ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football program and head coach Frank Solich announced Wednesday that 20 newcomers will join its ranks next season. The class includes 16 incoming freshmen and four junior college student-athletes.

The class exhibits quite a bit of variety as the Bobcats will welcome student-athletes at 12 different positions, including three at the safety and offensive line positions.

The class includes players from eight different states, led by Ohio's seven.

The Bobcats begin spring practice on April 1.

Matthew Britain: Offensive Line, 6'2 ¾, 269, Kennesaw, Georgia, North Cobb High School

High School: Claimed 2007 All-State honors and Cobb County Offensive Lineman of the Year…Two-time member of the All-Cobb County team…Named North Cobb Offensive Lineman of the Year…Participated in the North/South All-Star and Cobb County All-Star games…Led his team to a 10-1 record in
2007 and the Region 5A Championship…Posted more than 40 pancake blocks and recorded 10 tackles as a senior while starting 36 varsity games over the course of his career…Lettered in football three seasons…Is the son of Phil and Sherie Britain.

Bakari Bussey: Wide Receiver, 6'1 ½, 187, West Chester, Ohio, Lakota West High School

High School: Snared 27 passes for 408 yards and six touchdowns as a senior at Lakota West High School, earning First-Team All-Conference honors…Lettered in football two years and track four years…Plans to major in Physical Therapy….Is the son of Barney and Beverly Bussey.

Vincent Carlotta: Offensive Line, 6'4, 272, Cincinnati, Ohio, Roger Baron High School

High School: Earned First-Team All-Greater Catholic League honors, All-City honorable mention and Southwest GCL Offensive Lineman of the Year honors…Lettered in football four years and wrestling once…Plans to major in Marketing…Is the son of Barbara Carlotta.

Hilton Dawson III: Safety, 5'11 ½, 215, Compton, California, Dominguez High School/El Camino College

Junior College: In 2007, Dawson had 75 tackles at El Camino College with two interceptions and was ranked the No. 12 safety in the country by J.C.
Football.com…Was also ranked 48th among junior college players by Rivals.com…Posted 96 tackles in 2006 with three interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass deflections…High
School: Registered 95 tackles as a senior with six interceptions, four forced fumbles and 10 touchdowns on offense…Posted 80 tackles as a junior with five interceptions, while recording six rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns on offense…Two-time All-Moore league in 2003 and 2004 and All-San Gabriel Valley League in 2005…Earned All-State honors in 2005 and was named Best in the West Top 50 that same year…Led Dominguez to a No. 18 ranking by USA Today during the 2005 campaign…Plans to major in Criminal Justice…Is the son of Hilton Dawson, Jr. and Tracie L.
Dawson-Briley.

Tyler Futrell: Cornerback, 5'11 ¼, 164, Altoona, Pennsylvania, Altoona Area High School

High School: Named First-Team Mid-Penn defensive back, First-Team Altoona Mirror All-Star team defensive back, Second-Team Mid-Penn wide receiver, Second-Team Altoona Mirror All-Star team wide receiver…Recorded 32 catches for 618 yards (19.3 yards per catch) with four touchdowns…Also picked off four passes on defense…Lettered in football three seasons and track/field two…Plans to major in Business Management…Is the son of Alphonso Futrell and Brenda Newberry.

Joshua Greene: Running Back, 5'9 ¼, 180, Springboro, Ohio, Springboro High School

High School: Earned All-Conference honors as a senior at Springboro High School…Recorded 1,051 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving as a senior…Lettered three times in football…Plans to major in Audio Engineering…Is the son of Sheldon and Janice Greene.

Vincent Harris: Outside Linebacker, 6'1, 220, Cincinnati, Ohio, LaSalle High School/Harmony Prep

High School: Ranked 21st among prep school players by Scout.com…Participated in the 2007 East/West All-Star Game…Recorded 65 tackles, one interception and two sacks as a senior with 850 yards rushing on the offensive side of the ball…Made 80 tackles and nine sacks as a junior…Plans to major in Accounting…Is the son of Kerry Harris.

Eric Herman: Offensive Lineman, 6'4, 264, Oregon, Ohio, Central Catholic High School

High School: Claimed First-Team All-City Offensive and Defensive Line honors…Named to the First-Team All-District Offensive Line and Co-Lineman of the Year…Named Division II Northwest District Lineman of the Year…Claimed First-Team All-State Division II and All-Toledo Blade honors…Invited to participate in the Ohio North/South All-Star game in June…Posted 13 solo tackles and 48 total tackles with four tackles for loss and a sack as a senior….Registered 27 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and seven sacks as a junior…Was a member of the 2005 Division II state championship team…Sister Ellen is a standout on the Ohio volleyball team…Lettered in football three years and track/field four…Is the son of Chris Herman and Debbie Verkin-Siebert.

Neal Huynh: Defensive End, 6'3, 230, Altoona, Pennsylvania, Altoona Area High School

High School: Named Second-Team All-Conference, Mid-Penn defensive end…Claimed Altoona Mirror, First-Team Blair County and All-Region All-Star honors…Top 10 javelin thrower in Pennsylvania, earning All-Conference honors as well…Registered 78 tackles as a senior in nine games, with 10 sacks and a blocked field goal...Lettered in track/field three years and football two…Plans to major in Physical Therapy…Is the son of Melissa Hicks.

Franshaw "Boo" Jackson: Quarterback, 6'0, 197, Gardena, California, Lompoc High School/El Camino College

Junior College: Earned honorable Mention All-America honors and unanimous All-Mission Conference First-Team honors in 2007 while being named El Caimo's Most Valuable Player…In 2007, he threw for 2,235 yards with 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions on 134-223 passing…He also posted three rushing touchdowns…In 2006, threw for 2,385 yards on 154-252 passing with 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions and a pass efficiency rating of 159.42 to earn Second-Team All-Mission Conference honors…High School: Earned All-State, All-Los Padres League, All-County and Santa Maria Times MVP honors in 2003 and 2004…Led his team to the California Interscholastic Federation Division 10 championship honors…Plans to major in business management….Is the son of Mercy Jackson.

Serggio Judkins: Wide Receiver, 6'4, 198, Ocala, Florida, Ocala Forest High School

High School: Caught 26 passes for 510 yards and six touchdowns as a senior after playing safety his first three seasons…Earned second-team All-Area honors at wideout and claimed the Team Coaches Award…Plans to major in Sports Communication…Is the son of Kathy and William Judkins.

Alphonso Lewis, Jr.: Outside Linebacker, 6' ¾, 197, Altoona, Pennsylvania, Altoona Area High School

High School: Named First-team Mid-Penn Linebacker and a First-Team Altoona Mirror All-Star…Recorded 318 career tackles with 26 sacks…Posted 116 tackles and nine sacks as a senior with 40 carries for 367 yards and three touchdowns on the offensive side…Also caught 14 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns…Lettered in football and track three times (basketball twice)…Is the son of Alphonso Lewis Sr. and Carla Kent.

Corey Moncrief: Defensive Tackle, 6'2 ¼, 309, Jackson, Mississippi, Forest Hill High School/Mississippi Delta Community College

Junior College: Tallied 130 tackles and seven sacks at Mississippi Delta Community College where he was coached by Jay Miller…Was the MVP of the Junior College All-Star Game…Plans to major in Criminal Justice…Is the son of Homer and Tracy Moncrief.

Gerald Moore: Safety, 6'1, 190, Mitchellville, Md., St. John's College High School

High School: Named to the All-DC Sportsfan Team as a defensive back…Two-time All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honoree at defensive back…Named 2007 honorable mention All-Met by the Washington Post…Posted 50 solo tackles and three interceptions as a senior…Led his squad to a No. 1 ranking in the D.C. Massey rankings in 2006 and 2007…Lettered in football two years, basketball and track once…Prospective major is Undecided…Is the son of Gerald and Aisha Moore.

Melvin Payne: Inside Linebacker, 6'2, 210, Mobile, Alabama, LeFlore Prep Academy

High School: Named all-region honorable mention in Mobile…Two-year letterman in basketball, baseball and earned four letters in football…Was a starter on LeFlore's state championship basketball squad…Plans to major in business…Is the son of Mollie Payne.

Tremayne Scott: Defensive End, 6'3 ½, 227, Ocala, Florida, Trinity Catholic High School

High School: Named All-State and All-Area in 2007, while claiming honorable mention honors in both in 2006…Recorded 103 tackles, 14 sacks and 18 tackles for loss as a senior…Helped lead his team to the state championship as a sophomore, a runner-up finish as a junior and the state playoffs as a senior…Plans to major in Business…Has seven brothers and sisters…Is the son of Ricky and Vicky Scott.

Patrick Tafua: Safety, 6-0 ¼, 190, Midway City, California, Westminster High School/Golden West College

Junior College: Totaled 129 career tackles (78 solo), seven interceptions and five career punt blocks...High School: Had 86 tackles as a senior (65 solo) with three interceptions and five receiving touchdowns on offense…Was named All-California Interscholastic Federation (Division 7), All-Golden West League and Golden West League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior…Named Athlete of the Year at Westminster…Earned three letters in football, track and volleyball… Has seven brothers and sisters…Plans to major in Communication…Is the son of Lemapu Fanoga.

Jordan Thompson: Tight End, 6'3 ½, 225, Rockford, Ohio, Parkway High School

High School: Named Division 5 Defensive Player of the Year, Division 5 All-Ohio First-Team (linebacker), Division 5 Northwest Ohio Defensive Player of the Year, Division 5 First-Team Northwest Ohio (linebacker)…Named Mid West Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and claimed First-Team honors at linebacker and punter (Second-Team quarterback)…Earned Lima News Dream Team Defensive Player of the Year and was also selected to the first team…Also named Defensive Player of the Year by the Times Bulletin and Van Wert Area, where he captured Player of the Year honors as well…Named to first team at linebacker by the Times Bulletin and Van Wert at linebacker, punter and quarterback…Recorded 476 career tackles (307 solo), 13 sacks, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries defensively…Amassed 1,693 career rushing yards on 432 carries with 23 touchdowns…Passed for 3,674 career yards, while completing 307 of
515 passes and 27 touchdowns…Is the son of Kay Brandt and the late Roy Thompson III.

Brandon Weaver: Inside Linebacker, 6'1, 202, Washington, Pa., Trinity High School

High School: Earned All-Conference and All-District honors at linebacker in 2007 and All-Conference acclaim at punter in 2006…Recorded the Defensive Play of the Year according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and had the longest run from scrimmage in school history (92 yards)…Selected to the "Big 33" All-Star game…Posted 76 tackles, five interceptions, 12 sacks, nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries on defense…Recorded more than 500 yards rushing and 500 yards in kickoff returns, while scoring eight touchdowns…Lettered in football three times…Plans to major in Business…Is the son of Chuck and Chris Weaver.

Matthew Weller: Kicker/Punter, 5'11 ¾, 190, Twinsburg, Ohio, Twinsburg High School

High School: Named Northwest Ohio Conference Kicker of the Year, First-Team All-District, Second-Team All-State Division I as a senior…Named Akron Touchdown Club All-Star and Kohl's National Scholarship Camp where he finished in the top 15 of all kicker/punters and was ranked fourth in kickoffs…Averaged 43.2 yards per punt as a senior and 40.1 yards over the course of his career…Went 5-7 on field goal attempts with a long of 45 yards…Booted 92 percent of his kickoffs inside the five yard line…Earned All-Conference honorable mention honors as a junior…Named All-Academic Student-Athlete in 2007…Is the son of Don and Jane Weller.