INDIANA, Pa. – In advance of the start of fall camp next week, IUP head football coach
Paul Tortorella has released his official 88-man roster this morning.
The roster includes 21 senior or graduate students, 16 juniors, 21 sophomores, and 30 players with freshman eligibility.
The Crimson Hawks welcome back 47 letterwinners – including 15 starters – from last year's 10-2 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and finished ranked in the top 12 of the coaches and media national polls.
Returning starters include quarterback
Lenny Williams, Jr. (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox), running back
Chris Temple (Malvern, Pa. /Great Valley), receivers
JoJo Gause (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney),
Walt Pegues (Philadelphia, Pa. /Central), and
Chris Wuestner (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle), and linemen
Joe Peterson (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and
Jeff Arnold (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brashear) on offense; linemen
Jemal Averette (Upper Marlboro, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel),
Jordan Diven (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny),
Deandre Easterling (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga),
Diamond Jones (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne), and
Justin Weldon (Easton, Pa. /Easton Area), and backs
Mikale Makle (Upper Marlboro, Md./Frederick Douglas),
Takhi Turner (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.), and
Jay Watkins (Chester, Pa. /Hyde School) on defense.
Other key returners with starting experience include running back
Samir Bullock (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), fullback/tight end
Rex Pearce (McKeesport, Pa. /Elizabeth Forward), receiver
Allen Wright (McKeesport, Pa. /McKeesport Area), defensive end
Matt Mowad (Easton, Pa. /Easton), linebackers
Damon Lloyd (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) and
Nick Amendola (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin), and defensive back
Eric Doe (Darby, Pa. /Academy Prep).
Tortorella welcomes transfers
The 88-man roster also includes eight transfers that Coach Tortorella has brought to campus to compete for starting positions.
Those transfers include: offensive lineman
Rocco Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Sto-Rox), a graduate student formerly of Wake Forest, receiver
Kolbe Hughes (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) from Edinboro, defensive back
John McDonald-Horner (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) from Indiana State, defensive back
Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) from Notre Dame, lineman
Ken Roman (Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack) from Rutgers, placekicker
Nico Ruiz (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) from East Stroudsburg, offensive lineman
Jerron Searles (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) from Delaware State, and defensive back
Shelby Wilkerson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) from California (Pa.).
Players report and PSAC polls release next week
IUP players will report back to campus on Sunday, August 6 with camp opening the following day. Monday will also be the announcement of the 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern and Western Division preseason coaches' polls.
The Crimson Hawks are expected to land near the top of the West again, with rivals California (Pa.) and Slippery Rock also vying for the preseason choice by the coaches to win the division.
Information on fall camp practices, single game ticket sales, and our 2017 IUP Football Media Guide will be released soon.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.
