2019 National Signing Day Primer
Another college football recruiting cycle wraps up on February 6, as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane will put the finishing touches on its 2019 class.
As the authority on Tulsa football recruiting for 17 years, Inside Tulsa Sports has covered every scholarship offer, every official visit, every commitment and much more during the 2019 recruiting cycle, and the hard work of TU head coach Philip Montgomery and his coaching staff comes to a conclusion on National Signing Day.
Tulsa signed nine prospects in the early December period. In-depth information on those players can be found below, but first, we take a look at the Hurricane's 11 additional commitments that plan to sign on Wednesday.
Verbal commitments are non-binding and several of Tulsa's current commitments have continued to be heavily recruited the past few weeks, so signing day is always a nerve-racking process for coaches and fans as they wait for signatures to come in.
The following recruits are expected to sign National Letters of Intent with Tulsa during the regular signing period that begins on February 6.
• DENZEL CARTER, Tight End, Mississippi Gulf Coast College
The Skinny: Carter will be one to watch on Wednesday, as he took an official visit to San Diego State this past weekend. He visited Tulsa over the weekend of January 18 and also holds offers from Central Michigan, South Alabama and several others. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
2018 Stats: Carter helped Gulf Coast to a 7-2 record, catching eight passes for 65 yards and three touchdowns, but his biggest contribution was as a powerful blocker in the run game. Carter was named to the All-NJCAA Region 23 team and the All-MACJC South first team.
• REGGIE ELLIS, Cornerback, Houston (TX) Aldine Davis
The Skinny: Ellis committed to Tulsa on January 27 after an official visit. He chose Tulsa over offers from Air Force, Texas Southern and Abilene Christian.
2018 Stats: As a senior, Ellis totaled 30 tackles, 15 pass breakups and an interception, earning first-team All-District honors.
Why he chose TU: "I loved the campus and the environment, and they are really big on education. I also wanted to be a part of a good defensive backfield, and I feel like I could learn a lot and produce more at Tulsa."
Read more about Reggie: Ellis talks Tulsa
• ETHAN HALL, Tight End, Bixby (OK)
The Skinny: A very physical player, Hall was named first-team All-State as a linebacker, but Tulsa recruited him for his talent as a tight end. He committed to TU on January 27 after an official visit, picking the Hurricane over offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Missouri State and others.
2018 Stats: Hall helped Bixby to a 12-1 record and a state title this season, as his physical play was felt on both sides of the ball. He caught 17 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, and he was a powerful blocker in the Spartans run game. As a linebacker, he amassed 82 tackles, 20 quarterback hurries and 12 sacks.
Why he chose TU: "What made me commit to TU is it’s close to home, and it just felt like home on campus as well."
Read more about Ethan: Hall commits to Tulsa
• DORIAN HOPKINS, Linebacker, Memphis (TN) University School
The Skinny: Hopkins is a fantastic athlete that received strong interest from schools such as Arkansas and Mississippi, but he committed early to Tulsa in July over offers from UTSA, Tennessee-Martin and others. He also excels on the track as a decathlete.
2018 Stats: In helping MUS to an 11-1 record, Hopkins amassed 95 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven QB hurries, one interception and a forced fumble.
Why he chose TU: "I felt like it was the perfect fit for what I want to accomplish as a player and a professional in the field I choose,. They showed a lot of love, and it was a great opportunity for me to go somewhere I’m accepted."
Read more about Dorian: 3-star LB picks TU
• KOREY KING, Wide Receiver, Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Marshall
The Skinny: King is a speedy, shifty player that excels as a receiver and a kick returner. He committed to Tulsa on February 2 after an official visit, picking TU over offers from Colorado, Texas Tech, Houston, Tulane and others.
2018 Stats: As a senior, King caught 28 passes for 552 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 19.7 yards per catch, and he ran the ball 16 times for 97 yards and a score. He also had 572 return yards, taking three kickoffs back for touchdowns and averaging 31.3 yards per return.
Read more about Korey: King is a dynamic playmaker
• COOPER LAAKE, Defensive Tackle, Austin (TX) Bowie
The Skinny: Laake was previously committed to Texas Tech, but reopened his recruiting process in November when the Red Raiders had a coaching change. He committed to Tulsa on January 27 after an official visit. Laake also had offers from Oregon, Purdue, Houston, Colorado State, Rice and Texas State.
• LAZARUS MAY, Defensive End, Port Arthur (TX) Memorial
The Skinny: May is listed as a linebacker on his recruiting profile, but he played as a defensive end during his senior season, making a major impact. He made an official visit to Tulsa this past weekend and committed on February 4 over offers from UNLV, UTEP and others.
2018 Stats: May finished his senior season with 59 tackles, including 29 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He also collected 11 quarterback hurries, blocked four punts, forced three fumbles and scored a safety and a touchdown, earning District Defensive MVP and first-team All-District 9-5A.
Why he chose TU: "Very nice campus. I love the facilities, and the players are pretty cool."
Read more about Lazarus: May adds exclamation point to TU class
• LAMAR MULLINS, Safety, Butler County College
The Skinny: Mullins committed to Tulsa on January 21 after an official visit. He also held offers from Washington State, UTEP, Old Dominion and North Dakota. He will graduate from Butler in May and plans to transfer to TU in the summer.
2018 Stats: Helping Butler to an 8-4 record this season, Mullins racked up 55 tackles, five tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
Why he chose TU: "I loved the whole coaching staff from when I first met them. I felt like I was already a part of the family with the great love and atmosphere I was in."
Read more about Lamar: Juco safety talks Tulsa
• JAISE OLIVER, Safety, Fairfield (TX)
The Skinny: Oliver made an official visit to Tulsa over the weekend of January 25 and then committed on January 29 over offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin and others.
2018 Stats: The 6-foot-2 and 193 pound defensive back was a big-time playmaker as a senior for the 9-3 Eagles, amassing 50 tackles, 12 pass breakups, four interceptions and three forced fumbles. Oliver also averaged 20.3 yards on eight kickoff returns.
Why he chose TU: "The other recruits had a great bond and were great to be around. I just knew I would be comfortable with the class. Also, the education and degree you can leave with from Tulsa is top notch. And I feel like I could join the system and make some plays under Coach Buckels."
Read more about Jaise: Oliver picks Tulsa
• TYLER SMITH, Offensive Tackle, Fort Worth (TX) North Crowley
The Skinny: Smith plays with a mean streak and is very physical. He committed to Tulsa on January 27 after an official visit that weekend. He also had offers from Houston, Navy, New Mexico and others.
2018 Stats: Smith helped pave the way for a rushing attack that produced 293 yards and 3.5 touchdowns per game on the ground. The North Crowley offense averaged 510 total yards per contest.
Why he chose TU: "The engineering program, awesome campus and coaches."
• STANLEY WYNN, Cornerback, Sanford (FL) Seminole
The Skinny: Wynn was under the radar in a very talented area of Florida. He committed to Tulsa on January 27 after an official visit. He also had offers from Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, South Alabama and several others. He helped Seminole to an 8-2 record this season.
TULSA FOOTBALL EARLY SIGNEES
The Golden Hurricane signed nine prospects on December 19, during the three-day early signing period for high school players (Dec. 19-21) that coincides with the start of the mid-term junior college signing period (Dec. 19 - Jan. 15).
The following links provide information on all of Tulsa's early signees, and profiles are also provided below in alphabetical order. Click on a profile to see video highlights and more.
- Complete TU Commitment/Signee List