Full FAU Football Signing Class for 2020 Takes Shape

BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Feb. 5, 2020) – Wednesday’s February National Signing Day for Florida Atlantic University football and 2020 first-year head coach Willie Taggart has added nine new players to those previously announced through December and January.

In addition to the members of the class announced throughout today and the nine players inked on December’s early signing day (plus one more in January), the Owls have thus far welcomed in five four-year transfers with the addition on Wednesday of T.J. Chase (a graduate student wide receiver coming from Clemson). The quartet of wide receiver D’Marcus Adams (Florida State), defensive lineman Malcolm Lamar (Florida State), wide receiver Yanez Rogers (Cincinnati) and wide receiver Aaron Young (Duke) have all enrolled and are already working out with the squad.

“Very, very excited about our class,” said Taggart. “Really impressed with our staff, especially with the short amount of time of putting together a class … It was challenging, but it was also good to see that our guys were able to go out and accomplish some of the things that we needed to when it came to recruiting and filling some of the needs that we had to fill. Not only did we fill the needs with good football players, we filled the needs with great character kids and kids that are going to be about the right things. Really excited about it.”

Coach Taggart’s full press conference can be viewed here: https://fausports.com/showcase/embed.aspx?Archive=3453.

Here is the full signing class to this point, including the earlier announcements:

NamePos  Ht      Wt     Cl    Hometown / High School (Previous School)
Evan AndersonDL6-3325FROrlando, Fla. / Jones High School
Alex AtcavageOL6-5285FRHonesdale, Pa. / IMG Academy
**Alvin Dempsey IIIDL6-1288JRPort St. Joe, Fla. / Port St. Joe High School (East Central CC)
**Sebastien DolcineOL6-5295JRPlantation, Fla. / Miramar High School (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
***Eli FieldsOL6-5297R-SO  Manchester, N.J. / Linden High School (Butler CC)
*Decarius Hawthorne  DL6-2280FRCenter Point, Ala. / Center Point High School
Ja’Marquis JohnsonLB6-4204FRNashville, Ga. / Berrien High School
Chris JonesLB6-4215FRPompano Beach, Fla. / Coconut Creek High School
Malik JonesOL6-2296FRZephyrhills, Fla. / Zephyrhills Christian Academy
*Marlon KrakueLB6-2210FRMarietta, Ga. / Sprayberry High School
*Andre LamasOL6-3270FRMiami, Fla. / Columbus High School
**Joe LewisLB6-1191FRTampa, Fla. / Tampa Bay Tech High School
*Travis LockhartDL6-3225FRVilla Rica, Ga. / Carrollton High School
**Justin McKithenWR5-10   155FRSavannah, Ga. / New Hampstead High School
Trevor ReavesDB6-2175FRMiami, Fla. / Edison High School
Willie  Taggart, Jr.QB6-1157FRTallahassee, Fla. / Florida State University High School
*Charles ToombsDB5-9155FRImmokalee Flats, Fla. / Immokalee High School
Peter Warrick, Jr.DB5-10183FRMarietta, Ga. / Marietta High School
Jaden WheelerDL6-3265FRNashville, Ga. / Berrien High School
* – December Signee
** – December Signee and Early Enrollee
*** – January Signee and Early Enrollee

And here is a bio of each signee:

Evan Anderson

Freshman | 6-3 | 325 | DL

Orlando, Fla. (Jones High School)

High School

·         Totaled 84 tackles his senior season, with four tackles for loss that included two sacks

·         Also forced two fumbles

·         Led Jones squad to a 13-2 record – a school record for wins – and a state finals appearance, the first in school history

Personal

·         Also was considered by USF, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Toledo, among others

·         Ranked three stars by 247Sports

===

Alex Atcavage

Freshman | 6-5 | 285 | OL

Honesdale, Pa. (IMG Academy)

High School

·         Led IMG Academy as a senior to a 9-1 record, and MaxPreps rankings of No. 2 in Florida and No. 7 in the nation

·         Previously had played for his hometown school, Honesdale High School in Pennsylvania

·         Led that squad to the state playoffs in 2018

Personal

·         Also offered by Florida State, UCF, USF, Minnesota, Louisville, NC State and Illinois, among a host of more than 20 other schools

·         Three-star guard ranked No. 118 at that position by 247 Sports

·         Also rated three stars by ESPN, as their No. 125 guard

===

Alvin Dempsey III

Junior | 6-1 | 288 | DL

Port St. Joe, Fla. (Port St. Joe High School/East Central CC)

At East Central CC

Sophomore (2019)

·         In nine games, had 30 tackles, 20 of which were solo and three were for a loss

·         Also had two interceptions – including a 74-yard return against Itawamba – and two fumble recoveries

·         One of those recoveries went for a touchdown in a 35-0 shutout over Pearl River

Freshman (2018)

·         Recorded 40 tackles and 6.5 sacks, among seven tackles for loss

·         Forced a fumble and recovered a fumble, while also adding a pass breakup

·         His fumble recovery was an 11-yard touchdown against Mississippi Gulf Coast

High School

·         Had 331 career tackles at Port St. Joe High, including 98 as a freshman, 115 as a sophomore, and 76 his senior season

·         Of those, 27 were sacks, with a career-best nine his final year

·         Forced nine fumbles in his four years, and recovered five

·         Also rushed for 35 yards his senior year, on nine carries, with a touchdown

Personal

·         Chose the Owls over North Texas, Charlotte, Southern Miss and UAB, among a host of other schools

·         247Sports has him No. 81 among junior college players, the No. 8 JC defensive tackle, and No. 18 JC prospect from the state of Florida

===

Sebastien Dolcine

Junior | 6-5 | 295 | OL

Plantation, Fla. (Miramar High School/Copiah-Lincoln CC)

At Copiah-Lincoln CC

Sophomore (2019)

·         Preseason All-MACJC lineman, as named by Mississippi Gridiron

·         Played eight games for the Wolves

·         Team was ranked as high as No. 8 during the 2019 campaign

At Kentucky

Freshman (2018)

·         Redshirted in his only season in Lexington, appearing in one game for the Wildcats

High School

·         Played for Miramar High School, for a team that went 8-3 his senior year

Personal

·         Ranked as the No. 20 overall junior college player, No. 2 junior college guard, and No. 3 overall Florida junior college prospect, by 247Sports

·         Other schools listed included Mississippi State, UCF, Auburn, Arkansas and Oregon

·         Out of high school, he was the No. 31 guard in the entire 2017 recruiting class

·         High school offers included UCF, Wake Forest and Temple

===

Eli Fields

Redshirt Sophomore | 6-5 | 297 | OL

Manchester, N.J. (Linden High School/Butler CC)

At Butler CC

Freshman (2019)

·         Led the Grizzlies to a 10-3 mark, the 2019 Midwest Classic Bowl championship, and a final NJCAA ranking of No. 5

·         Paved the way for an offense that averaged 28.4 points and 346.2 yards a game, including over 190 rushing yards per contest

Prep School

·         Spent a year at Milford Academy, helping the 2018 squad to a 10-2 record and season-ending six-game winning streak

·         Falcons averaged 123.3 rushing yards a game among 282.2 total yards

High School

·         Played both sides of the ball in high school, which included 38 combined tackles his final two seasons, six for loss

Personal

·         Drew interest from Rutgers, UMass and Campbell

===

Decarius Hawthorne

Freshman | 6-2 | 280 | DL

Center Point, Ala. (Center Point High School)

High School

·         As a junior, had 56 tackles, 20 for loss, with four sacks

·         Also forced four fumbles, recovered one and had two blocked punts

Personal

·         Other potential schools included Tulane, Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky

·         247Sports slotted him No. 80 among players in the state of Alabama

===

Ja’Marquis Johnson

Freshman | 6-4 | 204 | LB

Nashville, Ga. (Berrien High School)

High School

·         Two-way player at Berrien, with career defensive totals of 120 tackles, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries

·         On the offensive side of the ball, had over 1,000 all-purpose yards each of his junior and senior seasons

·         Rushed for 631 yards, had 140 receiving yards and passed for 345 more this past year

·         Had six rushing touchdowns as well

·         Listed his senior year as a quarterback, wide receiver and free safety

·         Teammate of fellow Owl commit Jaden Wheeler

Personal

·         Chose the Owls over Florida State, Kentucky, USF, Boston College and Georgia Tech

·         Rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, as the No. 92 player in all of Georgia

·         Also ranked as the No. 71 athlete in the nation, No. 97 in Georgia, and given three stars by ESPN

===

Chris Jones

Freshman | 6-4 | 215 | LB

Pompano Beach, Fla. (Coconut Creek High School)

High School

·         His senior year at Coconut Creek, posted 48 tackles, seven for a loss, with eight sacks

·         Also scooped up a fumble recovery for a 20-yard return

Personal

·         247Sports gave him a three-star rating, with rankings of No. 48 as a defensive end and No. 114 in the state of Florida

·         Other interested schools included Florida State, UCF, USF, Minnesota, Indiana, Wake Forest and Kansas

===

Malik Jones

Freshman | 6-2 | 296 | OL

Zephyrhills, Fla. (Zephyrhills Christian Academy)

High School

·         Played both sides of the ball for the Warriors

·         Credited with six pancake blocks as a senior

·         Also totaled 113 tackles his final year, 38 for a loss, with 26 sacks

·         All told, had 68 TFL among 285 career stops during his four years

·         Was a multi-sport athlete throughout his tenure at Zephyrhills Christian, also competing in basketball, lacrosse, soccer and wrestling

Personal

·         Rated three stars by 247Sports; listed as the No. 99 defensive tackle and Florida’s No. 177 recruit

·         Also given three stars by ESPN, rated No. 126 at offensive guard

·         Picked FAU over Kentucky, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Troy

===

Marlon Krakue

Freshman | 6-2 | 210 | LB

Marietta, Ga. (Sprayberry High School)

High School

·         Voted by the league’s coaches as First Team All-Region for 6-AAAAAA after tallying nearly 90 tackles and 6.5 sacks

Personal

·         Had over 20 offers, including Minnesota, Marshall, Southern Miss, Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Rutgers and Toledo

·         Ranked as the No. 89 player in Georgia by 247Sports, and No. 41 overall defensive end

===

Andre Lamas

Freshman | 6-3 | 270 | OL

Miami, Fla. (Columbus High School)

High School

·         Part of the Class 8A state championship-winning Columbus squad

·         Explorers finished the year 11-4, and finished the title game off with two touchdowns in the last 4:37 – including a two-point conversion on the final score – for a 21-20 win over Apopka

Personal

·         Chose the Owls over Bryant, Austin Peay and Arkansas-Pine Bluff

·         High school teammates with Owls’ current offensive lineman Federico Maranges

===

Joe Lewis

Freshman | 6-1 | 191 | LB

Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay Tech High School)

High School

·         Had 63 tackles, 43 solo, with 14 tackles for loss as a senior

·         Also posted four sacks and an interception – that was returned for a touchdown

·         Forced four fumbles, recovered one, and had two blocked punts as well

·         Squad went 7-4 overall for head coach Jayson Roberts

·         As a junior, tallied 42 tackles, with three sacks, plus another punt block

·         Also a star baseball player

Personal

·         Chose the Owls over Gardner-Webb

===

Travis Lockhart

Freshman | 6-3 | 225 | DL

Villa Rica, Ga. (Carrollton High School)

High School

·         As a senior at Carrollton, had 24 tackles with 7.5 for loss

·         Five of those TFL went for sacks, and added a fumble recovery

Personal

·         Also drew interest from Army, Minnesota, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, WKU and Akron, among others

===

Justin McKithen

Freshman | 5-10 | 155 | WR

Savannah, Ga. (New Hampstead High School)

High School

·         All-Region 3A as a return specialist after his final campaign at New Hampstead

·         Also chosen by coaches as the All-Region team returner for 2-AAAAA

·         Totaled 970 all-purpose yards his junior year, including 23 catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns

·         Posted a long reception of 90 yards

·         Also averaged 14.4 yards per rush, 230 yards, with two scores

·         Prolific kick returner, with a career average of 30.3 yards

·         That included an 82-yard return for a score as a sophomore

Personal

·         Picked the Owls over Southern Miss, Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern

·         Ranked No. 180 in Georgia by 247Sports

===

Trevor Reaves

Freshman | 6-2 | 175 | DB

Miami, Fla. (Edison High School)

High School

·         Totaled 91 tackles as a senior at Edison, 51 solo, with three for a loss

·         Also posted two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, a blocked field goal and two quarterback hurries

·         One of his two fumbles recovered, he took back for a touchdown

Personal

·         Rated three stars by both 247Sports and ESPN

·         Also offered by Kentucky, Maryland, Kent State, Southern Miss and UTEP, among others

===

Willie Taggart, Jr.

Freshman | 6-1 | 157 | QB

Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State University High School)

High School

·         Threw for 2,165 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior

·         Added another 876 yards (with a per-carry average of 9.0) and 10 scores on the ground

·         Led the Seminoles to a 12-2 record and the squad finished as Class 3A runners-up in the school’s first ever appearance in the title game

Personal

·         Rated as the No. 125 athlete in the country and given three stars by 247Sports

·         Also three stars, and as the No. 36 dual-threat quarterback nationally, by ESPN

·         Considered Florida State, Oregon and Appalachian State

===

Charles Toombs

Freshman | 5-9 | 155 | DB

Immokalee Flats, Fla. (Immokalee High School)

High School

·         Multi-position athlete starred at defensive back, as he was a finalist for the Naples Daily News Defensive Player of the Year

·         Recorded five interceptions his senior season, including a touchdown

·         Also had two punt return scores

·         Picked prior to his final year as part of “The Big 15” by the Naples Daily News, landing at No. 8

·         Totaled nine more interceptions as a sophomore, with one returned for a score

·         Part of the Daily News All-Area team after that effort

Personal

·         Also offered by Kentucky, Iowa State, NC State and Temple

·         No. 189 athlete, No. 277 player from Florida by 247Sports

===

Peter Warrick, Jr.

Freshman | 5-10 | 183 | DB

Marietta, Ga. (Marietta High School)

High School

·         Played linebacker and safety at Marrieta, the No. 1 team in Georgia in 2019 according to MaxPreps

·         Posted a combined 129 tackles his junior and senior seasons

·         In addition to 66 tackles, had two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this past year

·         The Blue Devils went 14-2, winning the Georgia Class AAAAAAA state championship

·         Following that win, helped the team to a 53-14 victory over Eastside Catholic (state champions from Washington) in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series

·         The season prior, had 63 tackles and two interceptions

Personal

·         Three-star recruit by 247Sports

·         Also considered Memphis and Rice

·         Son of Peter Warrick, who was twice a consensus All-American at Florida State before playing five years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks

===

Jaden Wheeler

Freshman | 6-3 | 265 | DL

Nashville, Ga. (Berrien High School)

High School

·         Had 58 tackles, five for a loss, his senior year

·         Also caused two fumbles

·         The year before, had five TFL among 25 stops, with a forced fumble and a blocked punt

·         Tallied a receiving touchdown each season as well

·         Took part in the Georgia Elite Classic All-Star Game

·         Teammate of fellow Owl commit Ja’Marquis Johnson

Personal

·         Three-star recruit by 247Sports, as the No. 139 nationwide defensive tackle and No. 180 player in Georgia

·         Picked FAU over Syracuse, USF and Tulane among other many late offers

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