Early Signing Class for 2020 Football Announced

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Wednesday's early National Signing Day for football saw nine new members join the Florida Atlantic University squad for the 2020 campaign, the first class to sign under head coach Willie Taggart.

"I think that's pretty impressive, to have nine guys sign with us now with the coaching change," said Taggart. "I think it says a lot about our young men that committed to us and decided to come to Paradise. They really wanted to be here. I got a chance to talk to them all, once I got the job, and talked to him them every day leading up to this point. Great young men, looking forward to getting to know them even more. Not only great young men, great football players that's going to help us win some ballgames."

The class thus far is made up of two junior college transfers and seven freshmen. Five hail from the Sunshine State, three from Georgia, and one from Alabama. The bulk of the early signees are linemen – four defensive and two on the offensive side – along with one linebacker, one safety and one wide receiver.

Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Cl	Hometown / High School (Previous School)
Alvin Dempsey III	DL	6-1	288	JR	Port St. Joe, Fla. / Port St. Joe High School (East Central CC)
Sebastien Dolcine	OL	6-5	295	JR	Plantation, Fla. / Miramar High School (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
Decarius Hawthorne	DL	6-2	280	FR	Center Point, Ala. / Center Point High School
Marlon Krakue	DL	6-2	210	FR	Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry High School
Andre Lamas	OL	6-3	270	FR	Miami, Fla. / Columbus High School
Joe Lewis	LB	6-1	191	FR	Tampa, Fla. / Tampa Bay Tech High School
Travis Lockhart	DL	6-3	225	FR	Villa Rica, Ga. / Carrollton High School
Justin McKithen	WR	5-10	155	FR	Savannah, Ga. / New Hampstead High School
Charles Toombs	S	5-9	155	FR	Immokalee Flats, Fla. / Immokalee High School

Alvin Dempsey III

JR | 6-1 | 288 | DL | Port St. Joe, Fla. / Port St. Joe High School (East Central CC)

At East Central CC Football Signing Day
Sophomore (2019)

In nine games, had 30 tackles, 20 of which were solo and three were for a loss
Also had two interceptions – including a 74-yard return against Itawamba – and two fumble recoveries
One of those recoveries went for a touchdown in a 35-0 shutout over Pearl River

Freshman (2018)

Recorded 40 tackles and 6.5 sacks, among seven tackles for loss
Forced a fumble and recovered a fumble, while also adding a pass breakup
His fumble recovery was an 11-yard touchdown against Mississippi Gulf Coast

High School

Had 331 career tackles at Port St. Joe High, including 98 as a freshman, 115 as a sophomore, and 76 his senior season
Of those, 27 were sacks, with a career-best nine his final year
Forced nine fumbles in his four years, and recovered five
Also rushed for 35 yards his senior year, on nine carries, with a touchdown

Personal

Chose the Owls over North Texas, Charlotte, Southern Miss and UAB, among a host of other schools
247Sports has him No. 81 among junior college players, the No. 8 JC defensive tackle, and No. 18 JC prospect from the state of Florida

Sebastien Dolcine

JR | 6-5 | 295 | OL | Plantation, Fla. / Miramar High School (Copiah-Lincoln CC)

At Copiah-Lincoln CC Football Signing Day
Sophomore (2019)

Preseason All-MACJC lineman, as named by Mississippi Gridiron
Played eight games for the Wolves
Team was ranked as high as No. 8 during the 2019 campaign

At Kentucky
Freshman (2018)

Redshirted in his only season in Lexington, appearing in one game for the Wildcats

High School

Played for Miramar High School, for a team that went 8-3 his senior year

Personal

Ranked as the No. 20 overall junior college player, No. 2 junior college guard, and No. 3 overall Florida junior college prospect, by 247Sports
Other schools listed included Mississippi State, UCF, Auburn, Arkansas and Oregon
Out of high school, he was the No. 31 guard in the entire 2017 recruiting class
High school offers included UCF, Wake Forest and Temple

Decarius Hawthorne

FR | 6-2 | 280 | DL | Center Point, Ala. / Center Point High School

High School Football Signing Day

As a junior, had 56 tackles, 20 for loss, with four sacks
Also forced four fumbles, recovered one and had two blocked punts

Personal

Other potential schools included Tulane, Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky
247Sports slotted him No. 80 among players in the state of Alabama

Marlon Krakue

FR | 6-2 | 210 | DL | Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry High School

High School Football Signing Day

Voted by the league's coaches as First Team All-Region for 6-AAAAAA after tallying nearly 90 tackles and 6.5 sacks

Personal

Had over 20 offers, including Minnesota, Marshall, Southern Miss, Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Rutgers and Toledo
Ranked as the No. 89 player in Georgia by 247Sports, and No. 41 overall defensive end

Andre Lamas

FR | 6-3 | 270 | OL | Miami, Fla. / Columbus High School

High School Football Signing Day

Part of the Class 8A state championship-winning Columbus squad
Explorers finished the year 11-4, and finished the title game off with two touchdowns in the last 4:37 – including a two-point conversion on the final score – for a 21-20 win over Apopka

Personal

Chose the Owls over Bryant, Austin Peay and Arkansas-Pine Bluff
High school teammates with Owls' current offensive lineman Federico Maranges

Joe Lewis

FR | 6-1 | 191 | LB | Tampa, Fla. / Tampa Bay Tech High School

High School Football Signing Day

Had 63 tackles, 43 solo, with 14 tackles for loss as a senior
Also posted four sacks and an interception – that was returned for a touchdown
Forced four fumbles, recovered one, and had two blocked punts as well
Squad went 7-4 overall for head coach Jayson Roberts
As a junior, tallied 42 tackles, with three sacks, plus another punt block
Also a star baseball player

Personal

Chose the Owls over Gardner-Webb

Travis Lockhart

FR | 6-3 | 225 | DL | Villa Rica, Ga. / Carrollton High School

High School Football Signing Day

As a senior at Carrollton, had 24 tackles with 7.5 for loss
Five of those TFL went for sacks, and added a fumble recovery

Personal

Also drew interest from Army, Minnesota, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, WKU and Akron, among others

Justin McKithen

FR | 5-10 | 155 | WR | Savannah, Ga. / New Hampstead High School

High School Football Signing Day

All-Region 3A as a return specialist after his final campaign at New Hampstead
Also chosen by coaches as the All-Region team returner for 2-AAAAA
Totaled 970 all-purpose yards his junior year, including 23 catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns
Posted a long reception of 90 yards
Also averaged 14.4 yards per rush, 230 yards, with two scores
Prolific kick returner, with a career average of 30.3 yards
That included an 82-yard return for a score as a sophomore

Personal

Picked the Owls over Southern Miss, Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern
Ranked No. 180 in Georgia by 247Sports

Charles Toombs

FR | 5-9 | 155 | S | Immokalee Flats, Fla. / Immokalee High School

High School Football Signing Day

Multi-position athlete starred at defensive back, as he was a finalist for the Naples Daily News Defensive Player of the Year
Recorded five interceptions his senior season, including a touchdown
Also had two punt return scores
Picked prior to his final year as part of "The Big 15" by the Naples Daily News, landing at No. 8
Totaled nine more interceptions as a sophomore, with one returned for a score
Part of the Daily News All-Area team after that effort

Personal

Also offered by Kentucky, Iowa State, NC State and Temple
No. 189 athlete, No. 277 player from Florida by 247Sports

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Players Mentioned

Federico Maranges

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