University of Massachusets Athletics
Signing Day Central 2005
February 02, 2005 | Football
Feb. 2, 2005
AMHERST, Mass. -- The UMass football team and head coach Don Brown has signed a tremendous class of 14 incoming freshmen.
Here are the signees for the football team
Stephen Babinski OL 6-4 300 Southampton, N.Y./St. Thomas More (Conn.) George Byrd LB 6-1 215 Naples, Fla./Naples H.S. Brandon Collier DE 6-1 250 Hudson, Ohio/Lakewood H.S./ Western Reserve Academy Armando Cuko K/P 5-10 185 Beverly, Mass./Beverly H.S. Christopher Dijak DE/OL 6-4 255 Lunenburg, Mass./Lunenburg H.S. Brian Frederick TE 6-4 240 Dracut, Mass./Dracut H.S. Michael Hanson LB 6-2 230 Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck H.S. Josh Jennings LB 5-11 210 Windsor, Conn./New Britain H.S./ Bridgton Academy (Maine) Tony Nelson RB 5-10 210 Germantown, Md./Northwest H.S. Theluxon Pierre DE 6-2 230 Everett, Mass./Everett H.S. Matt Silver TE 6-4 235 Victor, N.Y./Victor Central H.S. Sean Smalls DB 6-1 190 Richmond, Va./Huguenot H.S. Scott Woodward QB 6-3 190 Wendell, Mass./Mahar Regional H.S. Chris Zardas RB 6-1 215 Wakefield, Mass./St John's Prep
Stephen Babinski
Offensive Line • 6-4 • 300
Southampton, N.Y./St. Thomas More (Conn.)
Spent last season starring at St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Conn. after playing at Southampton High School ... started at right offensive tackle and defensive end ... earned All-New England First Team at offensive tackle ... served as team captain as a senior ... named the team's co-MVP at offensive tackle ... did not allow a sack all season ... on the defensive end, made nine sacks and had 43 tackles ... also blocked a punt for a touchdown. Born: September 6, 1985
George Byrd
Linebacker • 6-1 • 215
Naples, Fla. • Naples H.S.
Played at Naples High School under coach Bill Kramer ... rated as the fourth-best linebacker headed to a Division I-AA school, by rivals.com ... honored as a two-time first-team all-county selection by the Naples Daily News ... totaled 102 tackles with 66 solo stops ... caused three fumbles and recovered two more ... had a 10.5 sacks, 16 quarterback pressures and 14 tackles for loss. Born: November 7, 1987
Brandon Collier
Defensive End • 6-1 • 250
Hudson, Ohio • Lakewood H.S./Western Reserve Academy
Coming off a tremendous season at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio ... named second team All-Ohio ... honored by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a county all-star ... compiled 107 tackles including 75 solo ... also had 19 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks along with 30 quarterback hurries. Born: September 27, 1985
Armando Cuko
Kicker/Punter • 5-11 • 180
Beverly, Mass. • Beverly H.S.
Played at Beverly High School for head coach Dan Bauer ... served as a team captain ... honored as all-conference for three seasons ... named the special teams player of the week 12 times in his career over three seasons ... played in the 2005 Shriners and Agganis games in Boston ... honored as the MVP of the Thanksgiving Day game ... made five-of-six field goals, 16-of-17 extra-points ... 90 percent of his kickoffs went inside the opponents' five-yard line and 75 percent were into the end zone ... career-long field goal of 40 yards ... also had a 38-yard punting average ... native of Albania. Born: May 2, 1987
Chris Dijak
Defensive End • 6-4 • 255
Luenenburg, Mass. • Luenenburg H.S.
Star at Lunenburg High School for head coach Dale Diamantopoulos ... three-year on the defensive line and two-year starter at right offensive tackle ... served as a team captain as a senior ... an all-league all-star and divisional all-star for his play on the O-Line ... named to the Telegram & Gazette Super Team as an offensive lineman ... named to the Shriners All-Star Team ... honored as the offensive line MVP ... on defense, piled up 120 tackles, 10 sacks and forced three fumbles ... as a junior, was an all-league star and divisional all-star for his play at defensive tackle ... named the team's defensive MVP ... had 104 tackles and nine sacks ... also played basketball and competed in shot-put an discus for the track and field team. Born: April 23, 1987
Brian Frederick
Tight End • 6-4 • 240
Dracut, Mass. • Dracut H.S.
Three-year letterwinner at Dracut High School for Pat Murphy ... honored as an all-conference selection as a junior and senior ... named to the Lowell Sun's all-star team as a junior ... hauled in 38 catches for 650 yards and six touchdowns as a senior ... played in the 2005 Shriners Game ... award the All-Scholastic Award as a senior ... also played hockey and competed on the track and field team for three seasons in high school. Born: May 8, 1987
Michael Hanson
Linebacker • 6-2 • 230
Teaneck, N.J. • Teaneck H.S.
Star linebacker at Teaneck High School ... named second-team All-New Jersey ... honored as a Bergen County all-star ... three-time unanimous all-league selection ... second-team all-county ... played in the New York/New Jersey Governor's Bowl in 2005 ... led the team in tackles with 103, including 70 solos ... also had seven sacks and eight tackles for loss ... picked off three passes and returned two for touchdowns ... as a tight end, had six catches for 132 yards and one touchdown ... also lettered in varsity basketball for three years. Born: November 5, 1986
Josh Jennings
Linebacker • 5-11 • 210
Windsor, Conn. • New Britain H.S./Bridgton Academy (Maine
Comes off a sensational season at Bridgton Academy in Maine, as he picked up 11 sacks and two forced fumbles ... playing for New Britain High School, named the 2003 Connecticut Defensive Player of the Year ... is the all-time state record holder in career sacks with 64 ... set the state record for sacks in a single-game with five ... also stands second on the chart for most sacks in a single-season with 27 ... a two-time All-State player and two-time All-Herald honoree ... named to the all-conference team on three occasions ... was a preseason All-American by CBS Sportsline ... as a senior, in addition to his 27 sacks, also had 116 tackles, six forced fumbles, three blocked punts and three touchdowns. Born: January 7, 1987
Tony Nelson
Running Back • 5-10 • 210
Germantown, Md. • Northwest H.S.
Star running back and linebacker at Northwest High School in Germantown, Md., under coach Randy Trivers ... led the Jaguars to the Maryland State Championship in 2004 with a record of 14-1 ... honored as an all-conference selection as a junior and senior ... all-Gazette and All-Prince George's Journal as a senior ... ran for 1,692 on 213 carries (7.4 per carry average) and 18 touchdowns as a senior .... piled up 33 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons ... named a Top 44 recruit in the state of Maryland ... helped Northwest to a 32-6 record over his three varsity season. Born: August 24, 1987
Theluxon Pierre
Defensive End • 6-2 • 230
Everett, Mass. • Everett H.S.
Played at Everett High School for John Dibiaso ... all-Massachusetts as a senior ... named to the all-scholastic team by the Boston Globe and Boston Herald as a senior ... named a GBL all-star for three years ... was team defensive MVP as a sophomore and junior ... honored as an EMass All-Star ... led Everett to a 36-1 record in three seasons, playing in the Massachusetts Super Bowl (title game) three times, winning two titles ... racked up 70 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior .... also had 17 rushing touchdowns as a senior ... as a junior, recorded 17 sacks ... played in the 2005 Shriners Game. Born: October 13, 1986
Matt Silver
Tight End • 6-4 • 235
Victor, N.Y. • Victor Central H.S.
Powerful tight end at Victor Central High School in New York ... named all-Western New York ... will play in the New York/New Jersey's Governor's Cup ... had 25 catches for 459 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior ... on defense, made 64 tackles along with 10 sacks and seven pass break-ups. Born: February 7, 1987
Sean Smalls
Defensive Back • 6-1 • 190
Richmond, Va. • Huguenot H.S.
Fast defensive back and returner who played at Huguenot High School ... honored as all-Dominion District, all-central region and all-metro as a senior ... had 16 career interceptions -- four as a senior, returning three for touchdowns ... set a national record with a 109-yard interception return for a score ... also returned five kicks for 207 yards including one touchdown. Born: April 20, 1987
Scott Woodward
Quarterback • 6-3 • 190
Wendell, Mass. • Mahar Regional High School
Three-year starting quarterback for Mahar Regional High School in Orange, Mass. ... left-handed QB led the Senators to back-to-back Division III Super Bowl titles ... honored as a first-team All-State selection as a senior ... threw for more than 4,000 yards in his career and 46 touchdowns passes ... an all-around player, on defensive side of the ball, had 26 career interceptions as a defensive back and a 40-yard punting average ... named all-Western Massachusetts for three years in a row ... all-league three-time selection as a senior, threw for 1,250 yards and 19 touchdowns as well as aiding the defensive to eight shutouts in 11 games ... also starred in basketball and baseball, earning all-Western Mass honors. Born: November 2, 1986
Chris Zardas
Running Back • 6-1 • 215
Wakefield, Mass. • St. John's Prep
Four-year starter at running back at St. John's Prep for Jim O'Leary in Danvers, Mass. ... named to Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic teams as a senior ... was a Catholic League All-Star three times ... ran for more than 4,000 career yards and scored 48 career touchdowns ... led Division I in touchdowns as a junior and senior ... named to the Lynn Item all-star team twice ... an EMass all-star ... invited to play at the Agganis and Shriners All-Star games as a senior . Born: December 23, 1986
Players Mentioned
