* Press release in PDF format

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell Head Football Coach Kent Austin and his staff are excited to announce the newest members of the Big Red Football Family. The Class of 2014, featuring 30 members, joins Cornell football at a time when enthusiasm, excitement and anticipation is at an all time high.

Hailing from 14 states, with 11 all-state selections, the class of 2014 will attempt to help secure the Big Red's first Ivy title on the gridiron since 1990. A class-high five recruits will attend Cornell from California, while three come from Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and the home state of New York. Both Connecticut and Ohio send two student-athletes to Cornell, while six other states send one player each. In all, 13 of the players will join the offense, 10 will aid the defense, one is a kicker/punter and six others can play either side of the football.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Big Red brings in two defensive backs, one safety and two linebackers. Cornell will also add five defensive linemen averaging a sizable 6-6 and 228 pounds. Cornell went for plenty of skill players on the offense, bringing in four wide receivers, two running backs and a quarterback along with a tight end. The offensive line will also be bolstered with the addition of four offensive linemen who average 6-4 and 245 pounds. In addition, there are two other players listed as offensive and defensive linemen, a running back/linebacker, a wide receiver/safety and two multi-purpose athletes whose positions will be determined in the fall.

The 2010 Big Red returns 38 letter winners and 16 total starters (5 offense, 8 defense, 3 special teams) from last year's 2-8 squad. Included are two returning All-Ivy selections: senior punter Drew Alston and junior defensive back Rashad Campbell.

Cornell will put the Class of 2014 to the test when fall practice begins in mid-August. The Big Red opens the 2010 season on Saturday, Sept. 18 at Wagner.

Below are bios and video of all 30 incoming football recruits.

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WR John Alexander – 6-1/180 — Arroyo Grande, Calif. (Arroyo Grande HS)
An all-county selection at Arroyo Grande HS, Alexander caught 29 passes for 537 yards and two touchdowns in his final two seasons. A standout on both sides of the ball (wide receiver and corner back), he added 58 tackles with eight kick blocks and five career interceptions. As a senior, he helped Arroyo Grande to the division playoffs and picked off three passes as a defensive back. He is a two-star prospect according to scouting service Scout.com. He earned team defensive MVP as a senior and the squad's Iron Man Award as the top two-way player. As a three-year letter winner on the track and field team, Alexander was a member of the 4x100 relay team that ranked in the top 10 all-time at his school and the 4x400 unit that broke a 28-year-old county record.



WR Davis Austin – 6-5/200 — Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Latin School)
Austin was a first-team all-state wide receiver as a senior at Charlotte Latin School, helping the team to the 2009 state championship. He hauled in 44 catches for 911 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior, setting a state record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch (10). Austin was picked to play in the Private School Shrine Bowl All-Star Game against South Carolina and caught a touchdown with three minutes remaining to force overtime. Austin made 18 catches for 325 yards and three scores as a junior. Austin also played basketball and track and Charlotte Latin, serving as team captains for both teams. He was the conference champion in the high jump (6-2) as a junior after picking up the event that year and also won a league title in the 4x400 relay. His uncle, Wayne Radloff, was the starting center for Georgia's 1980 national championship team and played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.



WR Nick Baccile – 5-9/150 — Greenwich, Conn. (The Brunswick School)
A second generation Cornell football player, Baccile was a four-year member of the football team at the Brunswick School. Baccile caught 10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in just four games as a senior. He also played three seasons on the lacrosse squad and two years of varsity basketball. His father, Peter, lettered two seasons as the team's place-kicker (1982-83), making seven career field goals and scoring 43 points.



OL Nate Baruch – 6-4/230 — Rockville, Md. (Thomas S. Wootton HS)
A three-sport athlete at Thomas S. Wootton HS, Baruch was the football team captain as a senior while playing on both the offensive and defensive lines. A member of the team's leadership council and the team's scholar-athlete award winner each season on the varsity, Baruch was a preseason all-county pick on the offensive line. He also compete in track and field with the discus and shot put, and in wrestling in the heavyweight division. 



TE Tyler Bostain – 6-5/220 — Washington Crossing, Pa. (Council Rock North HS)
Bostain was a two-time first-team all-league selection as a wide receiver at Council Rock North HS. As a senior, Bostain caught 42 passes for 661 yards (15.7 ypc.) and five touchdowns and was recognized as a third-team All-Southeastern Pennsylvania pick by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Bostain played defensive end in high school and served as the team's long snapper.. The Bucks County Times Courier named him to the First Golden Team in 2008. He was also a three-year letter winner on the varsity basketball team.



LB Brett Buehler – 6-1/220 — Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Coffman HS)
A first-team all-state selection as a senior, Buehler was named the Central Ohio Defensive Player of the Year at Dublin Coffman HS. As team captain in 2009, his team earned league and district championships. Buehler was named first-team all-league and all-district in each of his final two seasons. He was picked as starter for the Ohio North-South Senior All-Star Game after totaling 100 tackles and 5.5 sacks in his final season. Buehler is a two-star prospect at linebacker and was ranked among the top 100 high school middle linebackers in the country. He also earned two varsity letters in baseball as a catcher/third baseman.



RB Dustin Dillard – 5-8/190 — Rochester, N.Y. (Churchville-Chili Senior HS)
A two-time all-county pick at Churchville-Chili Senior HS, Dillard was a team captain as a senior. The three-year letter winner played running back, wide receiver and cornerback. Dillard was invited to play in the Section V Eddie Meath Senior All-Star game in 2010. He was also a two-year member of the track and field team as a sprinter and was a three-time National High School Power Clean champion and record holder. His brother, Jonathan, played football at both Iona and Brockport State.



RB/LB Taylor Engstrom – 6-2/215 — Ithaca, N.Y. (Ithaca HS)
The team's leading tackler and sack artist as a senior at Ithaca HS, Engstrom was a two-year captain. He was selected to compete in the Ernie Davis Senior All-Star Classic after earning consecutive first-team all-league honors. The three-year starter and letter winner was a member of the Ithaca Journal's Elite 24 football team and to WBNG-TV's all-section team in his final season. Engstrom also played lacrosse for Ithaca HS, helping the team to the state championship game as a junior.



S Brian Gee – 6-0/175 — Atlanta, Ga. (St. Pius X HS)
Gee was a first-team all-state selection by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association as a senior at St. Pius X HS. He posted 85 tackles, five pass breakups and a pair of interceptions in helping his squad to a 12-1 record and a trip to the state quarterfinals. The team finished ranked third in the state and earned a regional title.  The team's two-time Defensive MVP, Gee served two seasons as team captain. The safety was selected to compete in the DeKalb County Football Coaches Association All-Star Game. Gee had 53 tackles and an interception as a junior. He also competed in basketball as a three-year letter winner, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors on the team in 2008, and played one season of varsity baseball. His father, Donald, played baseball at Georgia Tech and his uncle, Jeff Calhoun, was a relief pitcher with the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies.



RB Grant Gellatly – 5-10/180 — Issaquah, Wash. (Issaquah HS)
A first-team all-state running back as a junior at Issaquah HS, Gellatly was sidelined for a majority of his senior season with an injury. When he did return, he did so with a vengeance, rushing for more than 500 yards and eight touchdowns in three playoff games. A preseason first-team all-state selection in 2009 at both running back and corner, he was a two-star prospect by scouting service Rivals.com. As a junior, Gellatly recorded 1,844 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on offense, while posting more than 50 tackles in the defensive backfield. He was named first-team all-conference at both positions. Gellatly was the team's most valuable player as a sophomore and junior and earned the team's Offensive Player of the Year both years. He was a nominee for the Seattle Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation in 2009.



OL Josh Grider – 6-4/240 — Athens, Ga. (Oconee County HS)
Grider was a first-team all-league and all-region lineman as a senior at Oconee County HS. The team's most improved player as both a junior and senior, he earned the Rock Solid Lineman of the Year Award in 2009. A two-year starter on both lines, he posted 28 pancake blocks at offensive tackle and notched 35 tackles with five sacks, a pair of pass breakups a blocked kick and a forced fumble at defensive end.



DL Justin Harris – 6-6/220 — Dacula, Ga. (St. Pius X Catholic HS)
Harris was a first-team all-region tight end as a senior at St. Pius X Catholic HS after catching nine passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, while also making six tackles with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup defensively. The two-year letter winner on the gridiron was a two-player of the week on offense and special teams and another time on defense. Harris was a three-year letter winner in basketball at center.



ATH Jesse Heon – 6-2/185 — Urbana, Md. (Urbana HS)
Heon was an honorable mention all-state pick at quarterback as a senior at Urbana HS. A Baltimore Touchdown Club 2009 and 2010 Class member, he played multiple positions. He posted nine total touchdowns (five rushing, four passing) and earned honorable mention all-league accolades at wide receiver. As a junior, Heon threw for 1,861 yards and eight touchdowns as a quarterback en route to earning second-team All-Frederick Gazette honors. Besides being a four-year member of the football team, he also played four years of varsity basketball. Heon is a two-star prospect according to the ESPN.com Insiders scouting service and ranked among the nation's top 175 high school quarterbacks.



CB Andre Joseph – 5-11/180 — Somerville, Mass. (Buckingham Browne & Nichols School)
Joseph was a four-year letter winner on the gridiron while playing three sports (basketball and baseball) and Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School. He helped his squad to a four-year record of 28-3 with a pair of NEPSAC Super Bowl championships. An all-league pick in 2009, he was invited to compete in the Shriner's Senior All-Star Classic. Joseph was named to the Boston Globe All-Academic Football team. He made 22 tackles in eight starts, intercepting one pass. As a wide receiver, Joseph hauled in 16 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a third.



OL/DL Thomas Kokolas – 6-4/230 — Sandy Spring, Md. (Our Lady of Good Counsel)
Kokolas was a first-team all-league and honorable mention all-state selection as a senior at Our Lady of Good Counsel HS. The two-time all-league pick helped his team to a league title in 2009. Kokolas posted 34 tackles, including 10.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries as a senior for his 11-1 team. He earned Good Counsel's Scholar-Athlete Award as a junior, earning honorable mention all-league accolades with 29 tackles, two sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. A two-way player, he also played a significant role at tackle for an offense that averaged nearly 34 points per game.



WR/S Kevin Laird – 6-2/185 — Arroyo Grande, Calif. (Mission College Prep HS)
A second-team all-state selection by maxpreps.com and calhisports.com as a senior at Mission College Prep HS, Laird excelled on both sides of the field. A two-year captain, he played a large role in helping his school to its first-ever league championship. A two-time first-team all-league pick and two-time all-county selection, Laird was pressed into quarterback duty as a senior and threw for 827 yards and 10 touchdowns, rushed for 1,171 yards and 14 scores with four 100-yard games, and still caught 22 passes for 322 yards and six more touchdowns. On the defensive side, he posted 49 tackles and 10 interceptions. Laird was a three-sport star (basketball and baseball).



OL Tucker Maggio-Hucek – 6-5/250 — Penngrove, Calif. (Cardinal Newman HS)
Maggio-Hucek two-time all-league selection at right tackle at Cardinal Newman HS. He was a starter as a junior on a team that earned a spot in the state title game and was second-team all-league and all-district that season. Maggio-Tucker didn't start playing football until his sophomore season in high school. He was a three-sport athlete, also competing for four seasons on the baseball team and for one year on the basketball team. 



DL Kevin Marchand – 6-8/235 — Wakefield, R.I. (Choate Rosemary Hall School/Bishop Hendricken HS)
As a senior at Choate Rosemary Hall School, Marchand had 48 tackles, five sacks and an interception to earn first-team all-league accolades. He also hauled in seven passes and a touchdown at tight end. He was a three-year letter winner in football and earned an invitation to play in the Governor's Cup senior all-star game pitting players from Connecticut and Rhode Island. Marchand posted 48 tackles, three sacks and a caused fumble as a senior at Bishop Hendricken HS. He also competed for the basketball and lacrosse squads at Choate and Bishop Hendricken.



QB Jeff Mathews – 6-4/225 — Camarillo, Calif. (Camarillo HS)
The Ventura County Player of the Year as a senior at Camarillo HS, Mathews was named team and league MVP in 2009. Mathews passed for 3,314 yards and 37 touchdowns with just eight interceptions in his final season on the gridiron. He also ran for five scores. The third team all-state pick was named the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Boys State Athlete of the Week after posting 588 yards passing on 33-of-48 attempts with six touchdowns, good enough for fourth place all-time on the state's single-game passing yardage list in a win over Oxnard Hueneme in a game for the league championship. He was a two-year team captain and all-county and academic all-county each of his final two seasons. As a junior, Mathews passed for 1,682 yards and 12 touchdowns. Mathews was also a team captain on the basketball squad, earning a pair of varsity letters.



DL Tre' Minor – 6-2/245 — Columbia, S.C. (Blythewood HS)
Minor was named team MVP at Blythewood HS as a senior after leading the team in sacks. He was part of a state championship team as a freshman and an undefeated squad as a sophomore, starting in 2007 and earning the defense's most improved player award. An all-region pick as a senior after posting 35 tackles with 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks and breaking up 10 passes, Minor was named first-team all-area and all-region.



RB Bobby Murphy – 6-0/185 — Duxbury, Mass. (Duxbury HS)
Murphy ran for 660 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior and had eight total scores on the season despite missing half the year with an injury. He helped the squad to a league title as a senior after playing a key role as a junior on Duxbury's Massachusetts Super Bowl championship team. Murphy was named the team's offensive MVP in 2009. The team captain was also an excellent track and field athlete, setting the school 100-meter dash record (10.9) and running the 40-meters at 4.47 at the Shiners combine.



CB A.J. Okereke – 5-11/170 — Randolph, Mass. (Boston College HS)
A member of two Massachusetts Division I Super Bowl championship squads at Boston College HS, Okereke was given the 2009 Boston College HS Scholar-Athlete Award. He was a wide receiver and defensive back on a pair of league championship squads, earning preseason All-Metro honors by the Boston Herald in 2009. The three-sport athlete (basketball, track & field) was a conference all-star on the track.



DL Zak Sanderson – 6-5/220 — Gilbert, Ariz. (Mesquite HS)
Sanderson recorded 39 tackles, including 27 solo stops, as a senior at Mesquite HS to go along with three sacks and a pair of pass breakups. Sanderson had registered 30 tackles as a junior. He was a two-way starter on both the offensive and defensive lines and earned team most improved player honors on both sides of the ball. Sanderson also competed on the track and field team.



OL Matthew Simmonds – 6-3/260 — Fairport, N.Y. (Fairport HS)
An all-state offensive lineman at Fairport HS, Simmonds was a first-team all-league and all-area selection as a senior. He earned a spot as the team captain in 2009 and was named to the Rochester Super 24 team. Simmonds was a two-way player, seeing time at defensive tackle and posting 49 tackles, three sacks and a blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown.



ATH Walter Simmons – 5-9/185 — McLean, Va. (Maret School)
A two-time all-league pick at the Maret School as a running back and defensive back, Simmons rushed for 1,091 yards, caught 27 passes for 403 yards and totaled 19 touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions as a senior. He also threw for a touchdown. Simmons had three different games scoring four touchdowns. He averaged 11.9 yards per carry, including a 361-yard, four-touchdown game on just 14 carries against Sidwell Friends School, one of five 100-yard rushing games. Simmons caught a team-high 41 passes for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior and then added a pair of 100-yard receiving contests as a junior. He was honorable mention All-Met as a senior at defensive back by the Washington Post. Simmons was selected to the Third Annual DCSportsFan.com Super 60 team as one of the top 60 high school football players in the Washington, D.C. area. Tean captain in his final season on the gridiron, he was also a member of the track and basketball teams, including earning all-league track mention for the conference champions.



LB Justin Strid – 6-1/220 — Avon, Conn. (Northwest Catholic HS)
Strid was a two-time all-state linebacker by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association, Hartford Courant and New Haven Register at Northwest Catholic HS. A three-year starter, he earned all-conference honors as a junior and senior and tallied 315 career tackles. He was a team captain for his state runner-up squad in 2009 and compiled a 34-5 record with three conference titles and two state playoff berths during his career. A three-year academic all-league pick, Strid was picked as a National High School Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation's Northern Connecticut chapter.



OL/DL Brad Wagner – 6-3/265 — Mill Rift, Pa. (Delaware Valley HS)
A first-team all-league pick on the offensive line at Delaware Valley HS, Wagner was named to the honorable mention All-EasternPAFootball.com Big School Team. Wagner was selected to compete in the Dream Game and was a first-team pick by the Times Herald Record on offense. He was a two-way star, seeing time on both the offensive and defensive lines. Wagner was an honorable mention all-league pick as a junior on the offensive line and had 29 tackles on defense. He also competed on both the track and field and basketball teams.



DL Andrew Weber – 6-7/230 — Garnet Valley, Pa. (Garnet Valley HS)
Weber was an all-league selection as a senior at Garnet Valley HS after helping the team to a pair of league championships. He was also part of an Eastern Pennsylvania championship squad during his sophomore year. Weber had 59.5 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks, during his senior year. He also forced and recovered a fumble, had nine quarterback hurries and blocked a kick. He was a state qualifier in track and field as a senior and won a league title in the event as a junior. 



PK/P John Wells – 6-1/190 — Paradise Valley, Ariz. (Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) HS)
Wells was named first-team all-league and conference Kicker of the Year as a senior at Cathedral Catholic HS, helping the school to a league title. He kicked for state championship teams in consecutive years in two different states. As a junior, he was a member of Cathedral Catholic's CIF State Division II title team in San Diego after winning a 5A-1 crown as a sophomore at Brophy Prep HS in Phoenix, Ariz. Wells captured honorable mention all-state accolades as a sophomore. He also played two years of varsity baseball. His cousin is John Huarte, the 1964 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Notre Dame. Another cousin, Chris Carter, plays professional baseball.



WR EJ Williams – 5-10/165 — Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Coffman HS)
Williams was a second-team all-district and first-team all-league pick as a senior at Dublin Coffman HS. He scored seven touchdowns, including six TD receptions, in his final season, including three of more than 50 yards. Williams caught a pair of touchdown passes as a junior. He also starred on the track in the sprints. The four-year letter winner on the track was a member of the top-ranked 4x400 relay squad in Central Ohio and the sixth-ranked team in the state as a junior.