Sean Lewis already has Kent State's football program on the rise.
Just 41 days after taking over the Golden Flashes in the middle of the early signing period last December, Lewis announced 16 scholarship additions to the squad on Wednesday that vaulted the 2018 class rank from dead last to fifth in the Mid-American Conference according to 247 Sports.
"That's quite a feat for our staff and our family," said Lewis. "The biggest thing is finding young men and families that match our cultural beliefs. The difficult thing was that in the short time frame we had, if we identified new prospects that our coaches had not been previously recruiting, we had to quickly evaluate if the person and the family were a good match for us. Usually you have a full year to go through that process.
"Our staff did a tremendous job of getting that information in a short period of time."
The first class constructed by Lewis features three players that rank among Kent State's top 12 recruits since 2005, according to 247 Sports, in quarterback Woody Barrett, cornerback Montre Miller and defensive end Connor Parks, along with five other three-star recruits in quarterback Marquez Glover, linebacker Matt Harmon, wide receivers Lon'Kevious 'Keke' McFadden and Isaiah McKoy, and offensive lineman Julian Sams.
The 2018 class represents 11 different states, along with Washington, D.C., and Canada. Only three recruits on full scholarship attended Ohio high schools.
"This coaching staff's done a tremendous job running and gunning everywhere that we've been to build a special class," said Lewis. "This class was a little bit unique because of the timing of my hire, and this being the first year of the early signing period. The early signing period was on Dec. 20, and we signed three young men at that time. When those young men signed, so did about 85 percent of the rest of the 2018 prospects. Out of the roughly 15 percent still available, we had to go find which were the best fit for us.
"We cast a little bit wider net this time around because of the time crunch we had. Going forward, we're going to look to dominate the six-hour radius here first and foremost."
One of the top priorities for Lewis is to find a quarterback to run the up-tempo offense he will bring to Kent State from Syracuse, where he spent the past two seasons as co-offensive coordinator. He brought in two prime candidates in Florida recruits Barrett and Glover.
Barrett, a 6-foot-2, 231-pound signal-caller from Orlando, started his collegiate career at Auburn after being named a 2016 Under Armour All-American and all-state in Florida. He threw for 1,294 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for 485 yards and six scores at Copiah-Lincoln Community College last season.
Glover (6-1, 170) threw for 2,765 yards and 33 touchdowns and added seven rushing TDs as a senior at Vanguard High School in Ocala, Florida.
"It is an open competition (at quarterback)," said Lewis. "Woody was a young man I knew about from way back when I was going to Syracuse, and it just so happened that he was available when this transition (to Kent State) came about. Marques comes from a talented program in Florida."
Whoever is playing quarterback for the Flashes will have some sizable targets at their disposal in McFadden and McKoy.
McFadden is a 6-4, 190-pound receiver from Pahokee High School in Florida, while McCoy — a Georgia native — is only slightly smaller at 6-3, 175.
Sams (6-3, 280), a first-team all-state performer at Liberty High School in Virginia who is also a standout wrestler, is one of two offensive line recruits signed by the Flashes along with Minnesota first-team all-state selection Zach Whaley (6-4, 270).
On the defensive side, the Flashes snagged a 6-5, 230-pound end from Orlando in Parks, who was once committed to Purdu,e and a cornerback from South Carolina in Miller (5-10, 174), who is rated as KSU's seventh-best recruit since 2005 by 247 Sports.
"Parks was a young man we knew about during the transition who I had some time to get to know," said Lewis. "From a character standpoint, we knew about him and felt comfortable, and it worked out that he was open when we made the transition. We battled different schools, and he selected us over other opportunities. He expressed that the loyalty that our staff showed to him was a big factor in his decision.
"Miller is versatile, with electric speed on the defensive side. He'll be able to challenge receivers and deny easy passes, and be a lock-down defensive back on the back end for us."
Two other intriguing additions are running back Jo-El Shaw and tight end Daniel "DJ" Johnson.
Shaw will bring size to the KSU backfield at 6-1, 235. He rushed for over 1,200 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior at Woodland Hills High School in Pennsylvania, then played the last two seasons at Lackawanna Community College, rushing for 898 yards and 11 scores in 2017. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining at Kent State.
Johnson played at Catholic Central High School in London, Canada, and was the ninth-ranked Canadian football prospect by Canadian Football Chat.
The Flashes begin spring practices on March 6, culminating with a Spring Game at Dix Stadium on Saturday, April 14. They will open the 2018 season Sept. 1 at Illinois.
2018 KENT STATE FOOTBALL RECRUITS
MARQUEZ GLOVER, QB, 6-1, 170
Ocala, Florida/Vanguard H.S.
LON'KEVIOUS "KEKE" MCFADDEN, WR, 6-4, 190
Pahokee, Florida./Pahokee H.S.
ISAIAH MCKOY, WR, 6-3, 175
Norcross, Georgia./Norcross H.S.
JO-EL SHAW, RB, 6-1, 235
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania./Woodland Hills H.S./Lackawanna C.C.
DANIEL "DJ" JOHNSON, TE, 6-5, 265
London, Canada/Catholic Central H.S.
MARK WILLIAMS, Athlete, 6-4, 235
Ashburn, Virginia/Stone Bridge H.S.
ZACH WHALEY, OL, 6-4, 270
Prior Lake, Minnesota/Prior Lake H.S.
JULIAN SAMS, OL, 6-3, 280
Bealeton, Virgina/Liberty H.S.
WILL BURNS, DL, 6-4, 250
Erie, Pennsylvania/Cathedral Prep H.S.
CONNOR PARKS, DE, 6-5, 230
Orlando, Florida/Oak Ridge H.S.
ELIJAH RATLIFF, DT, 6-3, 275
Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg H.S.
MATT HARMON, LB, 6-5, 190
Rockwood, Michigan/Oscar Carlson H.S.
CAPONE BLUE, CB, 6-3, 170
Murrieta, California/Murrieta Mesa H.S.
MONTRE MILLER, CB, 5-10, 174
Blythewood, South Carolina/Westwood H.S.
JEREMIAH SALAAM, S, 5-10, 165
Frostproof, Florida/Frostproof H.S.
MATTHEW TRICKETT, K, 6-0, 180
Cleveland/St. Ignatius H.S.
ERVIN "WOODY" BARRETT, QB, 6-2, 231
Orlando, Florida/West Orange H.S./Auburn/Copiah-Lincoln C.C.
JAVAUGHN WILLIAMS, WR, 6-3, 175
Cleveland/John Hay H.S.
CRAIG ELMORE, RB, 5-9, 215
Chicago, Illinois/Phillips H.S.
ISHMAEL ROBINSON, LB, 6-2, 215
Washington, D.C./H.D. Woodson H.S.