BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Feb. 1, 2017) - On Wednesday, Head Coach Bryan Collins and the LIU Post football team announced the signing of 13 players to National Letters of Intent for the 2017 campaign.

The recruiting class is composed of 11 high school athletes and two mid-year collegiate transfers, who will join the Pioneers for the spring season.

"All of these kids are coming from great high school programs," Collins said. "We addressed our needs and got the best players available that we rated on our board. This class is not finished by any means though."

"It is a diverse class. We have players from Florida, Virginia, New Jersey and New York," Collins added. "The growth of our program has allowed us to expand our recruiting territories and we are getting interest."
 

2017 Recruiting Class
Player	Ht., Wt., Position, Previous School
Greg Amato	6-2 - 295 - OL - William Floyd
Damien Caffrey	6-5 - 230 - TE - Elwood-John Glenn
Bryce Campbell	6-3 - 190 - DB - Colts Neck
Jonathan Campbell	5-10 - 175 - CB - Paramus Catholic
Jake Carlock	6-2 - 225 - LB - Stony Brook
Mike Doyle	6-1 - 270 - DT - J.W. Mitchell
Jaelin Hood	6-0 - 195 - WR - Freeport
Jahmel Johnson	5-10 - 175 - CB - Bergen Catholic
Kamari Jones-Hunter	6-1 - 257 - DL - Monroe C.C.
Julian Singh	6-4 - 305 - OL - Lenape
Nazir Streater	5-11 - 182 - RB/SS - Camden Catholic
Trevor Taylor	6-1 - 230 - LB - Trinity Episcopal School
Matt Zelaya	5-8 - 160 - WR - Paramus Catholic

Greg Amato
OL - 6-2 - 295
2016 First Team All-Long Island at William Floyd High School ... All-County and All-Division First Team ... All-State Second Team ... News12 All-Metro Honorable Mention ... Helped the Colonials to a Suffolk County Class I Championship in 2016.

Collins on Amato: "We are extremely excited to have Greg join our program. He comes from a great winning tradition at William Floyd. Greg is an aggressive, tough run-blocker that gives us a good toughness at an extremely critical position on the offensive line."


Damien Caffrey
TE - 6-5 - 230
2016 Newsday Top-40 Suffolk Player to Watch at Elwood-John Glenn High School ... 2015 First Team All-Division ... Had 24 receptions for 450 yards and six touchdowns in his senior season.

Collins on Caffrey: "Damien stood out on film, given his size and athleticism. He has the ability to play tight end, wide receiver and defensive end. I think he can really add a dimension to our offense in the middle of the field. His ability to get vertical will create match-up problems for opposing defenses. He fills a void left by Sean Binckes, who graduated two years ago."


Bryce Campbell
DB - 6-3 - 190
Two-Time Team Captain at Colts Neck High School ... Had 150 career tackles with four pass break-ups and four interceptions ... Also made 14 career receptions for 195 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per catch.

Collins on Campbell: "Bryce is a tremendous athlete. He has the ability to play several different positions on defense. He has excellent height, great ball skills and can make the big hit."


Jonathan Campbell
CB - 5-10 - 175
Recorded 18 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and an interception in his senior year at Paramus Catholic High School ... Helped the Paladins to a New Jersey Group IV State Championship in 2016.

Collins on Campbell: "Jonathan is an aggressive, physical corner from Paramus Catholic, one of the premier programs in the country. He can press receivers and play aggressive man-to-man. He also has the ability to be a lockdown corner and shut down an opponent's best receiver."


Jake Carlock
LB - 6-2 - 225
Appeared in nine games at Division I program Stony Brook University ... New York State Class C Co-Player of the Year at Babylon High School ... All-Long Island and All-Metro First Team ... USA Today All-State ... Earned Rob Burnett Award (top defensive player) and Tom Cassese Award (top defensive back) ... Hansen Award finalist ... Assisted Babylon in capturing back-to-back Long Island Class IV Championships.

Collins on Carlock: "We look for Jake to be an impact player on our defense in several areas. He can play linebacker or safety. We are excited about his versatility, size and athleticism. He is used to playing Division I football and being productive at that level."


Mike Doyle
DT - 6-1 - 270
Named Team Captain at J.W. Mitchell High School ... 2016 All-Sunshine Athletic Conference First Team ... Helped the Mustangs to District titles in back-to-back seasons.

Collins on Doyle: "Mike is an impact player on the inside for a competitive program in Florida. He has the ability to make plays in the backfield from the defensive tackle position, resulting in tackles for losses. What really stood out to us was not only his playing ability and leadership qualities, but the fact that LIU Post was the place where he wanted to be."


Jaelin Hood
WR - 6-0 - 195
2016 First Team All-State at Freeport High School ... All-Conference, All-County and All-Long Island First Team ... Runs a time of 4.4 in the 40-yard dash ... Recipient of the New York Jets Most Outstanding Receiver Award ... Broke Nassau County record for longest kickoff return for a touchdown (99 yards).

Collins on Hood: "Jaelin has outstanding speed. He gives us very good height at either the free safety or wide receiver position. He comes from an excellent high school program. We look forward to him becoming an impact player, whether it be on the offensive or defensive side of the ball."


Jahmel Johnson
CB - 5-10 - 175
Three-year starting cornerback at Bergen Catholic High School ... 2016 All-NJSFC United Division Second Team ... Had 51 tackles (28 solo, 23 assist) with eight pass break-ups and one interception in his senior year ... Reigning State Champion in 55-meter dash.

Collins on Johnson: "Jahmel is another outstanding cornerback from another premier program in New Jersey. He is a very fast and physical shut-down corner. His ability to stay with receivers and his ball skills show tremendous potential to be an impact player for the Pioneers early in his career."


Kamari Jones-Hunter
DL - 6-1 - 257
Two-Time All-Northeast Football Conference Selection at Monroe College ... Recorded 30 tackles (14 solo, 16 assist) with three sacks, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks in 2016 ... News12 Varsity All-City at Canarsie High School... Eagle All-Brooklyn First Team ... Brooklyn Daily All-Borough Honorable Mention.

Collins on Jones-Hunter: "Kamari was the best defensive lineman in the PSAL two years ago at Canarsie and excelled at Monroe. He will be an immediate impact player on the defensive line in the Northeast-10 Conference."


Julian Singh
OL - 6-4 - 305
2016 First Team All-Burlington County at Lenape High School ... West Jersey Capitol Division First Team All-Star ... Helped the Indians to three-straight West Jersey Football League Division titles.

Collins on Singh: "Julian gives us tremendous size and athleticism on the offensive line. He was part of a successful high school football program at Lenape. We expect Julian to come in and compete for playing time as a freshman, as well."


Nazir Streater
RB/SS - 5-11 - 182
2016 West Jersey Football League Constitution Division First Team All-Star at Camden Catholic High School ... 2015 and 2016 All-South Jersey First Team ... Amassed a lifetime 2,334 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns ... Also made 150 career tackles (81 solo, 69 assist) with seven pass break-ups and five interceptions.

Collins on Streater: "Nazir is an extremely fast, talented and versatile player. He shows the ability to run both inside and outside and has great hands out of the backfield. His athleticism also gives us a chance to play him on the defensive side of the ball and cover slot receivers in a man-to-man situation."


Trevor Taylor
DB - 6-1 - 230
2016 All-Prep League selection at Trinity Episcopal School ... 2015 VISAA Division II All-State and Co-Defensive Player of the Year ... Helped the Titans to back-to-back VISAA Division II State Championships.

Collins on Taylor: "Trevor has great instincts at the linebacker position. We were able to work with him at our prospect camp and he had a great knowledge for the game."


Matt Zelaya
WR - 5-8 - 160
2016 All-NJSFC Honorable Mention at Paramus Catholic High School ... Assisted the Paladins in capturing a New Jersey Group IV State Championship in 2016 ... Made 30 receptions for 455 yards and two touchdowns as a senior.

Collins on Zelaya: "We look forward to Matt making plays in the slot position. He is also an excellent punt returner. He is just a winning heads-up player from an excellent football program. We look forward to him being a match-up problem in the middle of the field for opposing teams."