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AF1 Southwest Kansas Storm

Southwest Kansas Storm Roster is Set

April 26, 2024 - Arena Football One (AF1)
Southwest Kansas Storm News Release


It's game week! The Arena Football League is back, and we've got some clarity on the rosters. We're going to take a look at the Southwest Kansas Storm roster and break it down by position groups for this team playing at the United Wireless Arena - Dodge City, Kansas. The team will be led by head coach Gary Thomas.

Quarterback

First Name Last Name Position Height (ft) Weight (lbs) College

Matt Struck QB 6'4 215 ID St / MO St / S OR

Caden Walters QB 6'2 210 Dodge City / Sioux Falls

Caden Walters brings indoor football experience to the Southwest Kansas Storm. One of many players on the team who played locally at Dodge City Community College. Walter also grew up in Dodge City. He found his way to the University of South Florida and has played indoor football for the Northern Arizona Wranglers and Sioux Falls Storm.

Matt Struck checks in at 6-4 215 lbs with a gunslinger of an arm. Struck's high school coach would tell recruiters he "could throw the ball 60 yards through a window." Idaho State head coach Rob Phenicie had similar thoughts "He's just one of those guys that the football gods hit his arm with lightning."

Specialist (OS/DS)

First Name Last Name Position Height (ft) Weight (lbs) College

Damien Crumite DB 5'11 190 Dodge City / Grambling / W Illinois / N Iowa

Armani Webster DB 6'2 195 Nebraska Kearney

Armani Webster will be the team's defensive specialist. The 6-foot-2 195 lbs defensive back from Chicago, Illinois, starred at the University of Nebraska-Kearney where he was a defensive stud for the Lopers. Webster is a true passion player. He loves the game of football and never stops the grind of trying to improve his game.

Wide Receiver/Defensive Back

First Name Last Name Position Height (ft) Weight (lbs) College

Keon Clary WR/DB 6'3 190 Hutchinson / Texas A&M Kingsville

Michael Lawson WR/DB 5'10 185 City College of San Francisco / Lamar / W Illinois

Kereon Merrell WR/DB 5'11 190 Dodge City / Marshall

Jonah Morris WR/DB 6'4 220 Indiana / Akron / Illinois

Chris Platt Jr WR/DB 5'11 175 Baylor

Terrell Warner WR/DB 6'1 205 Dodge City / New Mexico St

Da'Quan Bailey-Brown is an explosive player who excelled in the return game in college at the University of West Florida. Before his time at Southern Miss and West Florida, Bailey-Brown played football at Dodge City Community College, where he also starred in track and showed his blazing speed.

Keon Clary is another player who spent time at community college in Kansas playing at Hutchinson Community College. At Texas A&M Kingsville University, Clary was voted to the all-conference team his senior season. Clary has the advantage of already playing both sides of the ball in his college career.

While Michael Lawson was at Lamar University in Texas where he got the opportunity to play against the SEC in a game against Texas A&M Lawson showed up in that game recording 10 tackles. Lawson was drafted to the XFL by the Houston Roughnecks and also spent a season in the German Football League.

Kereon Merrell of Vienna, Georgia, starred in college for the Marshall Thundering Herd. In his final season at Marshall, Merrell recorded 55 tackles, 41 of which were solo, a sack, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, and intercepted a pass.

Jonah Morris was a sought-after product coming out of Akron, Ohio, with over 20 scholarship offers from FBS schools. He was ranked as the #18 athlete overall by 247sports. Coach Thomas had this to say about Morris, "He is big, physical, athletic, and smart...we can build with a guy like that. He is still raw from a football perspective, but I truly believe his best football is ahead of him. We can give him a platform to develop and showcase those God-given talents on a big stage."

Chris Platt Jr another highly rated high school prospect, Platt was ranked the 44th best wide receiver in the entire nation by ESPN coming out of high school. He was a three-time Texas state 400-meter champion in high school and played his college ball at Baylor University in the Big 12 where he set the record for competing in the most games in program history at 57 total games. Platt started in 37 of those games.

Terrell Warner is yet another player who played for Coach Thomas at Dodge City Community College. When asked for comment on Warner, Coach Thomas had this to say, "Not only is Terrell a tremendous athlete, but he has an infectious smile. It literally seems like he never has a bad day, and I'll bet he becomes a fan favorite rather quickly."

Wide Receiver/Fullback/Linebacker

First Name Last Name Position Height (ft) Weight (lbs) College

Todd Athey WR/JLB 6'4 215 Georgia Military

Jeremy Cox FB/MLB 6'0 225 Old Dominion

Vincent DiLeo II FB/MLB 6'2 235 Delaware Valley

Eugene Minter WR/JLB 6'5 220 Dodge City / Arkansas St / Austin Peay / UNC Charlotte

Todd Athey is an experienced indoor football player. The 6-4 215 lbs player started his indoor career with the Northern Arizona Wranglers, where he went on to catch 48 passes that season for 538 yards and scored 16 TDs, earning him All IFL Rookie Team honors. He's also spent time with the Spokane Shock and Arizona Rattlers.

Jeremy Cox is a player Storm fans will want to keep their eyes on this season. This Storm player has spent time in both the NFL and XFL previously. Cox was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers before moving to the Denver Broncos. Jeremy made an impact on the practice squad in Denver and was elevated to the active roster for his first career NFL game in October 2020. He played in seven NFL games for the Broncos.

In the 2023 season, Cox landed with the Houston Roughnecks for a short stint. At only 27 years old, Cox is a talented running back still in the prime of his career. His athleticism and size combination were enough for him to make a splash in the NFL. Playing at fullback and linebacker in the Arena League, expect to see Jeremy Cox flying all over the field.

Vincent DiLeo II appeared in 48 games during his collegiate career at Delaware Valley University. He finished his collegiate career with 144 total tackles, 34 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks, and was a 3-time All-Conference performer.

Eugene Minter had a productive career at Dodge City Community College, where he earned All-Jayhawk Conference honors in 2018. Following his time at DCCC, he was ranked the #9 wide receiver recruit by 247Sports and the #10 wide receiver by ESPN.

Lineman

First Name Last Name Position Height (ft) Weight (lbs) College

Will Miles OL/DL 6'6 290 AZ Western / Central Methodist

Marquise Lawson-Greenwood DL 6'6 255 California University / San Bernardino Valley / Lincoln

Imori Heard OL/DL 6'4 295 Quincy / Rocky Mountain

Will Kiely OL/DL 6'4 280 William & Mary

Connor Davis OL/DL 6'8 300 Stony Brook

Willie Canty OL/DL 6'8 330 NEO / Lincoln

Desmond Bland OL/DL 6'4 300 Arizona Western / West Florida

Ja'Merez Bowe OL/DL 6'4 310 Cincinnati / Indiana

Desmond Bland helped lead his team to back-to-back NJCAA championship games, earning scholarship offers from SEC, Big10, and ACC schools. Last season bland was part of the San Diego Strike Force.

Ja'Merez Bowen is a former Big10 player from Indiana University. He played defensive tackle in college but was the #51 rated offensive tackle coming out of high school, according to Rivals. His ability to play both sides of the ball will be huge for the Storm.

Willie Canty is a massive man, standing 6-8 and weighing 330 lbs. Canty originally committed to Nebraska to play football for the Cornhuskers but instead went to Garden City Community College, the school featured on Last Chance U, before moving on to Lincoln University.

Connor Davis matches Canty in height, checking in at 6-8 as well. At Stony Brook University, Davis played a little bit of both sides of the ball at a variety of positions, including tight end, offensive and defensive line. This versatility will be key in helping Davis at the Arena game.

When it comes to Imori Heard, here are Coach Thomas' thoughts, "Imori is a super nice guy that plays pretty mean. He's extremely raw in comparison to some of the other guys at his position, but he's young, has a great frame, and is smart and ambitious, and I foresee him closing that gap quite quickly during camp. This game, in this particular league, is about versatility in the trenches, and that's where I think he excels. We have been hunting for guys who are big, physical, and long but are also really good athletes, so they bring value to the other side of the football... the side that they don't specialize at. Imori is going to be a great addition at guard for us, but with his athleticism, he should project to being a very capable defensive lineman as well."

Will Kiely comes over from the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League after putting himself second all-time in tackles for loss (36.5) in William and Mary school history.

Will Miles comes from the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL, where he recorded 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Marquise Lawson-Greenwood rounds out a loaded line group for the Southwest Kansas Storm. The 6-foot-6 290 lbs player was described by Coach Thomas as "A Unicorn."

Kicker

First Name Last Name Position Height (ft) Weight (lbs) College

Dillon Burkhard K 5'9 160 Dodge City / SE Louisiana

Dillion Burkhard returns to the Storm where he played last season as the team's kicker. Burkhard is a true local, born in Dodge City, Kansas.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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