BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football program has signed two student-athletes to round out the team's 2021 signing class, head coach
Chris Hatcher announced Wednesday.
The Bulldogs added offensive lineman Zach Bond and defensive back Jordan Oladokun, bringing the class to nine total players.
The class includes three offensive players and six defensive players. Three players in the class hail from Alabama. There were two players in the class from Georgia, two from Florida, one from the state of Mississippi and one from Virginia.
Below is a short bio on each of Samford's signees for the 2021 signing class.
WEDNESDAY'S SIGNEES
Zach Bond (6-3, 300, OL, McHenry, Miss./NW Mississippi CC)
HIGHLIGHTS
Zach Bond comes to Samford after one season at Northwest Mississippi Community College . . . he was part of a team that went 6-0 and won the NJCAA national title . . . played his high school football at Stone High School in Mississippi . . . he averaged a grade of 90 percent and had 95 pancake blocks as a senior . . . he was named first team All-Region in both 2018 and 2019 . . . was also named first team All-State . . . played in the Mississippi All-Star Game . . . also competed in track in high school.
Jordan Oladokun (6-0, 178, DB, Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS)
HIGHLIGHTS
Jordan Oladokun comes to Samford from Gaither High School in Tampa . . . he was a four-time All-State honoree in football . . . he was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com . . . he played safety, cornerback and wide receiver at Gaither . . . defensively, he registered 24 career interceptions . . . on the offensive side, he amassed over 3,000 total yards . . . he helped lead his team to the best record in program history at 12-2, as well as a state championship . . . also played basketball and baseball at Gaither, earning All-State honors in baseball . . . he is the younger brother of current Samford quarterback
Chris Oladokun.
EARLY PERIOD SIGNEES
Seth Simmer (6-4, 300, DT, Powder Springs, Ga./Dartmouth)
Seth Simmer is a graduate transfer from Dartmouth . . . in 2019, he was named the team's Lester R. Godwin Award winner as the player who, through extraordinary perseverance, has risen above personal disadvantage to contribute measurably to the team . . . that season he played in every game on the defensive line, recording 26 tackles, 2.5 for loss with one sack . . . in 2018, he was named a Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year for playing after having a brain tumor removed the year before . . . he prepped at Harrison High School in Powder Springs, Georgia . . . he was selected 4-AAAAAA first-team both on defense and offense . . . he was a two-time second-team All-State selection .... he was named first-team All-County as a senior ... he was named Cobb County Defensive Lineman of the Year in his final season ... named All-County first-team defense his final season.
J.R. Tran Reno (6-1, 214, ATH, Birmingham, Ala./Vanderbilt)
J.R. Tran Reno comes to Samford as a sophomore after spending the 2019 season at Vanderbilt . . . the Birmingham native prepped at nearby Briarwood Christian . . . he was a three-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports . . . he accumulated 2,453 rushing yards, 1,142 receiving yards, 459 passing yards and 54 touchdowns in his prep career . . . he had 20 touchdowns as a senior, and 26 touchdowns as a junior . . . he led his team to a 9-4 record in 2018 . . . Tran-Reno led his team to a 14-1 record and 5A state title game appearance in 2017 . . . he was a 2017 Alabama 5A Mr. Football finalist, and was named the 2017 5A Back of the Year . . . in 2017, he was also named first team All-State, All-Region and All-Conference.
Hakeem Johnson (6-3, 201, CB, Remington, Va./Univ. of Sioux Falls)
Hakeem Johnson redshirted at West Virginia State in 2016, before transferring to the University of Sioux Falls . . . after sitting out the 2017 season due to NCAA transfer rules, he started all 11 games in 2018 . . . he was named Honorable Mention Don Hansen All-American . . . Johnson was selected second team on the Don Hansen All-Super Region 4 Team . . . he earned first team All-NSIC honors . . . he was a key member of defense that ranked 21st in DII and third in the NSIC in scoring defense (19.0 ppg), 32nd in DII and sixth in the NSIC in rushing defense (120.2 ypg), 54th in DII and fourth in the NSIC in total defense (339.8 ypg) . . . he had an interception, five pass breakups and six passes defended . . . he had three or more tackles in five games with a high of four against Southwest Minnesota State, St. Cloud State and MSU Moorhead . . . he also had an interception against Winona State . . . Johnson sat out the 2019 season with an injury . . . he played his high school football at Liberty High School in Virginia.
Michael Maginnis (6-1, 182, QB, Newnan, Ga./Newnan HS)
HIGHLIGHTS
Michael Maginnis was a two-time Region 2-AAAAAAA Offensive Player of the Year for Newnan High School in Georgia . . . he also earned 2018 Region 2-AAAAAAA first team All-Region honors . . . for his high school career, he completed 381-of-669 passes for 5,879 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Midnight Steward (6-1, 180, S, Daphne, Ala./Daphne HS)
HIGHLIGHTS
Midnight Steward was a 2020 first team All-County honoree . . . he was also named to the 2020 All-Coastal team . . . , Steward earned 2019 All-County Honorable Mention accolades . . . he tallied 108 total tackles as a senior, including 35 solo stops . . . he also intercepted seven passes, scoring four touchdowns . . . he had three caused fumbles and 15 pass deflections.
Kobe Stewart (6-3, 220, DE, Alabaster, Ala./Thompson HS)
HIGHLIGHTS
Kobe Stewart helped lead his team to back-to-back 7A state championships . . . he finished his senior season with 80 total tackles, including 51 solo stops . . . he tallied 12 tackles for loss . . . he also had two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble . . . for his last two seasons, Stewart had a combined 98 total tackles, including 59 solo tackles.
Jamall Thompson (6-3, 240, DE, Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota HS)
HIGHLIGHTS
Jamall Thompson prepped at Sarasota High School in Florida . . . he earned Most Valuable Player honors for his team . . . he led his team in tackles, sacks and forced fumbles . . . he played multiple positions, including defensive line, linebacker, wide receiver and tight end.