USF’s Holtz signs five junior college transfers

Posted Dec 21, 2011 by TBO.com

Updated Dec 21, 2011 at 04:38 PM

The University of South Florida football program added five junior college transfers on Wednesday, head coach Skip Holtz announced Wednesday.

The group includes offensive linemen Lawrence Martin and Chandlor Mathews, defensive backs Josh Brown and Fidel Montgomery, and defensive end Tevin Mims. All five are expected to enroll for the spring semester and will have two years of eligibility starting in 2012.

“We have a veteran group returning and we wanted to bring in some young men that could help us fill some holes on the depth chart,” Holtz said in a press release. “We feel we’ve addressed some need areas and this will help our depth as we go through winter workouts and into spring practice.”

Martin (6-foot-4, 290 pounds) is coming off a redshirt year at Merced College in Merced, Calif. He spent the 2010 season at offensive tackle for the Blue Devils, where he earned first-team Region II All-California honors and was named first-team All-Golden Gate Conference. In 2009, Martin played in 10 games at Georgia Military College. Originally from Daytona Beach, Martin was a four-year letterman and all-state selection at Seabreeze High School.

Mathews (6-4, 295) Mathews played in 18 games over the last two seasons at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss. He saw action in nine games last year and earned all-region honors. As a tackle, Mathews helped the Wildcats average 455 total yards per game. Mathews played in nine games as a true freshman in 2010. He played his prep football at St. Stanislas High School in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Brown (6-1, 190) was a highly recruited prospect coming out of high school in Lancaster, Texas, where he was ranked as one of the Top 100 players in the state and one of the top cornerbacks nationally. After playing in seven games at Trinity Valley Community College in 2009, Brown redshirted before playing his sophomore season at Arizona Western Community College in Yuma, Ariz. At AWCC, Brown had 21 tackles, one interception and six pass break-ups while helping the Matadors to an 11-1 record and a berth in the NJCAA national championship game.

Motgomery (5-11, 183) joins the Bulls after making 121 tackles at Southwest Mississippi Community College in 2011, which tied for the fifth-most nationally at the junior college level. Montgomery also had one interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He also had 13 kickoff returns for 313 yards (24.1 ypr). He had 25 tackles as a true freshman in 2010. Montgomery played his prep football at Marianna High School in Florida.

Mims (6-4, 250) played at Navarro College in 2011, where he helped the Bulldogs to a 10-2 record and a Southwest Junior College championship. He had 19 tackles, four sacks and seven tackles for loss. Originally recruited by the University of Texas, Mims played in four games as a true freshman in 2009 before redshirting in 2010.

A Round Rock, Texas native, Mims was an all-state selection at Stony Point High School, where he ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 weakside defensive ends. The 16th-ranked prospect in the state after his senior season, Mims had 122 tackles, 19 sacks, 49 tackles for loss and 23 quarterback pressures in his last two prep seasons.