HBU reloads offense with 2 QBs, 2 WRs

Vic Shealy knows how to assess and develop quarterbacks. The Houston Baptist coach was the only one to offer a scholarship coming out of high school to Bailey Zappe, who threw for more than 10,000 yards as a Huskie before leaving for Western Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Shealy signed 11 players, announcing nine, including quarterbacks A.J. Wilson of Huntsville and Scott Pfeiffer from Edmond, Okla. The Huskies also brought in wide receiver Joshua “Deuce”

McMillan II, a Houston Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year finalist from Tompkins.

“The Southland Conference is an athletic conference,” Shealy said. “We’ve done a good job of evaluating offensive-skilled kids. And this year is no different. We really feel good about the two quarterbacks we signed.”

Pfeiffer is tall and athletic with a strong arm. Wilson was second-team all-district.

“Both are very talented,” Shealy said. “They would be consistent with what we would feel like are good Southland Conference quarterbacks.”

Joining McMillan, an inside receiver and one of the best skill players to ever sign with HBU, as a wide receiver recruit is Karl

Reynolds, a productive deep threat at outside receiver who caught 15 touchdown passes in 2021 for Navarro College.

Nolan Hay (6-4, 275) played all five positions on the offensive line this season, as well as tight end, at Katy Taylor.

“We feel this group is part of that foundation, as they mature, that will give us a chance to have one of the best offenses in the Southland,” Shealy said.

Defensive end Jacoby Brass is an edge rusher from North Shore. In the secondary, the Huskies brought in cornerback

Jaden King and safety Caleb King.

TSU tries to add size to secondary

Not many recruiting classes will have the size in the secondary that Texas Southern brought in. The Tigers signed six studentathletes and went big in safety

Charles George Jr. (6-3, 205) and cornerback Nahamani

Harris (6-3, 180). “Charles George is a special talent,” TSU coach Clarence

McKinney said of the defensive back who stood out in summer camps. “He’s a special athlete.

“We’re trying to change the way we look and get bigger guys on both sides. We feel like we did that with those guys. We’ve been against these teams with big receivers, so we felt we needed to get some size to go up and compete.”

George played multiple positions on both sides of the ball. He was named to the Detroit Free Press All-Detroit second team, finishing with 50-plus tackles. He caught 35 balls for five touchdowns.

Harris spent his postgrad year at St. Thomas More in Connecticut, having played high school football at Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio.

McKinney went after a quarterback and landed Oscar Gordon III (6-2, 190), who has helped Austin LBJ to the Class 4A Division I state championship game. He scored seven touchdowns in a playoff contest against Boerne.

“He’s definitely going to upgrade our offense,” McKinney said. “We’re bringing in winners.”

Gordon will compete with incumbent Andrew Body for the starting position.