Dec. 23, 2005
A pair of former Texas high school football players are among four junior college transfers who have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Baylor University beginning next month, Bears' coach Guy Morriss announced Friday.
Joining the Bears in January will be defensive tackle Connor Redfearn (Mt. Pleasant, Texas), safety Brandon Stiggers (Houston, Texas), linebacker Paul Tolbert (Valdosta, Ga.) and outside safety Jwaun Ward (Hartselle, Ala.).
"We believe all four of these young men are very good players who will step in and help us immediately in areas where we sustained some key losses (due to graduation)," Morriss said of his mid-year additions. "They'll all be here next month and go through spring practice, which will be a tremendous benefit to them. They are the right fit for our program as we continue to move forward."
Redfearn is a 6-2, 285-pound tackle who spent the 2005 season at Santa Monica (Calif.) Community College after beginning his collegiate career as an invited walk-on at the University of Mississippi. He drew eight starts in his lone season of play for coach Robert Taylor's Corsairs and earned honorable mention All-Western State Conference honors.
A two-time first-team all-district performer at Mt. Pleasant (Texas) High School, Redfearn earned All-Northeast Texas honors as a senior and was a regional qualifier in track & field.
The 6-0, 190-pound Stiggers returns to Baylor after playing the 2005 campaign at Compton (Calif.) Community College, the school where he began his collegiate career in 2003. He had 121 tackles, including eight for loss, nine forced fumbles and three interceptions en route to second-team 2005 All-Western State Conference honors. Stiggers registered 59 tackles and four interceptions in his first year with the Tartars, then spent the 2004-05 academic year as a redshirt sophomore at Baylor.
A three-year letterman at Hastings High School in Alief, Texas, Stiggers recorded 13 career interceptions at the District 19-5A school. He recorded 65 tackles and four interceptions as a senior, helping the Fighting Bears to an 11-3 record, a district title and the state quarterfinals. Stiggers averaged 23.3 yards per punt return in his final prep campaign.
Tolbert, who stands 6-1 and weighs 220 pounds, attracted recruiting interest from Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Iowa State following his final year at East Central (Miss.) Community College. He registered a team-high 76 total tackles, including 51 solos, in seven games en route to first-team all-conference and all-state honors. Tolbert also tallied 15 tackles for loss, four of which were sacks, for coach Terry Underwood's 2005 Lions.
A member of the Clarion-Ledger's 2005 Mississippi JUCO top 25, Tolbert earned honorable mention 2005 preseason All-America honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association after leading the 2004 Lions in tackles. A three-year starter at Clinch County (Ga.) High School, he was a two-time first-team all-state selection who earned state Class A defensive player of the year honors as a senior. Tolbert, who was credited with 163 total tackles in his final prep season, was also the all-class area player of the year following his senior campaign.
Another selection to the Clarion-Ledger's 2005 Mississippi JUCO top 25, the 6-2, 212-pound Ward joins the Baylor program from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He earned second-team all-conference honors as a sophomore after helping coach Steven Campbell's Bulldogs finish the year ranked No. 13th in the season-ending National Junior College Athletic Association top 20 with a 7-3 record. In 2005, Mississippi Golf Coast earned its first postseason appearance since 1984, but dropped a 21-19 decision to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the Defenders Bowl.
Ward was credited with 82 tackles as a sophomore, with 43 solos, to go along with two tackles for loss, a sack, seven quarterback pressures and a safety. He did not play football in 2004, but as a true freshman at Tennessee-Chattanooga he played in 11 games for the Mocs in 2003 and finished 10th on the squad in tackles with 35 stops (20 solos), with three tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. Ward played just years of football at Hartselle (Ala.) High School, but earned first-team all-state honors as a senior after totaling 172 tackles and four interceptions. A two-time all-area and all-region selection, he captained the team as a senior and played in the Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star game.
The national signing day for high school senior football players is Feb. 1, 2006.
