McNeese inks 18 on National Signing Day

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese football head coach Lance Guidry announced the Cowboys 2018 signing class on Wednesday, National Signing Day, as the Cowboys targeted wide receivers and offensive linemen.

Of the 18 signees on the day, nearly half play those two positions.

“We really wanted to go after wide receivers,” said Guidry. “We lost a lot last year so we felt that was an area we needed to focus on. Along with offensive linemen.”

McNeese inked a few local products in defensive end CJ Semien III out of Barbe, athlete Darius Daniels of Iowa HS and quarterback Zach Hayes from Welsh. Daniels is expected to play linebacker for the Cowboys.

“We start looking in the Lake Charles area then we broaden out on I-10,” said Guidry of his recruiting area. “We have coaches who have families in the Dallas area and in Florida, so that’s why we recruit those areas as well.”

Overall, the Cowboys signed nine players from Texas, eight from Louisiana and one from Florida.

“We feel like we have a very talented group,” said Guidry. “There are a few guys that could step in and play right away.”

One of those being Trent Winbush of Rayne High School. Winbush flew under the radar for the most part after a stellar senior campaign at Rayne where he set a school rushing record with 2,510 yards along with 32 rushing TDs.

“He can play running back. He can play corner. The Buck safety. And he can play free or weak safety,” said Guidry. “This guy can do everything. For us to get this kid, I think it’s a steal. We’re really excited about him. I think he’ll come in and play as a freshman on all special teams if he doesn’t push someone for a starting position somewhere.”

With the 18 signees on Wednesday and two in the early period, Guidry says he has 4-6 scholarships to work with to use on transfers to fill the needs.

“We would like to get two more offensive linemen and another wide receiver,” said Guidry.

The Cowboys will open up spring practice on Feb. 28 and will go 15 practice days until March 24. With the construction of the new field turf at Cowboy Stadium, there will not be a spring game this year.

2018 McNEESE FOOTBALL SIGNEES

ZACORI ALEXANDER • WR • 6-1 • 190 • DALLAS, TEXAS • WOODROW WILSON HS
CALVIN BARKAT • OL • 6-3 • 300 • SACHSE, TEXAS • SACHSE HIGH SCHOOL
JOHN BLUNT, JR. • DB • 6-1 • 160 • ARLINGTON, TEXAS • MANSFIELD TIMBERVIEW HS
JORDAN BULLARD • DB • 6-2 • 170 • HOUSTON, TEXAS • EISENHOWER SENIOR HS
RONELL BURBANK • DT • 6-3 • 250 • NEW ORLEANS, LA. • EDNA KARR
DEON CORMIER • WR • 6-0 • 182 • HUMBLE, TEXAS • SUMMER CREEK HS
DARIUS DANIELS • ATH • 5-10 •190 • IOWA, LA. • IOWA HIGH SCHOOL
CHASE DAVIS • DT • 6-2 • 260 • SACHSE, TEXAS • SACHSE HIGH SCHOOL
ZACH HAYES • QB • 5-11 • 175 • WELSH, LA. • WELSH HIGH SCHOOL
NICK HOLIDAY • OL • 6-5 • 322 • CIBOLO, TEXAS • STEELE HS
*ZACK JONES • OL • 6-5 • 298 • COLUMBIA, MISS. • COLUMBIA HS • MISS GULF COAST COLLEGE
TREVOR MOYE • ATH • 6-3 • 206 • SHEPHERD, TEXAS • SHEPHERD HIGH SCHOOL
*TRE NEWTON • OT • 6-4 • 305 • SPRING, TEXAS • KLEIN HS • BLINN COLLEGE
DANUEL OSCAR • RB • 5-11 • 170 • SEBASTIAN, FLA. • SEBASTIAN RIVER HS
TAHJ SAMUEL • LB • 5-11 • 235 • RUSTON, LA. • RUSTON HIGH SCHOOL
CJ SEMIEN III • DE • 6-3 • 212 • LAKE CHARLES, LA. • BARBE HIGH SCHOOL
CHAD TILLERY • DB • 5-11 • 160 • ST. FANCISVILLE, LA. • WEST FELICIANA HIGH SCHOOL
REGINALD “TREY” WILLIAMS III • ATH • 5-9 • 165 • HOUMA, LA. • ELLENDER HIGH SCHOOL
TRENT WINBUSH • DB • 5-11 • 180 • RAYNE, LA. • RAYNE HIGH SCHOOL
CHARLEY ZENO • OL • 6-2 • 290 • CIBOLO, TEXAS • STEELE HS

* – Early Signee

ZACORI ALEXANDER • WR • 6-1 • 190 • DALLAS, TEXAS • WOODROW WILSON HS
Two-time 1st team All-District honors at wide receiver… as a senior, caught 31 passes for 505 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking second on his team in both receptions and receiving yards… had 116 yards receiving on five grabs in a win over Adamson HS… junior season played both WR and defensive back… had over 400 yards receiving with seven TDs… born Oct. 9, 1999… son of Wendell and Tamesha Alexander and Crystal Mayberry… plans to major in biology.

CALVIN BARKAT • OL • 6-3 • 300 • SACHSE, TEXAS • SACHSE HIGH SCHOOL
Two-time 1st Team All-District honors as a senior and junior and second team all-district honors as a sophomore… helped lead team to back-to-back district titles, including a perfect regular season mark in 2017… team concluded the year at 12-1 after a loss in the third round of the UIL State Playoffs… key offensive lineman for a unit that averaged 270 yards rushing per game and scored 44 rushing TDs… lettered three years in football… born April 21, 2000… son of Joshua and Jessica Barkat… Honor Roll student with a 3.5 or higher GPA every high school year… plans to major in biology with an emphasis in pre-med.

JOHN BLUNT, JR. • DB • 6-1 • 160 • ARLINGTON, TEXAS • MANSFIELD TIMBERVIEW HS
2-Star rating by 247Sports… recorded 26 tackles with three interceptions and 10 pass break-ups his senior season… 18 tackles, 11 PBU’s and an interception as a junior… born April 11, 2000… son of John Blunt, Sr. and Sandra Blunt-Thomas… plans to major in business management… also offered by UMass, Sam Houston State, and Northeastern State.

JORDAN BULLARD • DB • 6-2 • 170 • HOUSTON, TEXAS • EISENHOWER SENIOR HS
Unanimous first team All-District selection as a senior at Eishenhower Senior HS… Defensive Player of the Year his junior season… team captain… born July 15, 1999… son of Ikeina Jones… plans to major in kinesiology at McNeese… Honor Roll student… competed in track and field in the triple jump, long jump, high jump and the 4×400-meter relays… had offers from Illinois State, Northern Colorado, UIW, New Mexico. UTSA, Liberty, Southern, Grambling.

RONELL BURBANK • DT • 6-3 • 250 • NEW ORLEANS, LA. • EDNA KARR
2-Star rating by 247Sports … 1st team all-District, all-Metro and all-State honors… finished his senior season with 48 tackles with nine sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, two blocked PATs, one blocked punt and four pass break ups… helped guide his team to the Lousiana Class 4A State Championship… as a junior recorded 26 tackles, six sacks and 15 TFLs while his team posted a perfect 14-0 mark en route to the state title… born March 14, 2000… son of Ronell Burbank Sr. and Cheynna Moore-Burbank… plans to major in graphic design… also offered by Eastern Illinois, Houston Baptist, Idaho, Jackson State and Southern.

DEON CORMIER • WR • 6-0 • 182 • HUMBLE, TEXAS • SUMMER CREEK HS
First Team All-District and Greater Houston Honorable Mention honors his senior season… set a school record with 72 catches for 1,180 yards and 15 touchdowns… team Captain and MVP… also set a new school career record for catches… as a junior, led the team with 32 catches for 400 yards and four TDs… first team all-district honors… Opening regionals and Under Armour Camp Series invite… led the team with 27 catches for 280 yards and two scores as a sophomore, earning second team all-district honors… three year starter at point guard on the basketball team… AB Honor Roll student… born January 24, 2000… son of Roshelle and Cedric Cormier… plans to major in business.

DARIUS DANIELS • ATH • 5-10 •190 • IOWA, LA. • IOWA HIGH SCHOOL
Three-time 1st Team All-District honors, including his senior season where he helped lead Iowa HS to its first-ever undefeated regular season, the district championship, and a regional finals appearance in the playoffs… Team Captain… 1st Team LSWA and LFCA All-State… 2nd Team USA Today All-Louisiana… District Defensive MVP… All-Southwest Louisiana Team and All-SWLA Defensive MVP… recorded 63 total tackles as a senior with two interceptions, seven tackles for a loss, four pass break-ups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, blocked field goal and blocked punt… also played quarterback and running back and threw two TD passes in a win over Washington-Marion to clinch the district title… junior year, earned 1st Team All State by the LSWA and LFCA as his team finished 11-2 as district champions and an appearance in the state quarterfinals… recorded 114 total tackles with two sacks, six tackles for a loss, nine PBUs, four interceptions, six forced fumbles and one fumble recovery… as a sophomore, earned All-SWLA honors to go along with his 1st team all-district accolades… recorded 82 tackles with three PBUs, five tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and fumble recovery, and scored a defensive touchdown… made his first varsity start in week four of his freshman year and went on to finish with 29 total tackles with a sack and forced fumble… also a first team all-district basketball player and runs relay on the track team along with the javelin throw… born Sept. 7, 1999… son of Darrell Daniels and Brandi Roy… plans to major in H&HP with a minor in social studies.

CHASE DAVIS • DT • 6-2 • 260 • SACHSE, TEXAS • SACHSE HIGH SCHOOL
1st Team All-District while helping lead his team to its second straight district championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the UIL Football State Championships and a 12-1 record… recorded 43 tackles his senior year with seven tackles for a loss, four sacks and 10 quarterback pressures… named the team’s defensive MVP… 35 tackles, three sacks and six QB pressures as a junior… also played some at tight end where he made five TD catches and 164 receiving yards as a freshman… a member of the National Society of High School Scholars… born March 7, 1999… son of Brandy Davis… plans to major in sports medicine.

ZACH HAYES • QB • 5-11 • 175 • WELSH, LA. • WELSH HIGH SCHOOL
2017 Louisiana Class 2A Offensive MVP… 1st Team All-State as an athlete… 1st Team All-District 5-2A as a quarterback… guided his Welsh Greyhounds to the Louisiana Class 2A State Championship in 2017… threw for over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns while also rushing for over 600 yards and 10 TDs scored… as a junior, threw for over 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for over 900 yards with 12 TDs… played wide receiver and defensive back his sophomore season, recording over 500 yards receiving and seven TDs while making 32 tackles with two interceptions… Academic All-State recipient with a 4.0 grade point average… all-district baseball player as a pitcher and outfielder… born Feb. 14, 2000… son of Will and Alicia Hayes… plans to major in sports medicine at McNeese with a minor in history.

NICK HOLIDAY • OL • 6-5 • 322 • CIBOLO, TEXAS • STEELE HS
2-time all-District honors and a two year varsity starter… team captain his senior season… team finished 9-5 in 2017 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the UIL Texas playoffs… team averaged 235 yards rushing yards per game… state runner-up as a junior as team posted a 14-2 record… born Feb. 13, 2000… son of Edgar and Joyce Holiday… plans to major in business.

TREVOR MOYE • ATH • 6-3 • 206 • SHEPHERD, TEXAS • SHEPHERD HIGH SCHOOL
All-around athlete who rushed for 1,500 yards and a 10.2 yards per carry average while scoring 17 touchdowns on the ground as a senior… in addition, he caught 11 passes for 219 yards and four scores and completed 2 of 3 passes for 13 yards… named the district’s offensive MVP… averaged 190.1 all-purpose yards per game… played free safety on defense and collected 17 tackles with a sack and a tackle for a loss… as a junior, earned 1st team all-district at wide receiver and on special teams, and second team honors on defense, and was a 2nd team all-district wide receiver as a sophomore… all-district performer in track where he won the district title in the triple jump… also the offensive MVP as the basketball team’s shooting guard… born April 7, 2000… son of John and Tracey Moye… plans to major in business with a minor in health promotions.

DANUEL OSCAR • RB • 5-11 • 170 • SEBASTIAN, FLA. • SEBASTIAN RIVER HS
2-Star rating by Rivals.com… became just the second player in Sebastian River HS history to start all four years… ranked at the No. 9 player in the TCPalm Super 11… as a junior, led his district with 972 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while helping his team to a 9-2 record, the most victories in school history… he earned all-area honorable mention honors as his team advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever… sophomore season, set a school record for the longest TD run at 98 yards… as a freshman, was a starter and the only freshman to play varsity… four year letterman in track and field… born Dec. 16, 1999… son of Saneuert Oscar… plans to major in psychology with a minor in business… offered by Bowling Green and Iowa, according to Rivals.com.

TAHJ SAMUEL • LB • 5-11 • 235 • RUSTON, LA. • RUSTON HIGH SCHOOL
District 2-5A Most Valuable Player in 2017… 1st Team All-District… All-State… All-Shreveport Times… All-Northeast Louisiana… Shreveport Times MVP… team Captain… played linebacker, defensive end, fullback and halfback throughout his senior season… Louisiana Football Magazine Defensive Player of the Year as a junior along with District MVP honors and 1st team all-district, all-state, all-Northeast Louisiana, and all-Shreveport Times… 2nd team all-district and 1st team all-Northeast Louisiana as a sophomore… born Sept. 25, 1999… son of Brian Houston and Consuelo Samuel… also had offers from Northwestern State, Alcorn, Central Arkansas, Grambling, Idaho, Incarnate Word, Navy and Nicholls.

CJ SEMIEN III • DE • 6-3 • 212 • LAKE CHARLES, LA. • BARBE HIGH SCHOOL
1st Team All-District and Louisiana Class 5A All-State Honorable Mention as a senior… team Captain… I-10 All-Star Game participant… All-Southwest Louisiana Big Schools Team… anchored the Bucs defensive line as a starter all season… collected 64 tackles with 15 tackles for a loss, five sacks, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass… guided Barbe to its second consecutive district title with an 11-2 overall record and second round appearance in the state playoffs… 2nd team all-district honors as a junior… did not start playing HS football until his sophomore season… competes in the discus event on the track and field team… four year honor roll student… member of the National Honor Society… perfect attendance for classes the last two years… nominated as the school’s Best Athlete and was on the TWIRP Court… born July 22, 2000… son of Sharon Semien… plans to major in mechanical engineering.

CHAD TILLERY • DB • 5-11 • 160 • ST. FANCISVILLE, LA. • WEST FELICIANA HIGH SCHOOL
2nd Team All-District selection as he helped lead his team to its first-ever Louisiana Class 3A State Championship with a 14-1 record… starter at every game at cornerback… ended the season with interceptions in three straight games… did not begin playing HS football until his junior season… took over the starting role at CB in week three and went on to earn all-district honorable mention honors while his team advanced to the state semifinal round… four year starter in basketball at shooting guard on varsity and has earned second team all-district honors… born Nov. 20, 1999… son of Len Tillery and Fredrica Richardson… plans to major in physical therapy.

REGINALD “TREY” WILLIAMS III • ATH • 5-9 • 165 • HOUMA, LA. • ELLENDER HIGH SCHOOL
A 4-time all-district athlete, earning first team honors his sophomore and junior seasons, and second team as a freshman and senior… became Ellender High School’s all-time rushing leading in 2017 with 3,275 rushing yards… as a junior, earned The Courier/Daily Comet All-Region 1st team… rushed for 775 yards and eight touchdowns with 30 catches for 400 yards and five TDs… also returned 11 kick offs for 300 yards, taking two in for scores… named the team’s offensive MVP… earned second team all-region honors to go along with his first team all-district accolades as a sophomore, and was named the team’s offensive MVP… has clocked a 4.38 40-yard dash time… lettered in basketball (point guard) and track and field (long jump, sprints)… parish and district long jump champion… born Dec. 14, 1998… son of Nicole Saulsberry and Reginald Williams, Jr…. plans to major in psychology with a minor in business… drew interest from Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and Idaho.

TRENT WINBUSH • DB • 5-11 • 180 • RAYNE, LA. • RAYNE HIGH SCHOOL
1st Team LSWA All-State… 2nd Team All-USA Today Louisiana Football… 1st Team All-District and All-Acadiana… district offensive MVP… I-10 Bowl All-Star game MVP… second team all-district on defense… set a school record by rushing for 2,510 yards on the season to go along with 32 rushing TDs… five games where he rushed for 200 yards or more and had one 300-yard game (310) against Northside in an 85-34 win… averaged 23.8 yards per carry in that game and scored six rushing TDs… born Sept. 1, 1999… son of Therion and Tamara Winbush.

CHARLEY ZENO • OL • 6-2 • 290 • CIBOLO, TEXAS • STEELE HS
1st Team All-State… 1st Team All-District… 1st Team All-Area… HEB All-Star Team… team finished 9-5 on the season, winning the regional round of the playoffs and advancing to the quarterfinals… played offensive guard for an offense that averaged 235 yards rushing per game and scored 39 rushing TDs… earned first team all-district and all-area honors as a junior where he helped lead his team to the state title… two-time team Captain… played on the defensive side of the ball as a freshman but moved to the offense when he made varsity as a sophomore… born May 6, 1999… son of Charley and Shanell Zeno and Carmita and Leon Reaux… plans to major in sociology… also offered by Central Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin and Texas Southern.