University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Add 10 On Early Signing Day
December 20, 2023 | Football
Head coach Don Brown and his staff signed seven offensive and three defensive players
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
