Spartan Football Signs Three JUCO Transfers
12/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 21, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State signed three junior college football players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, Dec. 21: defensive tackle Ogemdi Nwagbuo, from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif.; wide receiver Devin Thomas, from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College; and safety Nehemiah Warrick, from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. The three junior college transfers plan to enroll at Michigan State on Jan. 9, 2006, for the beginning of the spring semester and to participate in spring drills.
"These junior college transfers will help us address some immediate needs," Spartan fourth-year head coach John L. Smith said. "With the loss of Domata Peko and Brandon McKinney at defensive tackle, we needed to find an interior lineman. The toughest recruiting assignment is trying to identify quality interior lineman. With the departure of three-year starter Eric Smith, we needed to add some maturity in the defensive backfield. Lastly, we're always on the lookout for offensive playmakers."
Here are brief bio sketches for Michigan State's junior college transfers:
Ogemdi Nwagbuo (pronounced: oh-GIM-dee new-WOW-bo)
DT, 6-4, 287
San Diego, Calif. (Southwestern College)
JUNIOR COLLEGE, HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Earned second-team All-Foothill Conference honors in 2005, playing for Coach Mike Pompa at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif. . . . recorded 55 tackles as a sophomore, including 10 sacks . . . anchored a defensive line that helped the Jaguars rank third in the Foothill Conference in rushing defense, allowing 132.7 yards per game . . . posted seven tackles, including two sacks, in the season finale vs. San Bernardino . . . produced a career-high nine stops, including one sack, vs. Victor Valley . . . blocked a field-goal attempt vs. College of the Desert that was returned for a touchdown . . . sat out the entire 2004 season . . . started nine games (seven games at defensive end and two at defensive tackle) as a true freshman . . . registered 45 tackles in 2003, including five sacks . . . scored his first collegiate touchdown vs. San Bernardino, recovering a fumble in the end zone early in the second quarter . . . played only one season of varsity football for Coach Karl Danielson at Mt. Miguel High School in Spring Valley, Calif. . . . born Dec. 24, 1985.
John L. Smith on Ogemdi Nwagbuo:
"O.G. has a huge upside. He has not played a lot of football, but he has a great frame, runs well and is very athletic. O.G. played a lot more basketball growing up than he did football.
"We're excited about getting him in here early, so we can get him in the weight room before spring practice. O.G. has a great work ethic, so we're confident that he'll fill out that body frame and develop into a solid interior lineman. He's still green from an experience standpoint, but we expect him to compete for playing time next fall."
Devin Thomas
WR, 6-2, 213
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Coffeyville Community College)
Has three years of eligibility remaining (three for three) . . . JUNIOR COLLEGE, HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked among the nation's top 20 JUCO prospects by Rivals.com (No. 15) and Fab50recruiting.com . . . earned second-team All-Jayhawk Conference honors in 2005 . . . played for Coach Jeff Leiker at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College where he helped the Red Ravens to a 9-3 record in 2005 and a No. 9 ranking in the final NJCAA Poll . . . led the Red Ravens in receptions with 33 for 674 yards (20.4 avg.) and five touchdowns as a red-shirt freshman . . . finished No. 7 in receiving yards in NJCAA Region VI (61.3 per game) . . . his 1,161 all-purpose yards ranked second on the team . . . ranked No. 10 in the region in all-purpose yards, averaging 105.5 per game . . . returned 15 kickoffs for 339 yards (22.6 avg.), including a season-long 41-yarder . . . returned three punts for 92 yards (30.7 avg.) . . . gained 56 yards on five rushes (11.2 avg.) . . . had two catches for 38 yards vs. Georgia Military in the Golden Isles Bowl Classic, including a 29-yard TD grab from Trent Stepps in the second quarter . . . named NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week after hauling in five passes for 167 yards (33.4 avg.) and two TDs in Coffeyville's 40-26 second-round play-off win over No. 7 Garden City . . . returned two punts for 91 yards vs. Fort Scott, including a season-long 50-yarder in the second quarter that set up a touchdown . . . earned Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his Sept. 10 performance vs. Hutchinson . . . caught two passes for 74 yards vs. Hutchinson, including a 24-yard TD reception from Woody Wilson and a 50-yard grab that set up another score . . . had four receptions for 116 yards (29.0 avg.) vs. Highland, scoring on TD strikes of 43 and 56 yards from Wilson . . . redshirted in 2004 . . . attended the same junior college that produced current Spartan wide receiver Kerry Reed . . . played against Spartan signee Nehemiah Warrick (Hutchinson) in junior college . . . two-year starter for Coach Tim Baechler at Canton (Mich.) High School . . . Detroit Free Press all-state (Division 1) selection in 2003 . . . earned second-team All-Metro honors from The Detroit News as a senior . . . named to The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press All-West Teams in 2003 . . . intercepted six passes as a senior, returning one 54 yards for a TD vs. Livonia Churchill . . . accounted for more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and 18 TDs in 2003 . . . rushed for nearly 600 yards in 2003 . . . had 17 receptions for 440 yards (25.9 avg.) as a senior . . . began his prep football career at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Huron . . . born Nov. 15, 1986.
John L. Smith on Devin Thomas:
"Devin Thomas has all the wide out skills, so he's definitely ready to step in and contribute. He's big, tall and physical, plus Devin has the speed to run by corners. He'll make his presence felt right off the bat because he's a playmaker."
Nehemiah Warrick
S, 6-1, 198
Bradenton, Fla. (Hutchinson Community College)
JUNIOR COLLEGE, HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: NJCAA first-team All-American . . . earned first-team All-Jayhawk Conference honors as a sophomore for Coach Craig Jersild at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. . . ranked as the Blue Dragons' second-leading tackler in 2005, with 60 total tackles (46 solos, 14 assists) . . . recorded two interceptions and eight pass break-ups as a sophomore . . . started the 2005 season as a cornerback before making the transition to safety . . . posted nine tackles each vs. Dodge City (Oct. 23) and Coffeyville . . . made seven stops each vs. Butler and Air Force Prep . . . named NJCAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week after compiling seven tackles, including six solos, two interceptions and two pass break-ups in a 28-12 victory over Independence . . . also accounted for 131 all-purpose yards vs. Independence, returning a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter . . . produced eight tackles and recovered a fumble vs. Fort Scott . . . registered a career-high 10 tackles in the season opener vs. Dodge City . . . returned seven kickoffs vs. 208 yards . . . ranked third in NJCAA Region VI in kickoff returns, averaging 29.7 yards . . . returned two punts for 38 yards (19.0 avg.) . . . also caught three passes for 57 yards (19.0 avg.) . . . former walk-on had 36 receptions for 516 yards (14.3 avg.) and four TDs in 2004 . . . had four catches for 85 yards vs. Highland (Oct. 24), with three grabs resulting in scores . . . caught seven passes for a career-high 127 yards vs. Highland (Sept. 11) . . . had a career-best eight receptions for 45 yards vs. Independence . . . played against Spartan signee Devin Thomas (Coffeyville) in junior college . . . former high school teammate of current Spartan defensive back SirDarean Adams at Bayshore in Bradenton, Fla. . . . born June 26, 1985.
John L. Smith on Nehemiah Warrick:
"Nehemiah Warrick has all the physical attributes that we're looking for in a safety: the bigger, the better in this league. He's physical enough to step into the box to support the run, and athletic enough to help in pass coverage. We've had our eyes on Nehemiah for a long time. We've followed him since high school where he was a teammate of (current Spartan) SirDarean Adams. Nehemiah is another guy that we expect to play right away."
