STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State head football coach Cary Fowler has announced that a pair of NCAA Division I transfers will join the Texan Football team for the upcoming 2014 season.
 
Lyndell Johnson, a 6-4, 215 pound defensive back from Oklahoma State, along with Eric Mathews, a 6-2, 185 pound quarterback from Memphis, will both join the team and be set to compete for the Texans this fall.
 
Johnson joins the Texans after spending the past three seasons at Oklahoma State, where he tallied 93 Tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, a pair of sacks, four pass break up's, two picks, three quarterback hurries, three fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.
 
Johnson also enjoyed an outstanding prep career while at Plano East High School playing under former Head Coach Johnny Ringo. During his senior and junior years he recorded more than 125 Tackles and had two interceptions. Coming out of high school Johnson was a national recruit and was rated the No. 19 safety in the nation by Scout.com and the No. 39 overall prospect in Texas. As a senior he was named to the Texas Super Team by Texas Football and was also a member of the Fab-55 by the Austin Statesman. He was also rated a 3-Star Rivals Player. He is the son of Antonette and Carlos Harwell.
 
Mathews joins the Texans after spending the past two seasons at Memphis, where he rushed for 74 yards and had 24 yards passing to go along with one touchdown, while learning behind two-year starter Jacob Karam.
 
Before signing with Memphis, Mathews played quarterback for Blinn Junior College under former Head Coach Ronny Feldman. In one season at Blinn, Mathews passed for 2,388 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for 717 yards. Blinn finished the season with a 9-2 record and spent five weeks ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Standings.
 
Mathews also enjoyed an outstanding prep career at Brookshire Royal High School playing under Head Coach David Walthall. He was a three-sport athlete lettering in football, baseball and basketball. During his senior year on the football field, Mathews passed for 2,112 yards and registered 30 touchdowns, while rushing the ball for 1,092 yards and 20 scores. He is the son of Seleta and Lloyd Mathews.
 
The Texans went 7-3 overall in 2013 and were co-Lone Star Conference Champions with a mark of 5-1 in league play. Tarleton will open the 2014 season on Thursday, Sept. 4, against Concordia College in Stephenville.