HOUSTON – On Wednesday afternoon, HCU head football coach
Braxton Harris secured the top-ranked high school recruiting class in the FCS during the early signing period with nine high school signees joining four transfers in making their commitment to the Huskies' program official.
The Huskies' class ranked ahead of all FCS programs as well as a number of FBS programs according to 247Sports.com. Eight of HCU's nine high school signees are three-star recruits while two of the four transfers were three-star prospects coming out of high school.
"More than half of our high school guys and three of the four transfers we're bringing in are Texas guys, either staying home or coming home," said Harris. "A big piece for us is getting those talented kids to stay in the city of Houston. A year ago, we didn't get those guys to HCU. The difference in what a year makes, and what winning does, is getting guys to look at HCU when they wouldn't look at us a year ago. When we got started here, we felt we had to be able to win the city of Houston before we can start winning the state of Texas."
"This is a great group overall that is going to come in and compete on the field, excel in the classroom and be a great fit in the greater HCU community. So many of these kids, on their official visits, told me it felt like being home, and that just helps show that it's the right fit."
Jack Stanton – QB – 6-3 – 215 – Norcross, Georgia
A three-star quarterback from Greater Atlanta Christian School, Stanton led his team to a 9-1 record this past fall as a senior. He earned first team all-region honors while throwing for 2,251 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Xai'Shaun Edwards – RB – 5-9 – 175 – League City, Texas
Edwards, a three-star running back from Clear Springs High School, was a two-time all-district honoree and earned academic all-district recognition as a senior. In the 2023 playoffs, he recorded a three-touchdown performance in a win over Shadow Creek. Edwards also held offers from Houston, Oregon, Missouri, Texas Tech and Texas State, among other.
Elijah Harris – RB – 5-10 – 180 – Houston, Texas
Harris was a second team all-district performer this season at Clear Lake High School. He also had offers from Colorado State, Texas State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis and Marshall.
Terrell Bradshaw – WR – 6-3 – 218 – Inglewood, California
A three-star wide receiver from Inglewood High School, Bradshaw has earned all-CIF and all-area honors. Among school he held offers from were Florida State, Missouri, Washington State, Arizona and Utah State.
Deacon Stanfield – WR – 6-0 – 160 – Fulshear, Texas
Stanfield, a three-star wide receiver at Katy Jordan High School, helped lead the Warriors to the playoffs as a senior. He also had an offer from Houston.
Isaiah Johnson – DL – 6-3 – 255 – League City, Texas
A three-star defensive lineman from Clear Springs High School, Johnson finished the 2023 season with 33 tackles, three sacks, and nine tackles for loss en route to first team all-district and academic all-district honors. He was selected to participate in the U.S. Army Bowl and held offers from Memphis and Louisiana Tech.
Michael Sylvalie – OLB – 6-3 – 210 – League City, Texas
The Huskies' third signee from Clear Springs, Sylvalie is a three-star linebacker who was a first team all-district selection as a senior after earning district player of the year in 2022. He finished the 2023 season with 73 tackles, seven sacks, 19 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. Sylvalie also had offers from Missouri and Texas State.
TJ Smith – LB – 6-1 – 220 – Corona, Calif.
Smith is a three-star linebacker from Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. In just six games as a senior, he compiled 65 tackles, three sacks, nine tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Smith also held offers from Arizona, Colorado State and Syracuse.
Shakir Collins – LB – 6-2 – 220 – Adelanto, Calif.
Collins, a three-star linebacker from Adelanto High School, earned district defensive MVP and first team all-conference honors as a senior as both a linebacker and running back. In 2023, he totaled 136 tackles and 15 sacks on the defensive side while rushing for 1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns. The list of schools offering Collins included Texas A&M, Michigan, Florida State, Penn State, Colorado, Washington, Washington State, Arizona and Arizona State.
In addition to the Huskies' nine high school additions, HCU has four transfers joining the program.
Eli Brickhandler – QB – 6-2 – 195 – Stockton, Calif. (North Carolina A&T)
Brickhandler spent his first two collegiate seasons at North Carolina A&T and comes to HCU with three years of eligibility remaining. A three-star recruit coming out of AHOP Christian Leadership Academy, he has played in eight games for his career and completed 34-of-66 attempts for 414 yards and three touchdowns. Additionally, Brickhalder has rushed for 175 yards on 56 attempts with a pair of touchdowns.
Collin Sullivan – WR – 6-2 – 200 – Round Rock, Texas (Purdue)
Sullivan will join the Huskies after spending three years at Purdue. He redshirted in 2020 before appearing in 13 games for the Boilermakers on special teams and offense in 2021. He appeared in four games in 2022. Sullivan was a three-star recruit coming out of Round Rock High School and was rated among the top-100 wide receivers in his class by multiple outlets.
Jonah Brewster – OL – 6-7 – 325 – Frisco, Texas (Louisiana Tech)
Brewster joins the HCU offensive line after spending five years at Louisiana Tech. This past fall, he appeared in eight games on the Bulldogs' offensive line and has played in 18 games for his career. A Texas native, he played his high school football at Prestonwood Christian Academy.
Markeis Sykes – DL – 6-3 – 205 – Lancaster, Texas (Grambling)
Another Texas native, Sykes heads to Houston from Grambling where he spent two seasons with three years of eligibility remaining. He appeared in nine games in 2023 as a redshirt freshman and had a three-tackle performance at LSU. Sykes was an all-district performer at Lancaster High School.
The Huskies' four transfers, along with Bradshaw and Edwards, will all be mid-year additions starting at the school in January. The other seven high school signees are set to graduate in May.
