Kansas City area Division I football (FBS) signings list
| Freedom Akinmoladun | Grandview | TE | Nebraska |
| A former all-conference offensive tackle, Akinmoladun (6-4, 240) moved to tight end as a junior. He remains a dominating run blocker, and he hasn’t dropped a pass in two seasons. He caught 23 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. | |||
| Dominique Atkinson | SM East | DT | Butler |
| Atkinson (5-10, 300) helped the Lancers to a historic season in which they won a program-best 11 games and made it to the state title game. The defensive lineman had 82 tackles, 21 for loss, two hurries and three sacks last season. | |||
| Jordan Benson | Blue Springs | LT | Colorado State |
| Benson (6-4, 270) was the only returning starter on the Wildcats’ offensive line last season. He has quick feet for a left tackle, and he moves well in space. Blue Springs averaged 6.93 yards per carry en route to the Missouri Class 6 state championship. | |||
| Kendall Blanton | Blue Springs South | TE | Missouri |
| With a combination of athleticism and size, Blanton (6-7, 225) is a tough matchup for opposing secondaries. He also has the ability to stay in and pass protect. Blanton finished his high school career with four touchdown catches. | |||
| Brock Broughton | Kearney | RB | Western Illinois |
| Part of a 32-player recruiting class, Broughton (5-11, 190) broke a Kearney school record with 72 career touchdowns. He led the Bulldogs to the Missouri Class 5 semifinals last fall, rushing for 2,065 yards and a school-record 38 touchdowns. | |||
| Dale Brown | Lee’s Summit West | TE | Northern Illinois |
| More of a blocking tight end than a pass-catcher, Brown (6-5, 230) caught eight passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns for the Missouri Class 5 state champions. He’s also a starter for the Lee’s Summit West basketball team, ranked fourth in the state. | |||
| Austin Chambers | SM West | OL | Bringham Young |
| Chambers (6-1, 230) played both sides of the ball for the Vikings last season, but got more attention for his work on offense. He was selected first-team All-Sunflower League as an offensive lineman. | |||
| Logan Cheadle | Lee’s Summit West | CB | Missouri |
| A shutdown cornerback with blazing speed, Cheadle (5-9, 175) enrolled at Mizzou for the spring semester and is already taking classes there. He intercepted three passes in the Titans’ state championship win and registered 42 tackles for the season. | |||
| Joe Dineen | Lawrence Free State | QB | Kansas |
| Dineen (6-2, 195) didn’t have to go far from home to find a Division I offer. He played as quarterback and defensive back for the Firebirds, completing 118 of 222 passing attempts for 1,702 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also led the team with 798 rushing yards. | |||
| Michael Fairchild | Blue Valley West | OL | Missouri |
| Fairchild (6-6, 287) was a two-time first-team All-Eastern Kansas League and first-team all-state selection, as well as a Buchanan Award finalist. He graduated in the fall and will participate in spring ball at Missouri. | |||
| Monte Harrison | Lee’s Summit West | WR | Nebraska |
| Harrison (6-3, 205) will play both football and baseball for the Huskers. A four-star wide receiver, he scored 28 touchdowns for the state-champion Titans last fall. On the baseball diamond, he finished his junior year with a .457 average, six home runs and 33 RBIs. | |||
| Justin Hobbs | SM West | WR | Tulsa |
| Hobbs (6-4, 200) had 24 receptions last season for 454 yards and four touchdowns and was selected second-team All-Sunflower League. He also rushed for 170 yards and had three touchdowns on 20 carries. | |||
| Brinkley Jolly | Liberty North | TE | Wyoming |
| A two-way player, Jolly (6-5, 230) caught 38 passes for 394 yards and six touchdowns over his high school career. As a defensive end, he had 2 1/2 sacks last season. Jolly also stars for the basketball team and recently recorded his 1,000th career point. | |||
| Elijah Lee | Blue Springs | OLB | Kansas State |
| A fearsome pass rusher with speed on the edge, Lee (6-3, 210) can play defensive end or outside linebacker. He recorded 25 1/2 sacks and 55 tackles for loss over the past two seasons while winning the Buck Buchanan Award both years. | |||
| Evan Martin | Lee’s Summit West | OL | Navy |
| After receiving offers from the three major service academies, Martin (6-4, 280) settled on Navy. He is a tenacious run blocker, according to his coach, and it’s no coincidence the Titans scored 58 touchdowns on the ground on their way to a state championship. | |||
| Casey McDermott | Raytown South | DE | Texas Christian |
| His combination of size and speed made him one of the best pass rushers in Missouri over the past two seasons. McDermott (6-4, 250) recorded 15 sacks as a senior after tallying 17 in his junior season. He was a finalist for the Bobby Bell Award. | |||
| Henry McGrew | Blue Valley | LB | Illinois |
| McGrew (6-3, 237) recorded a team-high 159 tackles last season, along with four tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles. He was selected first team All-Eastern Kansas League and all-state, as well as Second 11 all-class by the Kansas Football Coaches Association. | |||
| Dimonic McKinzy | Wyandotte | QB | Minnesota |
| McKinzy (6-0, 213) averaged more than 280 yards per game last season, completing 156 of 283 passing attempts for 2,527 yards and 28 touchdowns. He graduated in the fall and has reported to the Gophers. | |||
| Cale McMakin | Blue Valley West | LB | Western Illinois |
| McMakin (6-1, 208) had 76 tackles last season, including 16 tackles for loss. A receiver and linebacker, he also had two interceptions and recovered two fumbles for the Jaguars, who made it to the state semifinals. | |||
| Aaron Mends | Winnetonka | MLB | Iowa |
| A punishing hitter, Mends (6-0, 200) is a physical freak. Although he battled injuries during his senior season, he finished his career with 210 tackles. He also saw carries at tailback and ran for 1,790 career rushing yards and scored 29 touchdowns. | |||
| Kevin Pendleton | Lee’s Summit West | OT | Missouri |
| Pendleton (6-3, 320) played primarily left tackle last season, helping pave the way for Titans tailbacks who combined for 3,135 yards. He possesses noteworthy footwork for a player of his stature and can move well in the open field. | |||
| Cole Pickert | St. Thomas Aquinas | LB | Air Force |
| Pickert (6-1, 226) is a four-year varsity letterman and won a state championship as a freshman at Joel E. Farris High School in Washington. He had 85 tackles, 18 for loss and six forced fumbles in six games. | |||
| Kaleb Prewett | Blue Springs | S | Kansas State |
| Prewett (6-2, 200) certainly has the look of a Division I defensive back, and he has the speed to accompany it. He intercepted four passes last season while roaming the secondary. He also provided the Wildcats with a deep threat, catching 12 touchdowns. | |||
| Scotty Schaffner | Raymore-Peculiar | TE | Iowa State |
| He needed only two days to accept the Cyclonesâ offer. Schaffner (6-4, 225) caught 36 passes for 580 yards and seven touchdowns while working as the tight end in a predominately run-first offense at Raymore-Peculiar. | |||
| Braden Smith | Olathe South | OL | Auburn |
| Smith received more than two dozen Division I offers before deciding to head to Auburn. Smith (6-6, 285) was one of the top offensive line prospects in the nation and an Under Armour All-American. | |||
| Jimmie Swain | Olathe North | LB | Oregon |
| Swain (6-2, 229) was a key member of a defense that helped the Eagles to a 7-4 record after a 3-7 mark the previous year. The linebacker led the Eagles with 92 tackles and 11 for loss. He also played in the Semper Fi All-American Game. | |||
| Apa Visinia | Grandview | OG | Kansas |
| Visinia (6-4, 380) has great size for an interior lineman, though it hasn’t prevented him from moving well and showing the ability to serve as a pulling guard. He is rated as a three-star prospect after earning first-team Missouri Class 4 all-state honors. | |||
| Dalvin Warmack | Blue Springs | RB | Kansas State |
| The only player to ever win the Thomas A. Simone Award twice, Warmack (5-9, 180) bulked up for his senior season and produced his second straight 2,000-yard campaign. He finished his high school career with 81 touchdowns while averaging 8.7 yards per tote. | |||
| Josh Watson | Blue Springs South | LB | Colorado State |
| A three-down linebacker, Watson (6-2, 215) put together one of the most statistically dominating seasons his school has ever seen. He broke a school record with 166 total tackles, including 15 for loss, while adding three sacks and three forced fumbles. | |||
| Ryone Winters | Grandview | CB | Wyoming |
| A two-way player noted for his lightning speed, Winters (6-0, 180) earns most recognition on the defensive side of the ball. He picked off six passes last year as a cornerback. For the offense, he totaled nearly 2,000 total yards and 17 touchdowns. | |||
| Traevohn Wrench | Gardner Edgerton | RB | Kansas |
| Wrench (6-0, 180) was one of the most powerful offensive players in the Sunflower League last season, racking up 2,091 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns on 260 carries for the Trailblazers. | |||
| Fred Wyatt | Lawrence Free State | DL | Northwestern |
| Wyatt (6-4, 260) missed last season with an ACL injury that he sustained in June. A two-year starter, he played both sides of the line as a defensive end and a left tackle during his career at Lawrence Free State. |
This story was originally published February 5, 2014 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Kansas City area Division I football (FBS) signings list."