McNeese strengthens football roster by signing five transfers

LAKE CHARLES – The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt of all sports this spring, including spring football.

But that hasn’t stopped McNeese first-year head coach Frank Wilson and his staff on the recruiting trail as the Cowboys have landed five players since February’s normal signing day that immediately strengthens the roster.

One of the big names Wilson signed is defensive lineman Isaiah Chambers, a transfer from the University of Houston.

The 6-5, 265 graduate transfer will have one season to play for the Cowboys and is expected to give a big boost to the defensive line.

Chambers began his college career at TCU, redshirting in 2016. He then transferred to UH where he played the last two seasons after sitting out in 2017. He was named a preseason American Athletic Conference defensive lineman in both 2018 and 2019 and in 2018, was named to the Ted Hendricks Watch List which awards the nation’s top defensive lineman.

This past season, Chambers played in ten games for the Cougars and was tied for the team lead in sacks with five. In the first five games of the 2018 season, Chambers had 4.5 sacks for the Cougars before missing the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Coming out of Aldine MacArthur High School in 2016, Chambers was ranked as a four-star recruit by 247Sports.com and the No. 7 strong-side defensive end in the nation.

McNeese added kicker Jacob Abel out of Butler Community College and a native of Goddard, Kansas.

Abel was regarded as one of the top JUCO kickers in the nation, having never missed a kick at less than 50 yards, going 13 for 13 from that range. He also connected on 35 of 38 extra points and led the team with 74 points scored.

His longest field goal was a 45-yarder as he went 2-for-2 from 40-49 yards, 5-for-5 at 30-39 yards, and 6-for-6 from the 20-29 yard range.

Abel was named the KJCCC Special Teams Player of the Week twice on the season. First was with his performance against Dodge City, going 5-of-5 kicking that day. Then, he connected on 6-of-6 against Garden City, earning Player of the Week honors the week of Nov. 12.

Quarterback Walker Wood comes to McNeese with two years of eligibility remaining having played sparingly in Lexington. He played in two games in 2019 as he completed two passes for 15 yards and rushed for 22 yards.

Wood was a three-star prospect coming out of Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kent. He was considered a dual-threat quarterback by recruiting services as he held offers from UK, Louisville and Cincinnati.

At Lafayette, Wood was a Mr. Football finalist and Class of the Commonwealth selection his senior season and led the Generals to back-to-back appearances in the Class 6A state championship game, a first for a Lexington public school. He threw 30 touchdowns and rushed for 31 scores in his senior year, after which he was named the 2016 Paul Hornung Award high school winner.

Wide receiver Joshua Matthews (6-2, 194) played two seasons at Louisiana Tech and will finish out his collegiate career for the Cowboys.

A threat at the wideout position, Matthews was recruited by Tulsa, SMU and TCU before deciding on McNeese.

The fifth signee since signing day is Accord Green, a defensive lineman out of Hinds Community College.

A New Orleans native and De La Salle HS product, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Green was regarded as one of the top defensive ends in all of JUCO last season, not because of stats but because of his athleticism, awareness and knowledge of the game.

This past season at Hinds, Green recorded 27 tackles with 1.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss to go along with a fumble force and recovery. Had a nine-tackle game with a sack in a win over East Central.

He comes from a great football bloodline as well with a relation to LSU great Jarvis Green.

Wilson is expected to sign two more players by the end of the week.

McNeese Football Signees
Jacob Abel, K, 6-1, 198, Butler CC; Goddard, KS; Goddard Eisenhower
Isaiah Chambers, DL, 6-5, 265, University of Houston; Houston; Aldine MacArthur/TCU
Accord Green, DL, 6-4, 260, Hinds CC; New Orleans; De La Salle HS
Joshua Matthews, WR, 6-2, 194, Louisiana Tech; Baton Rouge; Dunham HS
Walker Wood, QB, 6-0, 190, University of Kentucky; Lexington, Kent.; Lafayette HS