BGSU football team nabs transfer
Columbus native Jackson moves to Falcons from Pittsburgh
7/16/2013BOWLING GREEN — The start of Bowling Green State University’s football season is still more than a month away. For that matter, the Falcons are still several weeks away from beginning the practices in preparation for that season.
Off the field the BG football program has won several battles that should provide dividends in the future.
One of those battles was for the services of defensive lineman Terrell Jackson, a Pittsburgh transfer who played his high school ball at Marion-Franklin High School in suburban Columbus.
The 6-3, 275-pound Jackson, who originally committed to Duke before signing with the Panthers, redshirted as a freshman. He is not eligible to play in the coming season but has three seasons of eligibility left.
Per NCAA rules, Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson is not allowed to comment on transfers until they are enrolled in school.
Jackson was an All-Ohio first-team pick as a senior in 2011, posting 75 tackles and 20 sacks to lead Marion-Franklin to a 13-1 record, the Columbus City League South championships, and the semifinals of the Division II state playoffs.
He was named Central District D-II defensive player of the year and selected to play in last year’s Big 33 Football Classic.
Even though its early in the 2014 recruiting cycle, Bowling Green also has received plenty of good news from rising seniors who have verbally committed to sign with the Falcons in February.
One of the bigger names to verbally commit to BG is quarterback Cody Callaway from Midview High School. Last season he threw for 1,892 yards and 20 touchdowns, giving him 4,326 passing yards and 42 TD passes in his first three high school seasons.
Another highly regarded recruit is Marlon Tyree, a safety at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pa. Last season Tyree started for the Ramblers at safety and wide receiver and helped lead the Ramblers to the Pennsylvania Class AAA state title.
Bowling Green also has continued to mine the state of Florida for talent, getting a commitment from wide receiver Alex Thomas, a wide receiver from Chaminade-Madonna High School in Hollywood, Fla. Thomas is considered the ninth-best receiver in Broward County and the 48th-best player overall by the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper.
Another big commitment the Falcons have received is from Jared Coker, an offensive lineman from Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va., which is roughly 45 minutes northwest of Washington D.C. The 6-4, 285-pound Coker has played a key role on the offensive line for Briar Woods, which has won three straight Virginia AA Division 4 state titles.
Bowling Green was able to change a commitment from another Mid-American Conference school. Cornerback Trevahn Beery of Norwayne High School originally committed to Western Michigan before announcing on his Twitter account recently that he has switched to BG.
Beery has eight career interceptions, three of which came last season. Beery returned two of those three interceptions for touchdowns and helped the Bobcats reach the Division IV state semifinals.
There has been one bit of bad news this summer: the appeal of wide receiver Gehrig Dieter to be immediately eligible for the coming season was denied by the NCAA.
Dieter, a Parade All-American who transferred to BG from Southern Methodist, will be forced to sit out this season but will have three years of eligibility remaining.
CANCUN BOUND: The BGSU men’s basketball team will play in the 2013 Cancun Challenge, which includes two games in the United States and two games at the Aventura Palace resort near Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
The Falcons are one of eight teams to play in the tournament, with the eight teams split into two divisions. Bowling Green is in the “Mayan” Division and will play Presbyterian College in Mexico on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The next day — the day before Thanksgiving — the Falcons will play either Oral Roberts or Georgia Southern.
BG’s other two games will be at Wisconsin on Thursday, Nov. 21 and at Saint Louis on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Bowling Green recently began selling season tickets for men’s and women’s basketball as well as volleyball. Tickets can be purchased at the Stroh Center ticket office, by calling 877-BGSU TICKET or online at www.BGSUFalcons.com.
TOUGH FIRST DAY: Bowling Green’s new athletics director, Chris Kingston, started the job Monday.
At the top of his to-do list should have been getting a university parking pass. Kingston was giving a parking ticket by campus parking services.
Kingston tweeted a photo of the ticket on his Twitter account, @chriskingstonBG.
Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.