Elon Brings in 13 in 2014 Football Class

ELON, N.C. — Elon football head coach Rich Skrosky announced today that his program has signed 13 players who will join the Phoenix program for the 2014 season. Of those 13, two are transfers and have already enrolled at Elon.

The class consists of seven players from North Carolina and one each from Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and South Carolina. The group is comprised of four defensive linemen, three defensive backs, two linebackers, one offensive lineman, one wide receiver, one tight end and one quarterback.

“I am very excited about our inaugural class,” stated Skrosky. “I was not surprised, but very pleased that so many talented players from the state of North Carolina were available this late in the. I’ve said for almost 10 years now, North Carolina is a great state for Elon and it will continue to be. The staff worked very fast and very hard to connect with prospects that we knew about from previous places and did a fantastic job in educating these young men and their families to all Elon has to offer. We were able to sign a well-rounded class that will be the foundation for this program as we move ahead into CAA Football.”

2014 Elon Football Commitments:
Bruno Anyangwe (LB • 6-0 • 206 • Clarksburg, Md. • Clarksburg)
Josh Armstrong (DL • 6-3 • 215 • Fayetteville, N.C. • Sanford)
John Luke Arrington (TE • 6-6 • 226 • Springboro, Ohio • Springboro)
Chris Blair (DB • 5-11 • 205 • Winston-Salem, N.C. • East Forsyth • Ball State University)
Connor Christiansen (QB • 6-0 • 180 • Fishers, Ind. • Fishers)
Daniel Everett (DL • 6-1 • 218 • Williamston, N.C. • Riverside)
Cordell Forrest (DB • 5-9 • 165 • Charlotte, N.C. • Rocky River)
Malcolm Galloway (DB • 5-10 • 191 • Norcross, Ga. • Norcross)
Johnathan Jackson (LB • 6-0 • 200 • Moore, S.C. • Dorman)
Tre Lennon (WR • 6-3 • 165 • Greensboro, N.C. • Smith)
Anthony Mullis (DL • 6-3 • 220 • Concord, N.C. • Central Cabarrus)
Olisaemeka Udoh (OL • 6-5 • 373 • Fayetteville, N.C. • Sanford)
Marquise Wright (DL • 6-3 • 300 • Englewood, N.J. • Paramus Catholic • Rutgers University)

Linebacker Bruno Anyangwe (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) has been both a first-team all-league and all-county honoree in his time playing forcoach Larry Hurd. He has also earned second-team All-Gazette accolades. Bruno is the son of Eric and Comfort Anyangwe. His sister, Noella, runs track at the University of Maryland.

Defensive lineman Josh Armstrong (Fayetteville, N.C./Sanford) is rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. Armstrong collected both all-conference and all-region accolades in 2013. He was also a 3A all-state selection by NC Preps. As a junior, Armstrong was an all-conference performer. He has twice collected scholar athlete honors. In his career for coach Brian Till, Armstrong has amassed 121solo tackles and 185 total stops. Among his takedowns are 23 sacks and 52 tackles for a loss. He has also intercepted one pass, forced six fumbles, recovered one fumble, blocked two punts and blocked one field goal. Armstrong’s play helped lead his prep team to three state playoff appearances. Josh is the son of Chris and former Greensboro College volleyball player Kathy Armstrong.

Tight end John Luke Arrington (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) collected first-team All-Greater Western Ohio Conference honors as well as first-team All-GWOC South accolades in his time playing for coach Ryan Wilhite. Arrington earned second-team all-area honors while being honored with the GWOC Scholar Athlete Award. His performance helped Springboro capture a GWOC South crown with a 9-1 record. The team also appeared in the Division 1 playoffs. John Luke is the son of Tom and Eileen Arrington.

Defensive back Chris Blair (Winston-Salem, N.C./East Forsyth/BallState University) has already enrolled at Elon and will be a red-shirt freshman following one season at Ball State. Blair played his prep ball at East Forsyth for coach Todd Willert, helping the team to a 28-10 record during his career. During Blair’s senior season, East Forsyth went 13-1 and advanced to the state semifinals. That season he served as a teamcaptain, collected all-state, all-county and All-Northwest accolades and was invited to participate in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. A two-time all-league honoree, Blair was named the league’s defensive player of the year as a senior. Blair amassed 92 tackles and picked off five passes in his final campaign at East Forsyth. He posted 210 tackles and nine interceptions during his prep career. Blair was rated a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com coming out of high school. Chris is the son of Reginald Hunter and Crystal Blair.

Quarterback Connor Christiansen (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) owns multiple single-season and career program records. Among his season marks are most completions (149), yards per pass attempt (9.20), fewest interceptions with a minimum of 100 attempts (2) and highest completion percentage (63.7). Christiansen’s career records include passes attempted (551), completions (328), passing yards (4,870), yards per pass attempt (8.84), passing touchdowns (46) and completion percentage (59.5). As a seniorChristiansen earned all-state honors from the Indiana Football Coaches Association and was an honorable mention all-state pick by the Associated Press. He was named both all-county and All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference following the 2013 campaign. Christiansen was a 2013 team captain, co-offensive MVP of coach Rick Wimmer’s team and a football leadership council member. Following his junior campaign, Christiansen was an AP honorable mention all-state pick, an all-county selection and the county offensive player of the year. He also was the team’s co-MVP and a member of the team’s leadership council. Scout.com rates Christiansen as a two-star recruit. During his time at Fishers, the program claimed the 2013 conference title and the 2012 5A sectional crown. Connor is the son of Sven and Stacy Christiansen. His sister, Kelsey, was a senior member of the volleyball team at Cedarville University in the fall.

Defensive lineman Daniel Everett (Williamston, N.C./Riverside) is rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. Everett is a two-time all-area and all-league standout for coach Asim McGill. During his senior season Everett served as a team captain and was awarded team MVP accolades. The honor roll student helped lead Riverside to second round state playoff appearances in both 2012 and 2013. Daniel is the son of Daniel Everett Sr. and Shenika Speller.

Defensive back Cordell Forrest (Charlotte, N.C./Rocky River) played for coach Jason Fowler at Rocky River High where he was an all-conference performer. In 2013 he posted 57 tackles, broke up 17 passes and intercepted two balls. Forrest also blocked one punt for atouchdown. His performance helped guide his prep squad to an 11-3 record and a third-round playoff appearance this past season. Cordell is the son of Gerald and Lisa Forrest.

Defensive back Malcolm Galloway (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) helped lead coach Keith Maloof’s program to two state titles, two region crowns and a 28-2 record over the past two seasons. A two-time player of the week,Galloway posted 67 tackles, broke up 15 passes and forced one fumble in hissenior campaign. He has been a member of the Gwinnett Student Leadership Team as well as the Norcross Student Leadership Team. Galloway has been enrolled in eight AP and International Baccalaureate classes. Malcolm is the son of Jeffrey and Suzette Galloway.

Linebacker Johnathan Jackson (Moore, S.C./Dorman) served as ateam captain for coach Dave Gutshall at Dorman. As a player in the North-South All-Star Game, Jackson recorded a sack and recovered a fumble. The first-team all-region honoree posted a 4.64 second time in the 40-yard dash at the Shrine Bowl Combine, the fastest time by any of theinvited defensive linemen. During his senior season, Jackson posted 65 total tackles, including 16 stops for a loss and 14 sacks. He added two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a score, and blocked a kick. The two-sport standout serves as the anchor on the 4×100 relay team and posted a top 100-meter leg of 11.1 seconds. Jackson helped Dorman to multiple state playoff appearances, including a state runner-up finish in 2010. Jackson has been a four-year member of student government, serving as his grade’s vice president each year. As a member of FCA, Jackson has volunteered at local elementary schools and soup kitchens. He is also a National Honor Society member and has posted a GPA better than 4.0 each year. Johnathan is the son of Adrian and Angela Jackson.

Wide receiver Tre Lennon (Greensboro, N.C./Smith) earned bothall-conference and honorable mention all-area accolades following his senior campaign. As a senior for coach Antonio Kirkpatrick’s squad, Lennon caught 48 balls for 798 yards and found the end zone 10 times. An honor roll student and National Society of High School Scholars member, Lennon will graduate with a service-learning diploma.

Defensive lineman Anthony Mullis (Concord, N.C./Central Cabarrus) is rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. An all-conference selection as both a junior and senior, Mullis collected all-region honors from the Charlotte Observer along with all-county distinction. Mullis’ performance helped lead coach Donnie Kiefer’s program to state playoff showings in 2012 and 2013 as the squad went 19-6 in that span. The team also set a school record for wins in a season (11) as well as new standards for points in a game (68) and points in a year (569). Anthony is the son of former Pro Bowl tight end and Livingstone College standout Ben Coates and Layla Davis.

Offensive lineman Olisaemeka Udoh (Fayetteville, N.C./Sanford) earned second-team Cape Fear Region honors following his senior season. His performance on the field has helped coach Brian Till’s program to state playoff appearances in both 2012 and 2013. Udoh was a NCHSAA student-athlete honoree in both 2012 and 2013 and is an A/AB honor roll student. Olisaemeka is the son of Benjamin and Rita Udoh.

Defensive lineman Marquise Wright (Englewood, N.J./Paramus Catholic/Rutgers University) will have two seasons of eligibility remaining for the Phoenix. He is already enrolled at Elon. Wright red-shirted at Rutgers in 2011 and played in one contest in both 2012 and 2013. Prior to heading to Rutgers, Wright was a two-way lineman for coach Chris Partridge at Paramus Catholic High School. As a senior he tallied 52 tackles, including 19 for a loss, and forced two fumbles. That year he posted 8.5 sacks. Rated a four-star recruit by both Scout.com and Rivals.com and a three-star recruit by ESPN, Wright earned All-Bergen County First Team honors by both the Star-Ledger and the Bergen Record. Rivals.com listed Wright as the 14th-best defensive tackle in the nation, the fourth-ranked recruit in New Jersey and the No. 149 overall recruit nationally. He was also a Rivals250 team member. ESPN.com ranked Wright as the No. 31 defensive tackle in the nation while SuperPrep Magazine tabbed him the 14th-rated prospect in New Jersey coming out of high school. Marquise is the son of Regina Spearman.