Birmingham’s newest Bulldogs
In a year without any FCS football being played, its nice to have some Samford football updates to write about, especially an exciting early signing day. The Bulldogs welcomed seven new commits, with a mix of four high school players and three transfers.
The high school commits include Jamal Thompson, a defensive end from Sarasota Florida, Midnight Steward, a safety from Daphne Alabama, Michael Maginnis, a Quarterback from Newnan Georgia. and Kobe Stewart, a defensive end from nearby state champion Thompson High School. Jamal Thompson is an increadible athlete who played both ways in high school. Outside of playing defensive end look for him to get some reps at tight end for the Bulldog’s offense as well. Midnight Steward is a very excited addition to the roster. Outside of having one of the coolest names on the team, Midnight has the opportunity to mediately contribute to the secondary unit, as it is an area of the defense with some openings. Kobe Stewart is a local kid from not too far away, and comes from a powerhouse of high school football in the state of Alabama. He has a chance to become another part of a powerful Southern Conference defensive line. Michael Maginnis is joining a crowded quarterback room at Samford, so don’t expect to see too much from him immediately, but with the Hatch Attack offense, when any QB’s number is called, they better be prepared to sling the ball around the field.
Three players also committed to transferring to Samford, two local former FBS players and an Ivy league transfer. Coming back home to play H Back for the Bulldogs is JR Tran-Reno. JR was a three star do it all athlete at nearby Briarwood Christian High School, where he acquired over 4,000 all purpose yards playing for the Lions. Coming to Samford from Vanderbilt, look for the Bulldogs’ offense to use him in a variety of ways. Another hometown player, Patrick Nuss, played down the road at Vestavia High School, before playing two years of offensive line for the UAB Blazers. He played in all 14 games of the 2019 season, including 4 starts. This experience is much needed for the Bulldogs, as offensive line os one of the youngest position groups. Finally, Seth Simmer is coming to Homewood and expected to make a big impact on the defensive line. Seth is from Powder Springs Georgia and has played two years for Dartmouth. For those of you who don’t follow Ivy League football, Dartmouth is a powerhouse in the conference, winning the conference championship in 2019. Simmer had some impressive statistics over his two years with the Big Green, racking up 10 sacks in both 2018 and 2019, as well as 26 tackles in 2019. We hope Seth can bring this type of impact to the Bulldogs defense in Homewood.
The Bulldogs are looking to make some noise starting in February with an 8 game all conference spring football schedule. This should be an exciting time for these FCS players and teams to get the spotlight as the only college football league playing in the spring. For more information on Samford Football as the spring season gets rolling, make sure to check in right here on Birmingham Sports for coverage of the Magic City’s FCS team.
