Much will be made this offseason of all the returners Liberty’s football team will have in the 2021 season and rightfully so. The Flames return 10 of 11 starters on both sides of the ball and will be expected to have another strong season coming off the best season in school history at 10-1 in 2020.
But that doesn’t mean head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff weren’t aggressive in bringing in additional talent to help improve the team. The Flames brought it a very talented group of high school players, several of whom will have a chance for playing time this fall, and there are also talented and experienced transfers that will join the team and compete for starting positions immediately. Here are five newcomers that could make an impact in the fall.
TJ Green, RB
The Utah transfer will immediately slide into Peytton Pickett’s role at running back, and, with his top end speed, he has a chance to be another game breaker for this Flames’ offense. Green has two seasons of eligibility remaining and he played in 25 games over the past three seasons at Utah. With Green, Joshua Mack, and Malik Willis leading the Liberty rushing attack, the Flames could have one of the more explosive backfields in the country.
Rashaad Harding, LB
Harding will be expected to have a similar role to that of last year’s grad transfer at linebacker Anthony Butler. Butler is the only starter that the Flames lose on defense and Harding joins the team with a wealth of experience. After sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID concerns, Harding had 60 tackles in 2019 at Louisiana-Monroe and joined the team this spring to get a leg up on learning the system and adjusting to his new team.
Duron Lowe, CB
Liberty may have found a shutdown corner in the transfer portal with UTEP transfer Duron Lowe. He has just one season of eligibility remaining after playing in and starting 7 games for the Miners in 2020. Lowe also has the ability to be a game changer in the kick return game where he has returned a kick for a touchdown in each of the past two seasons.
Austin Ogunmakin, WR
As spring practice came to an end, Liberty picked up a big addition in North Texas transfer Austin Ogunmakin. This past season, he caught 23 passes for 349 yards and 1 touchdown, finishing 3rd on the team in both receptions and receiving yards while sharing a crowded receiver room with Jaelon Darden who is expected to be an NFL Draft pick later this month. In the Myrtle Beach Bowl, with Darden opting out of the game to prepare for the draft, Ogunmakin led the team with 7 receptions for 131 yards. He also has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Skyler Thomas, S
Hugh Freeze couldn’t stop talking about Skyler Thomas this spring as he joins the Flames from Washington State and looks to force his way into the starting lineup immediately. In three seasons with the Cougars, Thomas had 151 tackles and 6 interceptions while starting 12 games in 2019. Freeze frequently mentioned how much Thomas “flashed” at each and every practice during the spring as he looks to bolster a position Freeze called the team’s most improved.
