Houston, TX- The Texas Southern Tigers football team finished the 2009 with the second best record for the school this decade. The Tigers finished the season 6-5 overall and 5-2 in conference…both records were only matched by the TSU’s 2000 season.
Nearly all of the 2009 team will return in 2010, which means competition will be tough and this season’s signees will have an opportunity to learn and grow.
“Our 2010 class will have the best of both worlds. They won’t be pressured to make an impact right away, but they also have an opportunity to fight for a spot in the rotation,” said head coach Johnnie Cole.
Coach Cole focused on two areas main areas in this class…quarterback and defensive line. “We have our senior quarterback Arvell Nelson returning and he will be the leader for the guys coming in. We brought in three capable young quarterbacks as we look toward the future of this program,” Cole said.
Rudy Johnson is a 6’1” quarterback from Chula Vista, CA. He passed for 2800 yards and 35 touchdowns in his high school career. He’s the 7th ranked QB in his county. Johnson is the son of Rudy Johnson, Sr. who played football with Coach Cole at Texas Southern. “Johnson is an example of former TSU Tigers helping to keep the long tradition of TSU football alive,” said Cole.
The two other quarterbacks are Andre Kelly from Chaves high school and Darveon Trahan from Jack Yates high school.
Kelly passed for more than 6,000 yards and 58 touchdowns in his high school career…both are records at Chavez. Trahan is an all around athlete who is a threat on the ground and in the air. He passed for 750 yards and rushed for more than 500 yards his senior year at Yates. He also rushed for six touchdowns and threw for 11 more.
Coach Cole also brought in some guys to help beef up the defensive line and add more power and depth in that area. “Our defense went from the bottom of the conference to first in two seasons, and we’re looking to keep growing and getting better.”
In all, Texas Southern signed 29 recruits so far and more than half of them are from Texas. You can look forward to more exciting football for the Tigers this coming season. The foundation has been laid…now the work begins in the quest for a SWAC Championship.
