Head Coach Fred Thomas is pleased to announce the addition of 31 student-athletes set to join the Malone University football program this fall. Brick by brick, Thomas and his staff have assembled an exciting 2018 recruiting class that features a State Champion quarterback, multiple All-Ohioans, an SEC transfer, five Canton McKinley Bulldogs, and one very large Canadian.
 
With 10 starters lost to graduation, the Pioneer coaching staff addressed several areas of need, bringing in eight defensive backs, six wide receivers, and five offensive linemen in the initial group. Among the 31 recruits, 25 come from the state of Ohio. The class, which marks the largest on Signing Day in Thomas' tenure, is still expected to grow in the upcoming weeks as additional student-athletes make their college choices.
 
Below is the first wave of 2018 Pioneer recruits, those marked with and asterisk are mid-year transfers.
 

Name Position Ht. Wt. High School / Previous Markell Stephens-Peppers ATH 6'0" 170 Trotwood-Madison Keagan Armitage QB 6'3" 210 Ashland Deandre Clayton QB 6'2" 205 Clarion University* Devon Rivers II RB 5'11" 210 Toledo Central Catholic Darius Houston RB/LB 5'9" 210 McKinley Prayer Wise Slot 5'8" 160 McKinley Jalani Allen WR 6'0" 170 Dunbar Aaron Ghent WR 6'2" 185 Avon Central (NY) Donovan Johnson WR 6'1" 180 Brush John Mack II WR 6'1" 170 McKinley  Chris Parker WR 6'3" 195 Sandy Valley Hayden Schrubb WR 6'3" 185 Piqua Nick Bush OL 6'3" 285 Austintown-Fitch Matt Guevremont OL 6'4" 300 Chabot College* Matthew Hollister OL 6'4" 250 Green Gabreil Larsosa OL 6'4" 290 Lorain Rhen McConaughey OL 6'3" 300 Labrae Anthony Canady DE 6'3" 225 Glenville Guillermo Chavarria DT 6'0" 275 North Forsyth (GA) Charles Ellington DT 6'4" 285 Butler Bryson Williams DT 6'0" 250 Toledo Central Catholic Shaun Cooper LB 6'0 205 Alderson Broaddus University* Tayshaun Ezell LB 5'10" 190 Canton South Kei Beckham DB 5'11" 175 University of Kentucky* Shawn Campbell DB 6'0 170 Port Charlotte (FL) Charles Hall V DB 5'11" 155 McKinley Malik Johnson DB 6'1" 170 Cedar Grove (GA) Gabrial Mathews DB 5'10" 160 Hamilton Lonnie Richardson-Parr DB 5'9" 160 McKinley Dyier Smith DB 6'0" 160 Springfield Jametrius Yarbrough DB 5'10" 155 New Albany

Player Capsules

ATH Markell Stephens-Peppers –  Guided a Trotwood-Madison team to a perfect 15-0 season and an OHSAA Division II State Championship here in Canton last fall. Showed off his remarkable athleticism as a dual threat quarterback, throwing for 2,438 yards and 36 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also running for 433 yards and eight scores. Named First Team All-Southwest District and Second Team All-Ohio.
 
QB Keagan Armitage – Dual-threat quarterback possesses above average mobility and outstanding touch, especially on deep throws. Threw for 3,076 yards and 32 touchdowns while running for 998 yards and 18 touchdowns as he guided an Arrows offense that averaged 35.4 points a game. Named First Team Division II All-Ohio as a senior after leading Ashland to its fourth straight postseason berth.
 
QB Deandre Clayton – Mid-year transfer comes to Malone after two seasons at Division II Clarion University. Dual-threat quarterback with a strong arm and an accurate deep ball was named All-Region at South County High School in Virginia. He also participated in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.
 
RB Devon Rivers – Patient runner who hits the hole with authority and seemingly always finds daylight. Feature back for perennial power Toledo Central Catholic. Ran for nearly 1400 yards as a senior. Named First Team All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference and Second Team All-Northwest Ohio District.
 
RB /LB Darius Houston – Hard-nosed, hard-hitting short-yardage back and middle linebacker who will never shy away from contact. Led McKinley with 66 tackles last season.
 
Slot Prayer Wise – Slot receiver displays breakaway speed and acceleration. Caught 56 passes for 670 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at McKinley where he was named First Team All-Northeast Inland District and Third Team All-Ohio.
 
WR Jalani Allen – Physically gifted wideout with speed to burn. Exceptional track athlete led Dunbar to an OHSAA Division II State Track and Field Championship in 2017, placing 5th in the 110 meter hurdles and running on State Champion 4x100 relay team. All-Ohioan in the indoor 60-meter hurdles.
 
WR Aaron Ghent – Big bodied target with deceptive speed, soft hands, and a tremendous leaping ability. Caught 44 passes for 830 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. Three-sport standout was named a Livingston County Athletic Association (LCAA) All-Star in football, basketball, and baseball.
 
WR Donovan Johnson – Dynamic two-way athlete made big play after big play for Brush High School, which won a school record nine games and advanced to the second round of the OHSAA Playoffs in 2017. Caught 56 passes for 969 yards and 10 touchdowns while intercepting three passes on defense. Named Second Team All-Northeast Lakes District and a News-Herald All-Star.
 
WR John Mack II – Terrific pass catcher and an excellent downfield blocker. Averaged nearly 20 yards a reception as a senior at McKinley.
 
WR Chris Parker – Played mostly out of the slot where he excelled at running intermediate routes and using his size to catch passes in traffic. Two-sport athlete is also a member of the Cardinals basketball team.
 
WR Hayden Schrubb – Playmaking receiver with high-end speed torched opposing secondaries at Piqua. Caught 53 passes for 911 yards during his senior season and led the Greater Western Ohio Conference with 15 touchdowns. Named First Team All-GWOC, First Team All-Southwest District, and Division II Honorable Mention All-Ohio.
 
OL Nick Bush – Fantastic run-blocking right tackle moves very well for his size and plays to the whistle. Named First Team All-American Conference and Honorable Mention Northeast Ohio Inland District.
 
OL Matt Guevremont – Extremely physical left tackle excels at winning battles at the line of scrimmage and finishing off blocks. A native of Ontario, Canada and a JUCO product out of Chabot College in California, Guevremont was named All-Conference as a college freshman and Region I All-California as a sophomore.
 
OL Matthew Hollister – Played tackle and defensive end at Green High School for head coach Jon Wallace.
 
OL Gabreil Larsosa – Mountain of young man dominates at the line of scrimmage and at the point of attack. Played right tackle for a Lorain team that scored almost 40 points per game and reached the OHSAA Playoffs. Named First Team All-Lorain County and Second Team All-Northeast Lakes District.
 
OL Rhen McConaughey – 300-pound mauler who moves people at will with his exceptional strength. Named First Team All-American Conference and Academic All-Ohio.
 
DE Anthony Canady – Physical defensive end with a relentless motor lived in opponents' backfields. Multi-year starter for Ted Ginn's Tarblooders defense that pitched nine shutouts in the last two seasons.
 
DT Guillermo Chavarria – Powerful nose tackle with deceptive quickness and a quick burst off the line of scrimmage anchored North Forsyth's three-man front. Named First Team Gerorgia All-Region 5-7A
 
DT Charles Ellington – Immovable defensive tackle with the ability to manhandle offensive lineman, shed blocks, and make tackles. Named First Team All-Greater Wester Ohio Conference, First Team All-Southwest District, and Honorable Mention Division III All-Ohio.

DT Bryson Williams – Tough defensive tackle with good hands and impressive strength.  Helped Central Catholic reach the OHSAA State semifinal for the fourth straight season in 2017 while allowing just 10.7 points per game. Named Honorable Mention All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference.

LB Shaun Cooper – Instinctual outside linebacker/rush defensive end capable of making plays in the backfield. 2017 graduate of Akron Buchtel transferred to Malone after one season at Alderson Broaddus. Was named Honorable Mention All-Northeast Inland District.
 
LB Tayshaun Ezell – Defensive standout was equally impressive in rushing the passer, pass coverage, and stopping the run. Helped Canton South to six wins during his senior season in 2017 after the Wildcats won just five games in the previous three years combined. Named Honorable Mention All-Northeastern Buckeye Conference.
 
DB Kei Beckham – Mid-year transfer from the University of Kentucky. Appeared in one game in two seasons with the Wildcats. Athletic cornerback with a knack for finding the football totaled 17 interceptions over his junior and senior seasons at Trotwood-Madison where he was named First Team All-Ohio.
 
DB Shawn Campbell – Aggressive high school running back and safety not afraid to deliver a hit, missed much of his senior season at Port Charlotte due to injury. Ran for 530 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns as a junior with the Pirates.
 
DB Charles Hall V – Two-way performer shined in the defensive secondary at McKinley where he displayed outstanding open-field tackling and solid ball skills. Also returned kicks for the Bulldogs, averaging over 25 yards a return.
 
DB Malik Johnson – Shutdown corner played one season of high school football, but showed outstanding ball skills and tackling ability. Starred in the secondary for a Cedar Grove team that reached the Georgia State Semifinal last fall.
 
DB Gabe Mathews – Extremely aggressive, hard-hitting enforcer at free safety with top-end speed and excellent open-field tackling ability. Named Second Team All-Greater Miami Conference in both his junior and senior seasons at Hamilton.
 
DB Lonnie Richardson-Parr – Ball-hawking free safety does well to cover ground in both the passing game and in run support. Led the Bulldogs with three interceptions and numerous pass breakups last fall.
 
DB Dyier Smith – Athletic cornerback who excels in press coverage and rarely gets beat deep. Named Special Mention Greater Western Ohio Conference. An exceptional track athlete as well, Smith won the 60 meter hurdles in the 2017 OATCCC State Indoor Championships and was a state qualifier in the 110m hurdles at 2017 OHSAA Division I Outdoor Championships.
 
DB Jametrius Yarbrough – Solid coverage corner plays much bigger than his size on paper. Anchored the secondary for a New Albany team that reached back-to-back Regional Finals. Named First Team Ohio Capital Conference and Honorable Mention All-Central District as a senior.