LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty Football added 17 new members to its team today with the announcement of the Flames’ December signees.
Working out of a conference room from the Renaissance Riverview Plaza in Mobile, Ala., just days before the Flames take on Eastern Michigan in the LendingTree Bowl, Freeze and his staff secured national letters of intent from 17 new players early on Wednesday morning.
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The Flames’ newcomers including five defensive backs, three defensive linemen, two linebackers, two tight ends, two wide receivers, an offensive lineman, a quarterback and a running back.
Liberty’s 2022 newcomers list hails from 11 different states: Georgia (4), Colorado (2), Louisiana (2), Tennessee (2), Alabama (1), Florida (1), Minnesota (1), Mississippi (1), North Carolina (1), Texas (1) and Virginia (1).
Freeze’s fourth signing class is one of the highest ranked recruiting classes in program. The 2022 class currently ranks No. 91 by Rivals.com and No. 101 by 247Sports.com.
Liberty’s final 2020 class was ranked No. 89 by 247Sports.com and the 2021 class was ranked No. 93 by Rivals.com.
Currently, Liberty’s 17 member 2022 signing class includes 10 mid-year enrollees, 11 three-star recruits as ranked by 247Sports.com and seven three-star recruits as listed by Rivals.
2022 Flames Football NLI Signees
CJ Bazile, Jr. DL 6-2 240 Miami, Fla./Miramar HS
Charlie Brewer * QB 6-1 208 Austin, Texas/Lake Travis HS (Utah)
Miyon Conaway * DL 6-2 220 Hazlehurst, Ga./Jeff Davis HS
Bryce Dixon * DL 6-2 275 Charlotte, N.C./David W. Butler HS
Markel Fortenberry WR 6-4 185 Maryville, Tenn./Maryville HS
Brylan Green S 5-11 170 Opelousas, La./Lafayette Christian Academy
Austin Henderson * TE 6-6 240 Nashville, Tenn./Ensworth HS (Minnesota)
Daveon Hunter * RB 5-10 190 Denver, Colo./Chandler HS (Hawaii)
Antwon Jackson CB 5-10 155 Warner Robins, Ga./Warner Robins HS
A’Khori Jones S 5-11 185 Macon, Ga./Mount De Sales Academy
Teigan Martin TE 6-5 220 Mayer, Minn./Mayer Lutheran HS
Jordan Norwood LB 6-1 210 Highlands Ranch, Colo./Valor Christian School
Dexter Ricks, Jr. * CB 6-0 175 Milledgeville, Ga./Baldwin HS
Mike Smith Jr. * LB 6-1 225 Flora, Miss./Ridgeland HS
(Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Caleb Snead * WR 6-3 205 Lynchburg, Va./Heritage HS (Campbell)
Jayden Sweeney * S 5-11 175 Birmingham, Ala./Clay-Chalkville HS
Reggie Young II * OT 6-4 270 New Orleans, La./Edna Carr HS
(Iowa Central Community College)
* - Joined Liberty’s roster for the Spring 2022 semester
2022 Class Roster Breakdown
By Position
Defensive Backs 5
Defensive Linemen 3
Linebackers 2
Wide Receivers 2
Offensive Linemen 1
Running Backs 1
Quarterbacks 1
Tight Ends 1
By State
Georgia 4
Colorado 2
Louisiana 2
Tennessee 2
Alabama 1
Florida 1
Minnesota 1
Mississippi 1
North Carolina 1
Texas 1
Virginia 1
2022 Football Signing Class Bios
CJ Bazile, Jr., DL, 6-2, 240, Miami, Fla./Miramar HS
Three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … two-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also received offers from Army, Air Force, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, East Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Kansas, Kent State and Navy … set a school record with 15 sacks during his senior season … first-team All-County … first-team all-state … son of Betty and Claudel Bazile, Sr.
Charlie Brewer *, QB, 6-1, 208, Austin, Texas/Lake Travis HS (Utah)
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … comes to Liberty after transferring from Utah … played in three games for Utah in 2021 … completed 48-of-79 passing attempts for 484 yards and three touchdowns … played for four seasons at Baylor (2017-20), finishing his career with the Bears with 9,700 passing yards and 65 touchdowns … completed 63.5 percent of his pass attempts at Baylor (828-of-1,304) in 44 career games … was a three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com in 2017 … three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com in 2017 … 2020 Davey O’Brien Award Watch List ... 2020 Maxwell Award Watch List ... 2020 Manning Award Watch List ... 2020 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List ... 2017 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year ... 2019 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Finalist ... 2019 Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist ... 2019 Maxwell Award watch list ... tecord-setting quarterback from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas ... All-state QB won state championship ... set national high school completion percentage record as all-state senior while winning state title ... 2016 Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Player of the Year ... Lake Travis High School Male Athlete of the Year ... rated nation’s 42nd-best quarterback prospect in 2017 recruiting class by Scout, ranked No. 43 among pocket passer quarterbacks by ESPN and 50th pro-style QB by 247Sports ... ranked No. 84 in state of Texas (seventh among QBs) by Scout ... threw for 8,343 yards and 107 TDs (11 interceptions) in three prep seasons ... led Lake Travis High School to 30-2 mark and two state title appearances in final two seasons ... set national single-season completion percentage record with mark of 77.4 percent (263-for-340 - breaking mark of 75.2 percent set by Dano Graves of Folsom, Calif. in 2009) … son of Laura and Robert Brewer.
Miyon Conaway *, DL, 6-2, 220, Hazlehurst, Ga./Jeff Davis HS
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also received offers from Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Marshall, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Missouri, TCU, Troy and Western Kentucky … finished his junior season at Jeff Davis High School with 19 tackles, three tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hurries and a sack … recorded 20 solo stops as a senior, including 5.0 tackles for a loss … son of Lakesha Conaway.
Bryce Dixon *, DL, 6-2, 275, Charlotte, N.C./David W. Butler HS
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … also received offers from Akron, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Georgia, Kent State, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana and Old Dominion … son of Charisse Williams.
Markel Fortenberry, WR, 6-4, 185, Maryville, Tenn./Maryville HS
Three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers from Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee – Martin, Georgia State, Marshall, Akron, North Alabama, Tennessee Tech, Wofford, Richmond, William & Mary and Tulane … Rivalry Showcase game MVP … finished his junior season with 21 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns … capped his high school career with 548 receiving yards as a senior on 43 receptions with 10 touchdowns … son of Caroline and Paul Fortnerberry.
Brylan Green, S, 5-11, 170, Opelousas, La./Lafayette Christian Academy
Three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State, Grambling State, Kansas, Louisiana, Marshall, Memphis, Mississippi State, South Alabama, Tulane, Washington State and Yale … two-sport standout player (football and baseball) from Lafayette Christian Academy in Lafayette, La. … all-state defensive back … all-district outfielder … finished his sophomore season with 64 tackles and six interceptions … ranked No. 43 in the Class of 2022 Top 50 high school football players listing in Louisiana … son of Lashunda and Bryan Green.
Austin Henderson *, TE, 6-6, 240, Nashville, Tenn./Ensworth HS (Minnesota)
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … played in one game for Minnesota during the 2020 season … three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com in 2020 … three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com in 2020 … also had offers from Austin Peay, Ball State, Indiana, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, Minnesota, Murray State, Tennessee-Martin UTSA out of high school … as a senior, led his team to the semifinals of the Tennessee Division II Class AAA State Championship with 21 receptions and 232 yards … as a junior, recorded 12 receptions for 220 yards … No. 42 recruit in Tennessee and No. 32 tight end in the country by ESPN … son of Kim and Tim Henderson.
Daveon Hunter *, RB, 5-10, 190, Denver, Colo./Chandler HS (Hawaii)
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … played in two season at Hawaii (2020 and 2021) … rushed for a combined 834 yards and five touchdowns during 19 games … led Hawaii in rushing during the 2021 season with 101 carries for 651 yards and three touchdowns … also had 31 receptions for 234 yards and two touchdowns at Hawaii … three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com in 2020 … two-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com in 2020 … also had offers from Montana State, Nevada and Samford out of high school … teammates with current Flames’ running back T.J. Green at Chandler High School … finished his senior year with 1,748 rushing yards on 152 carries for 33 touchdowns … state Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-state at running back … averaged 11.5 yards per attempt and 134.5 yards per game … had nine games of 100 or more rushing yards including 279 yards and two touchdowns in the state championship game … guided the Wolves to a perfect 13-0 season including the state championship in the open division … finished the season as the No. 1 team in the state of Arizona and No. 9 nationally according to USA Today Super 25 … prior to his playing days at Chandler, was an all-state player at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver, Colo. … as a junior rushed for 1,366 yards on 136 carries and 17 touchdowns … also played on defense and tallied 48 tackles and two interceptions … son of Whitney and Henry Hunter.
Antwon Jackson, CB, 5-10, 155, Warner Robins, Ga./Warner Robins HS
Two-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers at Florida Atlantic and Pittsburgh … will graduate from Warner Robins High School in the spring … helped lead Warner Robins School to two state championships … son of Laytoya Williams and Perry Jackson.
A’Khori Jones, S, 5-11, 185, Macon, Ga./Mount De Sales Academy
Three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers from Air Force, Akron, Army, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Dartmouth, Fordham, Georgetown, Georgia Southern, Georgia State,
Kansas State, Kent State, Minnesota, Minnesota – Duluth, Navy, Samford, South Alabama, Syracuse, UAB, UMass and Yale … Macon Touchdown Club Player of the Week as a senior following a 20-tackle performance … finished his junior year with 38 tackles, six pass breakups and two interceptions … also rushed for 1,691 yards as a junior … son of Tomeka and Kemal Jones.
Teigan Martin, TE, 6-5, 220, Mayer, Minn./Mayer Lutheran HS
Three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … two-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers from Dakota State, Iowa State, North Dakota State and Western Illinois … helped lead Mayer Lutheran High School to a state championship as a senior … starter at tight end and defensive tackle … finished his sophomore season with 646 receiving yards and averaged 30 yards per reception … All-Metro second-team honoree … son of Kathy and Dan Martin.
Jordan Norwood, LB, 6-1, 210, Highlands Ranch, Colo./Valor Christian School
Will graduate from Valor Christian School in May … also had offers from Colorado State, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Oregon State, Utah State, Tulane, UNLV and North Texas … helped lead Valor Christian School to the state championship game in 2021 … recorded more than 180 tackles during the last three years of his prep career at Valor Christian … finished his senior year with 78 tackles (31 solo, 47 assisted) and 10.0 tackles for a loss … recorded 44 tackles (23 solo, 21 assisted) and 6.5 tackles for a loss as a junior … finished his sophomore season with 62 tackles (16 solo, 46 assisted) and 4.0 tackles for a loss … son of Jennifer and Keith Norwood.
Dexter Ricks, Jr. *, CB, 6-0, 175, Milledgeville, Ga./Baldwin HS
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … two-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers from Furman, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Kent State and Western Kentucky … two-sport standout athlete (football and track) from Baldwin High School in Milledgeville, Ga. … competed in the state championship in the hurdles, long jump and high jump … state runner-up in the 110 meter hurdles … son of Andrea and Dexter Ricks, Sr.
Mike Smith Jr. *, LB, 6-1, 225, Flora, Miss./Ridgeland HS (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … transferring to Liberty from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Miss. … three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … two-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also received offers from Arkansas State, Buffalo, Old Dominion, UTEP and Western Kentucky … had recorded 248 tackles (151 solo, 97 assisted), 19.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions during three seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast … All-MACCC South First Team … graduated from Ridgeland High School … named to the Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 6A All-State First Team ... as a senior, had 94 tackles, 28 assists, 23 TFL, 6 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries … selected to play in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game, where he was the North Defense Most Valuable Player … named to the Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 5A All-State Second Team as a junior and Region 2-5A Most Outstanding Linebacker … son of Myia and Mike Smith, Sr.
Caleb Snead *, WR, 6-3, 205, Lynchburg, Va./Heritage HS (Campbell)
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … transferring to Liberty from Campbell … finished his three years at Campbell with 2,431 career receiving yards on 147 receptions and 25 touchdowns … finished the 2018 season with 810 receiving yards and nine touchdowns … 554 yards and six touchdowns in 2019 … had a breakout year in 2021, leading the team with 1,067 receiving yards on 73 receptions with 10 touchdowns … earned FCS All-America honors in 2021 … Associated Press third-team All-American … first-team All-Big South after setting a Campbell single-season school record in 2021 … ranked No. 5 nationally in receiving yards, No. 9 in receptions and No. 12 in receiving touchdowns … posted three 100-yard games … named a first-team Freshman All-American in 2018 by Phil Steele and Hero Sports … graduated from Heritage High School in Lynchburg, Va., where he was teammates with current Flames cornerback Chris Megginson … named all-district, all-conference and all-region as a junior and senior … hauled in 79 career catches for 1,651 yards and 18 touchdowns … posted 800 receiving yards on 28 catches with eight touchdowns as a senior … also lettered in basketball, earning all-district, all-conference, all-region and all-state honors … played in the Virginia all-star game … a 1,000 point scorer … a National Honor Society member … son of Amy and JD Sneed.
Jayden Sweeney *, S, 5-11, 175, Birmingham, Ala./Clay-Chalkville HS
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … also received offers from
Arkansas State, Army, Austin Peay, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, Samford, South Alabama, Tulane and Charlotte … finished his senior year with 59 tackles (46 solo, 13 assisted) and 1.0 tackles for a loss … helped Clay-Chalkville High School claim the state championship title as a senior … son of Tara Sweeney and Reggie Miller.
Reggie Young II *, OT, 6-4, 270, New Orleans, La./Edna Carr HS (Iowa Central Community College)
Mid-year enrollee who will join the team for Spring 2022 workouts … three-star recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com … three-star recruit as ranked by Rivals.com … also had offers from Akron, USF, Hawaii, Southern Miss, UAB, UMass and Western Kentucky … transferring to Liberty from Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa … played in 10 of 11 games during the 2021 season, helping the Tritons football squad post a 9-2 record … earned all-conference honors after helping the Tritons record 56 offensive touchdowns and averaging 462.8 total offensive yards per game … ESPN.com Top 50 JUCO recruit … graduated from Edna Carr High School in New Orleans, La. … son of Dee and Reggie Young, Sr.