HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) – Marshall University has announced the Thundering Herd Football Class of 2023 as part of National Signing Day.

Watch the video above to hear from Cabell Midland grad JJ Roberts, UTEP transfer Luke Soto, and offensive lineman Chinazo ‘CK’ Obobi from London, England.

The university says the Class of 2023 will include a mix of high school talent and transfer portal additions.

“I’m really excited about this class!” Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “We were able to attract some quality people, students and players to Marshall University. The young men in this class will help us continue toward our championship goals as a program while also serving as intricate pieces of this university and community.”

Coach Huff says many of the transfers for the 2023 class are already enrolled in the Spring 2023 Semester and will participate in spring drills. The annual Spring Game is set to be played Saturday, April 22.

The university says the high school signees include:

  • Caleb Clark-Glover of Springdale, Ohio
    • From Cincinnati Princeton High School, Clark-Glover is rated as a three-star prospect and a 2nd Team All-Ohio selection after finishing with 32 tackles and nine pass breakups this year for Princeton, where he also ran track.
  • C.J. Davis of Fort Wayne, Indiana
    • From Bishop Dwenger High School, Davis is rated a three-star prospect and the No. 24 prospect from Indiana by 247Sports after a season in which he registered 70 tackles while adding five interceptions and two forced fumbles. Davis also had 23 receptions for 340 yards and scored seven total touchdowns on the year.
  • Ahmere Foster of Miami, Florida
    • From Christopher Columbus High School, Foster is rated as a three-star recruit after a season in which he helped lead Christopher Columbus to a state championship. For the year, he registered 53 tackles while adding four interceptions and one forced fumble. He also scored four touchdowns this season.
  • Ian Foster of Brundidge, Alabama Pike County High School
    • From Pike County High School, Foster is a three-star multi-talented athlete that impacted games for Pike County in many ways. In addition to being a defensive standout, Foster caught 28 passes for 895 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding two kickoff return scores and a punt return score.
  • Jayven Hall of of Woodstock, Georgia
    • From Roswell High School, Hall is a three-star linebacker in the Class of 2023 that has nearly 30 Division I offers. Visited Marshall on January 13. Hall only played in two games in 2022, but in 2021, Hall finished with 153 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions for Roswell.
  • Mathias Haygood of Fayetteville, Georgia
    • From Sandy Creek High School, Haygood was selected as a Georgia 5-3A Second Team selection at linebacker after helping lead Sandy Creek to success in 2022.
  • Tashawn Jeter of Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • From R.J. Reynolds High School, Jeter committed to the Thundering Herd in June 2022. Last season for R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston Salem, Jeter finished with 28 tackles, 12 pass breakups and one interception. Jeter is listed as a three-star recruit and one of the top-50 players in the state of North Carolina for the Class of 2023.
  • Shawn Rouse of Milton, West Virginia
    • From Cabell Midland High School, Rouse helped Cabell Midland’s offense to recover from a slow start to make the Class AAA postseason. Rouse was a First Team All-MSAC selection that committed to Marshall in June.
  • Tracy Stephens of Columbia, South Carolina
    • From Ridge View High School, Stephens a formidable two-way talent at tight end. Caught 10 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns this season at Ridge View.
  • Beni Tshita of Louisville, Kentucky
    • From DuPont Manual High School, Tshita is rated a three-star prospect after finishing with an impressive statistic line in his final season. Tshita finished with 43 tackles, including 13.5 tackles for loss with 7.5 sacks, and seven blocked kicks to his credit.
  • Mikailin Warren of Baltimore, Maryland
    • From Sandy Creek High School, Warren’s presence on the interior of the line helped Sandy Creek’s defense keep the opposition in check in the 2022 season. A born gap-stuffer in the middle, Warren will bring size and strength to the interior of the Thundering Herd defense.
  • Jaden Yates of Chicago, Illinois and Columbus, Ohio
    • From Gahanna Lincoln High School, Yates is an All-Ohio First Team selection, as well as an All-Region selection and the Conference Player of the Year. The son of former Marshall standout linebacker Max Yates, Jaden kept on his father’s playmaking ability, finishing with 122 tackles, including 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

The university says the transfer addition signees include:

  • Kesean Brown of Columbia, South Carolina
    • Brown comes to Marshall from Sun Belt East Division rival App State where he appeared in 49 career games. In 2022, Brown made eight starts at outside linebacker for the Mountaineers, finishing with 39 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles. Brown has also been a key special teams contributor.
  • Michael Green of Williamsburg, Virginia
    • Green finished with four tackles and a sack in 2021 for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. The 6-4, 250-pound edge presence possesses a 380-pound bench press and 440-pound squat. He went to Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia.
  • DeMarcus Harris of Vero Beach, Florida
    • Harris played in 39 career games with eight starts for Kentucky, catching 30 passes for 327 yards and one touchdown. Harris had a career-long 58-yard catch against Youngstown State. The former Treasure Coast High School standout was a three-star recruit out of high school where he was considered one of the nation’s top 150 receivers for the Class of 2019. At Marshall, Harris reunites with Marshall receivers coach and pass game coordinator Jovon Bouknight.
  • Tah Mac-Bright of Houston, Texas
    • Bright played in 10 games, finishing with 35 tackles for Incarnate Word. Notched 60 tackles in his first year of organized football as a junior for Westside High School.
  • Kylen McCracken of Cleveland Heights, Ohio
    • McCracken totaled 31 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack in 25 career games at Ohio University. The multi-sport talent out of Cleveland Heights High School played both ways on the offensive line and also was a standout wrestler. McCracken will have one season of eligibility left with the Thundering Herd.
  • Josh Moten of Waldorf, Maryland
    • Moten is a former four-star recruit in the Class of 2020 out of Maryland. In his senior year at Fort Washington, Moten was targeted just 16 times, but recorded four interceptions and had eight pass breakups.
  • Chinazo “C.K.” Obobi of London, UK
    • The three-star prospect is ranked as the No. 1 offensive lineman in Europe. He previously played for Laney College in Oakland, California.
  • Mason Pierce of Pearland, Texas
    • Pierce led McNeese State with 40 receptions for 512 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 while also handling punt and kickoff return duties. Pierce was a 2022 All-Southland Conference Preseason First Team punt returner and Second Team wide receiver.
  • J.J. Roberts of Hurricane, West Virginia
    • Roberts went to Wake Forest out of Cabell Midland High School. There, Roberts spent three seasons with the Demon Deacons, finishing with 46 tackles, three forced fumbles and an interception for his career. In 2022, Roberts finished with 20 tackles and seven pass break-ups for Wake Forest.
  • Luke Soto of Tehachapi, California
    • Soto caught one pass for 21 yards in nine games last season and played for three seasons with the Miners after coming to UTEP from Bakersfield College. He committed to Marshall on Jan. 6. Soto lettered in rodeo and football at Tehachapi High School. He has one year of eligibility left.
  • Chris Thomas of Tallahassee, Florida
    • Thomas appeared in one game during the 2022 season while at the University of Florida, recording one tackle in the win over Eastern Washington. A three-star prospect in the Class of 2021, Thomas finished with 88 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a senior in helping Dunbar H.S. to the 6A Region Finals. He has three seasons of eligibility left.
  • Marc Viechec of Naples, Florida
    • Viechec comes to Marshall after three years at Southeastern where he totaled 189 tackles, including 20.5 tackles for loss while adding 7.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. In 2022, he finished with 88 tackles with eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The Naples, Fla., native was the Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Linebacker of the Year.
  • Lloyd Willis of Miami, Florida
    • Willis played in 25 career games over three years for Florida State. The product of Miami’s Killian High School was rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 85 offensive tackle in the country in the Class of 2019, according to 247Sports. Willis has two seasons of eligibility.