The 2020 football class for Liberty has been interesting to track. The Flames got up to a full allotment of 25 commitments and then lost several as the coaching staff shifted to JUCO targets to finalize the class. We’re currently expecting around 19 NLIs to be inked during the early period. ASOR Club members be sure to check out our deeper breakdown of what to expect on Wednesday for the Flames.
The December signing period opens Wednesday, and here’s an update on where things currently stand.
VERBALS
DURRELL JOHNSON is a JUCO defensive end who committed to Liberty a week ago. The 6’4″, 225 pound product is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and he had 41 tackles, 20 TFLs, and 8.5 sacks in 8 games played this past season at ASA College Brooklyn. He had offers from South Alabama, Akron, and several FCS programs.
The Flames also picked up commitments from JUCO defensive backs MARCUS HASKINS and JUAWAN TREADWELL. Haskins played this past season at Iowa Western Community College after beginning his collegiate career at Division II Concordia University. He has been named an All-American at each of his first two stops. Treadwell is the younger brother of Laquon Treadwell who starred for Freeze at Ole Miss and is now in the NFL. He’s a 3-star prospect who had offers from Akron, ODU, SMU, South Alabama, Southern Miss, and Temple.
Coach Freeze also brought in a 3-star QB in SEAN BROWN out of Apex, North Carolina. He had numerous FCS offers when he committed to Liberty, but also picked up a few FBS offers and has stayed true to his pledge.
At one point, Liberty had as many as six commitments from wide receivers, that number is currently down to three. AHMAD JACKSON and C.J. DANIELS are 3-star rated prospects with Jackson the highest rated of the group as the Flames move forward in life after Antonio Gandy-Golden.
Offensive line was another area of need for Freeze, and he’s got pledges from four linemen so far. GAGE BASSHAM and BRIAN HANNIBAL are both 3-star prospects while CHASE MITCHELL is a 2-star and WILL BUCHANAN is unrated.
On the defensive line, the Flames have commitments from 3-stars AAKIL WASHINGTON, RASHAD WHITEHEAD, and KARSEN PERKINS, and the unrated KENDY CHARLES.
In the secondary, the Flames have a commitment from JEROME JOLLY who played linebacker in high school for Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida, the same school that produced current Liberty freshman DeMario Douglas. Jolly will be moved to a safety spot for the Flames, likely the Rover position. He is also a 3-star rated prospect. The Flames have also picked up a commitment from safety LOUIS TAYLOR.
3-star corner DEON BIGGINS is a 6’1″ athlete from Mississippi who had offers from Louisiana Tech, and Louisiana Monroe.
That’s 17 commitments who are all expected to sign on Wednesday with the Flames barring any last minute surprises.
PROSPECTS
A couple of transfers who visited Liberty recently and could very well end up signing with the Flames this week are Javian Lofton and Anthony Butler. Lofton is a JUCO wide receiver who is rated a 3-star prospect and was on campus this weekend for an official visit. He says he will be announcing his commitment on Wednesday. Lofton is a 6’3″ wide out from Chaffey College. He has offers from MTSU, Western Kentucky, and a couple of FCS schools. Butler is a grad transfer from Charlotte. The 6’0″, 220 pound linebacker started most of 2017 and 2018 before electing to transfer at the beginning of the 2019 season.
Other names to watch this week include Trevor Hobbs, the top rated tight end in the country. The 6’4″, 245 pound prospect hauled in 25 receptions for 456 yards, and 4 touchdowns in 10 games during the 2019 season for Golden West College. Bryce Matthews is a former starting right tackle at Ole Miss under Hugh Freeze. As a grad transfer, he would be immediately eligible.
Tykeem Doss is a 6’5″, 330 pound JUCO transfer from East Central Community College with offers from Central Michigan, Charlotte, FIU, New Mexico, North Texas, Southern Miss, USF, other FCS programs. He visited Southern Miss this past weekend and announced he will be signing on Wednesday. (If you’re a Club member, check the rumor mill to see our prediction for Doss).
Whitehead, Hannibal, Perkins, and Jackson currently rank #2-5 on Liberty’s list of highest rated commitments in program history according to 247Sports. Current freshman Tayvion Land is the highest rated. Other names checking in on this list include #9 Jerome Jolly, #14 Juawan Treadwell, and #19 Gage Bassham.
Stay tuned to ASeaofRed.com, your #1 source for Liberty Flames recruiting info. Be sure to save our football verbal commit page for the full run down of the commits. Also, give us a follow on twitter where many times recruiting news is first broken.
