Minutemen Add 10 On Early Signing Day

AMHERST, Mass. – Head coach Don Brown and the Massachusetts football staff signed 10 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent as part of Wednesday's early signing period.

The future Minutemen include seven offensive and three defensive players, as well as nine prep/high school athletes and a junior college transfer.

The class includes running back Da'Marion Alberic (West Palm Beach, Florida), offensive lineman Tanner Burlingame (Endwell, New York), wide receiver Kezion Dia-Johnson (Phoenix, Arizona), viper Jadrian Gibbs (Hugo, Oklahoma), quarterback AJ Hairston (Pompano Beach, Florida), tight end Ludovic Martin (Montreal, Quebec), wide receiver Kenyon Massey (Newark, New Jersey), defensive back Keith Sarkodieh (Worcester, Massachusetts), offensive lineman Brock Taylor (Hanover, Virginia) and defensive end Brahim Wynn (Camden, New Jersey).

Dia-Johnson (third all-time/85 rating), Wynn (13th all-time/84 rating) and Massey (23rd all-time/83 rating) rank in the program's top-25 of 247sports' individual recruit rankings for high school signees.

Before spring football, Massachusetts will continue to add to the roster through the midyear and junior college transfer windows and the additional February 7 signing day.

Da'Marion Alberic | RB | West Palm Beach, Florida | 5'10" | 170 lbs.

An On3 and 247Sports three-star recruit out of Atlantic High School
A two-year varsity letterwinner as a running back
Tallied 1,452 rushing yards on 198 carries, averaging 7.3 per carry, and added 13 touchdowns in his career
Had 37 receptions for 279 yards in his career with three touchdowns
Rushed for 598 yards on 108 carries with eight touchdowns as a senior
Caught 17 passes for 168 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per reception, and one touchdown as a senior
Three-time MaxPreps Player of the Game as a senior
Team went 9-4 in 2023 season, going 2-0 in the district for the second straight year
Recorded 854 yards on 90 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per carry, and five touchdowns as a junior
Totaled 111 yards on 20 receptions with two touchdowns as well as a junior
Recipient of the 2022 Courage Award in Palm Beach County
Helped his team to the second round of Florida's 3M District 9 playoffs after going 8-4 in 2022
Also ran track

Tanner Burlingame | OL | Endwell, New York | 6'5" | 270 lbs.

An On3 and 247Sports three-star recruit out of Maine-Endwell high school
Rated On3's No. 11 recruit in the state of New York and as 247Sports' No. 13 recruit in New York
A four-year player, also spent time as a defensive tackle on the other side of the ball
Helped team as a runner up in the 2023 NYSPHSAA Football Championship
Won back-to-back NYSPHSAA Championship titles (2021-22)
Team finished the 2022 season with a 13-0 overall record and 5-0 league record
Went 12-1 overall and 3-0 in the league in 2021
Played lacrosse for one season

Kezion Dia-Johnson | WR | Phoenix, Arizona | 6'0" | 180 lbs.

An On3, 247Sports and Rivals.com three-star recruit out of Desert Edge High School
Ranked as On3's No. 34 recruit in the state of Arizona and as 247Sports' No. 42 recruit in Arizona
His 247 three-star 85 composite rating makes him the third-highest high school commit for UMass
A three-year varsity letterwinner as a wide receiver
For his career, recorded 1,855 yards receiving on 112 receptions and added 24 touchdowns
Totaled 489 rushing yards on 56 carries with seven touchdowns throughout three years
As a senior, caught 51 passes for 882 yards, averaging 17.3 yards per reception with 13 total touchdowns
Named a First Team 5A All-Conference honoree after his senior season
Caught 37 passes for 695 yards with seven touchdowns as a junior and had 278 receiving yards with 24 receptions and four touchdowns as a sophomore
Rushed for 71 yards on seven carries as a senior, adding a touchdown, while rushing for 84 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns as a junior
Posted 334 rushing yards on 37 attempts with four touchdowns as a sophomore
Earned MaxPreps Player of the Game honors seven times as a sophomore

Jadrian Gibbs| VIPER | Hugo, Oklahoma | 6'0" | 200 lbs.

A 247Sports Juco three-star recruit out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
Appeared in eight games for the Golden Norsemen in 2022
Totaled 20 tackles with 11 solo and nine assisted
Added two tackles for loss and a sack, while blocking one kick
Attended Stillwater High School, earning a varsity letter
Recorded 35 total tackles, including seven solo and 28 assisted in 10 games played
Registered four tackles for loss and two sacks, while tallying a fumble recovery

AJ Hairston | QB | Pompano Beach, Florida | 6'3" | 215 lbs.

An On3 and 247Sports three-star recruit out of Monarch High School
A four-year varsity letterwinner at the quarterback position
Three-time All-County honoree
A two-time All-State selection
2023 Sun Sentinel 2023 Broward County Player of the Year
Threw for 8,098 yards on 472-for-671 passing with 77 touchdowns in his career
On the ground, rushed for 769 yards on 113 carries with 14 touchdowns
Registered 2,571 passing yards on 118 completions and 22 touchdowns as a senior
Tallied 3,217 passing yards (195-for-287) with 32 touchdowns as a junior and 2,310 passing yards (159-for-217) with 23 touchdowns as a sophomore
Ran for 214 yards on 37 carries as a senior, adding four touchdowns
Totaled 347 rushing yards (53 attempts) and 208 rushing yards (23 attempts) as junior and sophomore, respectively
Eight-time MaxPreps Player of the Game honoree in 2023
Led team to the 2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 4M, finishing with an 11-3 overall record and a 3-0 record in the 4M District 12 League
Helped the 9-3 team to the second round of the 2022 FHSAA 4M Playoffs
A three-sport athlete, also competing in basketball and baseball
Played basketball for two seasons, earning MaxPreps Player of the Game honors five times as a sophomore
Became the first junior varsity basketball player in school history to record 25 points and 25 rebounds, while also earning the school's first ever triple-double
Played baseball for one season

Ludovic Martin | TE | Montreal, Quebec | 6'5' | 230 lbs.

An On3 and 247Sports three-star recruit out of Clearwater Academy International
Two-year varsity letterwinner as a tight end
Had 28 catches for 381 yards with three touchdowns in 13 games
As a junior (10 GP), tallied 22 receptions for 352 yards with all three touchdowns on the season
A Montreal native, Martin also played for the CSA Dragons (Lachine, Quebec) and the CRC Cougars (Lennoxville, Quebec)

Kenyon Massey | WR | Newark, New Jersey | 5'10" | 185 lbs.

An On3 and 247Sports three-star recruit out of Paramus Catholic
Rated a Top-50 recruit in the state of New Jersey by both On3 and 247Sports
A three-year varsity player as a wide receiver
Totaled 2,006 receiving yards on 131 catches with 21 touchdowns in his career
Added 39 rushing yards on 13 carries
Also tallied 17 kick returns for 385 yards
Posted 811 receiving yards on 50 receptions and added seven touchdowns as a senior
Recorded 64 receptions for 933 yards with 13 touchdowns as a junior
As a junior, also registered 286 yards on 16 kickoff returns
Had 17 receptions for 262 yards and a touchdown as sophomore

Keith Sarkodieh | DB | Worcester, Massachusetts| 6'2" | 190 lbs.

A defensive back out of Worcester Academy who also played wide receiver
Played 11 varsity games for Worcester Academy, totaling 19 solo tackles and 12 assisted tackles (31 total tackles)
Had an interception as a junior and as a senior
Also posted 33 catches for 682 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 varsity games on offense
Averaged 20.7 yards per catch and 62.0 receiving yards per game
As a senior, had four touchdown catches and a rushing touchdown to go along with a two-point conversion
Also played football and basketball at Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts prior to his time at Worcester Academy

Brock Taylor | OL | Hanover, Virginia | 6'3" | 280 lbs.

An On3 and 247Sports composite three-star recruit out of Atlee High School
Rated a Top-50 recruit in the state of Virginia by 247Sports
Four-year varsity player as an offensive guard and defensive tackle
A 2021 Second Team All-Region honoree and an Honorable Mention All-Metro selection
Had two tackles, including one solo, and a tackle for loss as a sophomore
Also competes in track and field and was a Virginia Class 4 state qualifier as a junior in the shot put and the discus (June 2023)
Posted junior outdoor season-best throws of 48-9 in the shot put and 142-0 in the discus and placed fourth at the Class 4 indoor shot-put finals with a 49-0.5 (Feb. 2023)

Brahim Wynn | DE | Camden, New Jersey | 6'3" | 235 lbs.

An On3, 247Sports and Rivals.com three-star recruit out of Timber Creek High School
Rated On3's No. 35 recruit in the state of New Jersey and as 247Sports' No. 38 recruit in New Jersey
A four-year varsity player, also spent time at outside linebacker before edge
Posted 11 sacks as a senior to go along with 56 tackles (47 solo), two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a fumble returned for a touchdown
Finished his high school career with 24.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 96 solo tackles
Had five sacks in a win at Williamstown as a senior
Earned West Jersey Football League Memorial Division First Team Defense honors and was a Third Team All-State Team Defense honoree in 2022

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Da'Marion Alberic

Tanner Burlingame

Kezion Dia-Johnson

Jadrian Gibbs

AJ Hairston

Ludovic Martin

Kenyon Massey

Keith Sarkodieh

Brock Taylor

Brahim Wynn

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics