Yates and Rodney Newsom. Three more guys - Christian Green, Robbie Cummings and Jack Rose - also have experience in the trenches.


Thomas, a 6-5, 300-pound left tackle, is a big-time recruit. He has offers from countless schools, including Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Memphis and Oklahoma. According to 247 Sports, he’s the 20th-ranked Class of 2020 offensive tackle in the country.

He will also play on the defensive line along with Green, Yates, Newsom, Cummings, Rose, Jay Alston and Jack Lowrance.

Junior safety Landon Wright, junior linebacker Carrington Kelsey and senior linebacker Carson Brewer are the top three returning tacklers for the Saints. Junior Marlon Kent, a newcomer, will compete for time at linebacker. Neely and Small project as starters at cornerback.

Senior kicker Noah Grant is a weapon. He converted 47 of 50 extra points last year and made a 46-yard field goal. He’s being recruited by a number of schools.

Briarcrest’s schedule is very similar to last year. Early non-league games against White Station and Haywood figure to be challenging. And of course Christian Brothers, which gave Briacrest its only regular season loss last season, and Memphis Univeristy School figure to be strong again in league play.

“Like I tell people, I think we’re real pretty on paper. If I could write the season I think it’d look nice,” Stewart said. “We’ve got to go play a lot of good teams early. We’ve got our hands full. It could go either way early. We may have some growing pains because we have to get acclimated and get comfortable ... I love our team. I really do. I feel really excited to watch this team play.”

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Young Mr Walker appears to be the heir apparent to KJ with a likely
starting role in 2020 and every bit as good as our offeree from IMG,QB Bryson Lucero who verballed to UAB.
 
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Coach Corp and Coach Woods did a great job recruiting this young man...Selling new facilities and a QB drafted in the 4th round must have been two big factors.

Briarcrest is a solid program in Memphis, TN, and we have had success recruiting players from the area. I hope the coaching staff and in particular Coach Woods have an emphasis on the DII-AAA division across the state of TN. The talent pool is very deep; also, the type of kids from Briarcrest, MUS, CBHS, MBA, Ensworth, Brentwood Academy, Baylor, and McCallie fit well with UR's football and academic culture.
 
Charlotte Catholic has established quite a pipeline with the Spiders. Adam Farley, David Herlocker, and Tafon Mainsah paved a nice path for this young man.
Great pickup. He’s from my neck of the woods. His brother is a rising Junior LB at West Point. Very athletic family.
An interesting tidbit: He transferred after his sophomore year from Charlotte Providence HS (where Off Lineman Grant Dixon went) to Charlotte Catholic. Per North Carolina HS Athletic Association rules, he had to sit out last season when he transferred to a NCHSAA member parochial school. By the looks of his Junior highlight film, it appears he played on a home school type team last season. Regardless, he’s a talented player and a good pick-up for our staff.
 
Great pickup. He’s from my neck of the woods. His brother is a rising Junior LB at West Point. Very athletic family.
An interesting tidbit: He transferred after his sophomore year from Charlotte Providence HS (where Off Lineman Grant Dixon went) to Charlotte Catholic. Per North Carolina HS Athletic Association rules, he had to sit out last season when he transferred to a NCHSAA member parochial school. By the looks of his Junior highlight film, it appears he played on a home school type team last season. Regardless, he’s a talented player and a good pick-up for our staff.

▪ Charlotte Catholic defensive end Nick King: King sat out his junior season when he transferred from Providence, per state rules. But he’s set for a huge senior season and has already committed to the University of Richmond. He’s part of a loaded Catholic team that returns eight defensive starters.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article215535390.html#storylink=cpy
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/high-school/article215535390.html
 
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