Winning pays off

Less than two months removed from Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s best finish in school history, Coach Monte Coleman certainly had a few more pieces of hardware to show off during the recruiting process. The Golden Lions signed 15 players Wednesday, a group which Coleman said could grow by two or three in the coming days.

Monte Coleman wouldn’t call the Arkansas-Pine Bluff recruiting class he finalized Wednesday any easier to put together than his previous five as coach of the Golden Lions, but less than two months removed from the school’s best season, he certainly had a few more pieces of hardware to show off during the process.

UAPB beat Jackson State 24-21 in overtime Dec. 8 in Birmingham, Ala., to win its first outright Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and cap a 10-2 season, the most victories for a UAPB team in a single year.

That allowed Coleman to prominently display the 2 1⁄2foot tall SWAC championship trophy topped with a silver football in the football offices at Golden Lion Stadium while recruits passed through on official visits and show them renderings of their championship rings.

The result was a class of 15 signees, which Coleman said could grow by two or three in the coming days, that addressed a depleted defensive backfield and provided depth at quarterback and running back.

“We wanted to make sure they got an opportunity to see what they could be a part of, the legacy and tradition we’re trying to establish,” Coleman said. “Could we have gotten some of the guys without it? Possibly. But it didn’t hurt.”

UAPB lost five starters off a defense that helped it win the SWAC title, including multiple year starters in cornerback Jamel Maxwell and free safety Jarvis Webb.

The Golden Lions signed five defensive backs, including two Little Rock products in safeties Tavion Garrison and Caelon Harden, both of Little Rock Parkview.

They also signed cornerback Michael Blanco of Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff, safety Jarvis Jackson of Winfield, La. and Dave White, who could play cornerback or safety, from Baton Rouge McKinley.

Quarterback Ben Anderson was named first- team All- SWAC last season and still has two years of eligibility. But backup William Dunn exhausted his eligibility after last season and Coleman said they could move T.Q. Mims back to safety from quarterback, leaving Anderson the only quarterback left on the roster.

Coleman said he wanted to sign a high school quarterback and one from the junior college ranks Wednesday, but only Brandon Duncan, who is originally from Roosevelt, N.Y., but played at Jireh Prep in Matthews, N.C., last year, signed Wednesday. Coleman said they could sign another quarterback soon.

“That’s what we need. We don’t have the depth at the quarterback position,” Coleman said. “Brandon has all the tangibles. He runs, he can throw, he’s got a good, strong arm. I feel very good to have him in place, just in case.”

UAPB also signed Pine Bluff running back Walter Ashley, Camden Fairview wide receiver Braxton Hoof and Camden Fairview running back Jamie Smith from Arkansas.

Coleman added that he didn’t sense his still pending contract negotiations with Athletic Director Lonza Hardy Jr. had much effect on the class.

The five- year contract Coleman signed when he was promoted to head coach in 2007 expired Dec. 31, 2012, and he has since been working on what he described last month as a “gentleman’s agreement.”

He and Hardy have said they have agreed on a fiveyear contract, they are just working out salaries for Coleman and his assistants. Coleman said he expects a deal to be finalized next week and didn’t hide his working without a formal deal from potential recruits. He said he spoke with recruits at dinner during their visit about the situation, telling them he has not signed a contract but that he expects to next week.

“I let them know that I have been offered a five-year extension and that it’s just a matter of time,” Coleman said. “It didn’t deter any of the young men.”

Monte Coleman