STEPHENVILLE – Head coach Cary Fowler has announced the 2012 Tarleton football signing class as it was made official for release Wednesday night.
 
There were 27 future Tarleton student athletes that turned in their national letter of intent to the Texan football office and Fowler was ecstatic about the future of Tarleton football.
 
“I am really excited about this class,” said Fowler.  “We picked up a great group of young men, not only on the football field, but also in the classroom.  We added team captains, all-state players, top 10% of their class students, valedictorians, just phenomenal young men.  On top of that, we had size and youth to our areas of need, especially the defensive line.  I can't wait for these kids to show what they have for our fans.”
 
Below is a breakdown of each player Tarleton signed Wednesday:
 
Matthew Bishop, QB, Aledo High School, 6'0”, 200 lbs.
Matthew is a natural born winner with great leadership skills.  He led his Aledo Bearcats to three consecutive Texas State Championships, has a perfect record in the playoffs and has only been defeated twice.  He was named to the Texas Sports Writers All-State team as well as voted Offensive MVP of the 2011 4A State Championship game.  Bishop will bring a lot to the table for the Texans.
 
Dominique Martin, WR, Lancaster High School, 6'0”, 170 lbs.
Dominique led his team to the Texas 4A Playoffs where he played lights out in his last contest as a senior.  Dominique is a dual-threat athlete, who will bring great energy to our team.  He is a leader on and off the field.  Last season, he was named first team all-district with 27 receptions for 656 yards, seven touchdowns and 24.3 yards per catch.
 
Andre Plata, WR, Woodrow Wilson High School, 6'0”, 180 lbs.
Andre led his team with 54 receptions for 903 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He participated in a long awaited District Championship and Texas 4A Playoffs games where he played with all heart.  Andre is dual threat athlete who runs track and who will compete every chance he gets.  He comes with great work ethic and character.
 
Kason Fornes, WR, Kerrville Tivy High School, 5'11”, 170 lbs.
Kason Fornes' last name may sound familiar to many Texan fans as he is the grandson of the late Texan Head Coach Buddy Fornes.  Kason is a great athlete with tremendous speed and has the ability to be a deep threat for the Texans.  He has been a three-year starter for the Tivy Antlers.  This past season, Kason put up huge numbers which made him the leading receiver in the San Antonio area.  In his career at Tivy, Kason had 126 receptions for 2,226 yards and 26 touchdowns.  In 2011, he compiled 75 receptions for 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns.  Kason was named District 28-4A first team wide receiver and third team All-State wide receiver.
 
Tate Whitten, WR, Frisco Heritage High School, 6'0”, 170 lbs.
Tate displays great ball skills and a will to complete.  He is also a polished wide receiver who will be able to make an impact for the Texans in the future.  Tate averaged 20 yards per catch this past season and was nominated for player of the week by the Dallas Morning News after he gathered 122 yards and a touchdown against Paris High School. Tate is the son of Texans former head coach Todd Whitten.
 
Billy Medford, RB/WR, Luling High School, 5'10”, 170 lbs.
Billy is a versatile athlete who has played every sport for the Luling Eagels the past four years.  On the football field, Billy has the ability to make big plays at any time, which he did this past season from the running back position.  In 2010, he was named second team All-State defensive back.  In 2011, Billy was named District 13-2A first team running back, Offensive MVP, All-Central Texas running back, and second team All-State defensive back.
 
Vaughn Smith, RB, San Mateo Junior College, 5'11”, 180 lbs.
Vaughn is a transfer from San Mateo Junior College located in Northern California, who also played high school football at powerhouse Menlo-Atherton.  He is an athletic player who possesses great speed and skill and played in a run-dominated system.  As a standout, all-conference running back, Vaughn led his team in rushing yards.
 
Xavier Ruben, OL, Blinn Junior College, 6'3, 315 lbs.
Out of Baytown Lee High School, Xavier initially signed to play football at Baylor.  At Lee, he was a four-sport varsity letterman in football, basketball, baseball and track.  Xavier was ranked No. 60 offensive guard nationally by Scout.com, named to 2009 All-District 21-5A first team as offensive lineman and second team as defensive lineman as a senior by Baytown Sun.
 
Laau Asoau, OL, Golden West College, 6'3”, 330 lbs.
Laau played football for Magnolia High School in California where he was a three-year all-league performer.  At Golden West College, Laau was a first team all-conference player and first team All-State as a guard.
 
Damon Cowart, OT, Vista Ridge High School, 6'6”, 290 lbs.
Damon will bring great intensity and size to the Texan offensive line. Damon was a staple on the Vista Ridge offensive line for the past three seasons. This past season he was a team captain for the Rangers and on September 17, 2011, he was chosen as player of the week by finishing the game with 10 pancake blocks.  In 2010 and 2011, Damon was named District 25-4A first team offensive tackle and team captain.
 
Blake Atnip, OT, Seymour High School, 6'9”, 320 lbs.
Blake started three years at right tackles for the Panthers.  He also played defensive tackle as well and helped his team get four rounds into the playoffs.  His senior year, he earned District 4-1A first team honors as an offensive tackle, first team all-area and first team All-State.  Blake made the District 4-1A second team as a defensive tackles as well.  He finished the season with 90 pancake blocks and 50 tackles.  He is currently participating in basketball, where he averages 13.5 points and nine rebounds per game.  He also scored a 26 on his ACT.
 
Cody Stephens, OL, Crosby High School, 6'9”, 305 lbs.
Cody is just what the Texans have been searching for on the offensive side of the ball with great size and a physical style of play. Cody is big with unlimited potential. He anchored the offensive line for Crosby with his size and athleticism and will provide large depth for the TSU line next season with a huge upside for being a standout offensive tackle in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Marcos Dominguez, OL, San Antonio Marshall High School, 6'5”, 290 lbs.
Marcos is another big bodied offensive lineman that the Texans are looking forward to having in the future. Marcos was a durable offensive lineman for Coach Keith Kaiser at Marshall starting for the past three seasons at Offensive Tackle, spending 2011 as a team captain.
 
Kevin Day, OL, Woodrow Wilson High School, 6'4”, 315 lbs.
Kevin is a great pick-up for the Tarleton Texans, because of his long length and range out on the edge that we will move inside to add height.  Kevin is young man of tremendous character, and has an unwilling desire to be the best.  Kevin played on the same team as signee Andre Plata from Dallas Woodrow Wilson High School.
 
Billy Miller, OL, Meridian High School, 6'4”, 315 lbs.
While at Meridian High School Billy was recognized both on and off the field. On the field Billy was a two time 1^st team All-District player. Billy was the team's captain that helped change a program. High school Head Coach Doughty said that he wished he could have Billy on his team forever because he was such a positive teammate that brought the others around him up. In the classroom Billy was a First Team All-Academic All State as a senior. Billy will graduate as the Valedictorian of his class.
 
Ronnie Faimoa, DT, West Hills Community College, 6'3”, 290 lbs.
Ronnie is originally from America Samoa where he was a 4 star-rival recruit out of high school.  Ronnie will be a dominant force for our defensive line this season that will provide quickness and athleticism.  A transfer from West Hills Junior College in Coalinga, Calif., Ronnie was an all-conference who dominated the western league.
 
Ryan Watkins, DT, Amon-Carter Riverside High School, 6'0”, 250 lbs.
Ryan is a two-way starter for the Eagles this past year. As a defensive lineman he earned 6-4A District Defensive MVP honors. He averaged 6.3 tackles a game and had five sacks with an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.  He was also was a first-team all-district tight end as a blocking TE.  He averaged 35 yards per catch and had four TDs. He is explosive off the ball and has played every position on the DL. Ryan is currently in his first year of wrestling and is looking to win district and move on to regionals.  He has a class rank of 70 out of 220.
 
Jake Blount, DE/OLB, Marcus High School, 6'4”, 220 lbs.
Jake is an explosive outside linebacker/defensive end from Flower Mound Marcus High School.  In district 8-5A, Jake earned an all-district selection as an OLB/DE as a junior and senior. As a senior, Jake finished the year with 51 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 9 sacks.
 
Damien Ward, DE, Dallas Skyline High School, 6'1”, 200 lbs.
Damien played his high school football at power house Dallas Skyline, who finished one game short of a state match up in Texas 5A Championship Contest.  Damien is an all-district player who was the Sophomore of the Year in a big time district.  He will bring a winning attitude through hard-work and dedication. He was second on his team in sacks.
 
Ethan Horton, LB, Brownwood High School, 6'2”, 215 lbs.
Ethan is converted linebacker who has started for the Brownwood Lions the past two seasons. He will bring great enthusiasm and excitement to the Texan Defense in the future. Being a former QB, Ethan also has great knowledge of the game and along with his instincts and athletic ability is able to make plays all over the field. Ethan was on the Texas Longhorns Top 140 players to watch for in Texas this past season. As a senior, he was first-team all-district, honorable mention all-state and a team captian. He was also first-team all district as a junior.
 
Anthony Lee, LB, Trinity Christian High School, 6'0”, 210 lbs.
Anthony led his team in most statistical categories. He has great instincts for the ball, and is a sure tackler in space along with speed.  He understands the game of football and plays with great passion. He was first-team all-district and second-team all-state.
 
DJ Haynes, LB, Euless Trinity High School, 6'0”, 195 lbs.
DJ is from Euless Trinity High School, where he is a two-sport athlete along with track.  DJ has great range with tremendous speed and length.  DJ has been part of a program that has dominated the Texas 5A seen at Trinity, while becoming a second-team all-district player. He is also a tremendous student in the classroom.
 
Robert Adkinson, CB, Corsicana High School, 5'9”, 175 lbs.
Robert is from Corsicana High School, where he is a dual threat athlete - in which he is a two-time state 100M (10.5 seconds) champion in the Texas 4A Class. Robert has a great work ethic with tremendous drive, which makes up the young man's focus in life. Robert was named first-team all-district and all-state in track.
 
Deaveron Dean, DB, Tyler Chapel Hill High School, 5'11”, 193 lbs.
Deaveron helped lead his team to a state championship in 2011 with 114 tackles, 11 PBUs, 4 cause fumbles, and 4 Ints, as well as 11 catches for 150 yards and 2 TDs. In the state game he caused and recovered a game changing fumble in the fourth quarter. He earned 17-3A first-team all-district honors as a free safety, as well as, first-team all-East Texas and first-team all-state.  Deaveron is currently powerlifting and will participate in baseball and track this season as well.  He holds a 3.35 GPA at Chapel Hill.  Deaveron will bring the Texans a championship work effort both on the field and in the classroom.
 
Daniel Adams, CB/ATH, Waltrip High School, 5'10”, 170 lbs.
Daniel started for three years as a corner for Waltrip High School where he helped his team into the playoffs as a senior.  This past season after the starting running back went down, Daniel stepped in with five games left and rushed for 695 yards on 88 carries and 9 TD's.  He also had 24 receptions for 300 yards and 4 TDs. On defense, he had 81 tackles and three picks, returning them for a total of 100 yards and 2 TDs, also Daniel had 12 PBUs.  He was named the Houston Chronicle player of the week after he rushed for 183 yards and 2 TDs and had 7 tackles and an interception returned 45 yards for a TD.  He was named 21-4A District MVP, first-team all-district running back as well as defensive back, and also second-team all-district KR/PR.  Daniel received Honorable Mention All-State Honors as well.  Daniel has a GPA of 4.15 and is ranked 13 in his class of 630.
 
Brayden Coverdale, LB/S, Stephenville High School, 6'1” 210 lbs.
Coverdale was a force on the Yellow Jackets' defense this year. He helped lead the Yellow Jackets deep into the playoffs. Braden earned 4A All-State and 8-4A first-team Defensive Back last fall. Brayden has a great passion for the game and should bring a lot of intensity to the Tarleton Defense. Off the field Braden was very successful in the classroom maintaining a 4.0.
 
Jeremy Louis, DB, Euless Trinity High School, 5'9”, 170 lbs.
Jeremy was a first-team all-district cornerback in District 6-5A. Jeremy is an explosive player - making plays on both offense and defense. Jeremy has great knowledge of the game and was able to make checks for the Euless Trinity Defense this past fall. He is a tremendous leader off and on the field and Texans look for Jeremy to bring his passion for the game to the team.
 
The special announcement day event will be held at Legends Golf Club at 5:30 p.m. Thursday Feb. 2. The public is invited and light refreshments will be served, as Fowler discusses the 2012 signing class in detail.
 
For more information, check out TarletonSports.com