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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Inks Four Juco Standouts
12/15/2010 | Football
Dec. 15, 2010
BLOG: Football Signee Highlights (Video)
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt announced the signing of four junior college standouts - Ivan Nicholas, Gilbert Pena, Wesley Pendleton and Zack Stoudt - to national letters of intent on Wednesday. All four players will enroll at Ole Miss in January and begin competing for the Rebels in the 2011 season.
A 5-foot-11, 190-pound safety, Nicholas earned first team All-Northeast Conference honors in 2010 after posting 50 tackles, 13.5 TFLs and 2.0 QB sacks at ASA College in New York City. He originally signed with South Florida out of high school in 2009 before enrolling at ASA.
As a senior at Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Nicholas posted 84 tackles, 12 TFLs, 3.0 QB sacks, two punt blocks and two fumble recoveries to earn first team All-First Coast honors. He is the brother of current Atlanta Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas.
"Ivan is a free safety that is a hitter," said Nutt. "He comes from a talented family with a brother playing in the NFL. I'm excited about how aggressive he is."
Also an ASA College product, Pena, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle, logged 41 tackles, 17.0 TFLs and 5.0 QB sacks en route to first team All-Northeast Conference honors in 2010. He also earned Northeast Conference Player of the Week honor after posting eight tackles and 3.5 TFLs against Dean College and joined Nicholas in helping lead ASA to a 7-3 record this season.
Pena attended Saunders High School in Yonkers, N.Y., and participated in the New York/New Jersey High School All-Star Game.
"Gilbert is a guy we've been zeroed in on for a while," Nutt said. "He brings size and quickness that we've needed. With the guys that we've lost in the middle of the defensive line, he is very, very valuable."
Pendleton, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback, posted 28 tackles, 11 pass breakups and three interceptions this season for Copiah-Lincoln Community College. He earned first team All-State honors from the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College Coaches and was named the MACJC's Most Valuable Defensive Back. He also earned NJCAA All-Region XXIII first team honors and was a NJCAA All-American in track.
Pendleton was an all-state track star at Natchez High School in Natchez, Miss., and did not start playing football until the 11th grade.
"We've really tried to recruit hard in the defensive backfield, and Wesley has played both safety and corner," said Nutt. "He is extremely fast, and I'm very excited about him."
Stoudt, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback, led Iowa Western Community College to a 9-2 record and a No. 6 national ranking this season. He passed for 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns en route to first team All-Midwest Conference honors and is rated the No. 45 junior college player in the nation by Rivals.com.
Stoudt originally signed with Louisville out of Dublin Coffman High School in Columbus, Ohio, after passing for 3,547 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior. He was named first team All-Ohio Division I and Central District Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. Stoudt is the son of former NFL quarterback Cliff Stoudt, who played for four NFL teams and won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Zack comes from a great family," Nutt said. "He threw for a lot of yards this year. He has a very strong and accurate arm, and he brings a lot to Ole Miss. I'm excited to have Nathan Stanley, Randall Mackey and now Zack at the quarterback position."
OLE MISS FOOTBALL SIGNEE BIOS
Ivan Nicholas
5-11, 190, DB
Jacksonville, Fla.
(Lee; ASA College)
JUNIOR COLLEGE: Earned first team All-Northeast Conference honors after posting 50 tackles, 13.5 TFLs and 2.0 QB sacks for ASA in 2010 … Helped lead ASA to a 7-3 record last season and the Northeast Conference Championship game … Coached in junior college by Dennis Orlando … HIGH SCHOOL: Ranked the 133rd best safety by Scout.com ... Finished his senior season with 84 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, two punt blocks and two fumble recoveries for Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla. ... Logged 98 tackles, four interceptions, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery as a junior ... Named first team All-First Coast team as a senior ... Coached by Randy Glass and Myrick Anderson ... PERSONAL: Younger brother of current Atlanta Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas.
Gilbert Pena
6-4, 310, DT
Yonkers, N.Y.
(Saunders; ASA College)
JUNIOR COLLEGE: Earned first team All-Northeast Conference honors after posting 41 tackles, 17.0 TFLs and 5.0 QB sacks for ASA in 2010 … Helped lead ASA to a 7-3 record last season and the Northeast Conference Championship game … Coached in junior college by Dennis Orlando … HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Saunders High School in Yonkers, N.Y. … Participated in the New York/New Jersey High School All-Star Game.
Wesley Pendleton
5-10, 175, DB
Natchez, Miss.
(Natchez; Copiah-Lincoln CC)
JUNIOR COLLEGE: Earned first team All-State honors from the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College Coaches and was named the MACJC's Most Valuable Defensive Back in 2010 … Also earned NJCAA All-Region XXIII first team honors … Posted 28 tackles, 11 pass breakups and three interceptions last season … Earned NJCAA All-America honors in track … Claims personal best in track of 10.49 in the 100 meters and 21.03 in the 200 meters … HIGH SCHOOL: Placed second in the state in the 100 meters as a senior at Natchez High School … Also finished third in the 200 meters and fourth in the 400 meters.
Zack Stoudt
6-5, 220, QB
Dublin, Ohio
(Dublin Coffman; Iowa Western CC)
JUNIOR COLLEGE: Led Iowa Western Community College to a 9-2 record and a No. 6 national ranking in 2010 … Passed for 1,812 yards 18 touchdowns … Earned first team All-Midwest Conference honors … Rated the No. 45 junior college player in the nation by Rivals.com … HIGH SCHOOL: One of the top quarterbacks in the state of Ohio ... Played for perennial power Dublin Coffman ... Threw for 3,547 yards while completing 65.5 percent of his passes … Threw 34 touchdowns against just 14 interceptions ... Named first team All-Ohio Division I and Central District Offensive Player of the Year ... Also named first team All-Metro by The Columbus Dispatch and first team All-Ohio Capital Conference ... Helped lead Dublin Coffman to a 13-1 mark and the Capital Conference and Region 3 championships as a senior … Rated the nation's No. 19 pro-style quarterback and Ohio's No. 18 overall prospect by Rivals ... A PrepStar All-Midwest Region and SuperPrep All-Midwest Team selection ... Rated No. 80 on Scout's Midwest Top 100 list ...Coached by Mark Crabtree … PERSONAL: Son of former pro quarterback Cliff Stoudt, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1977-83), earned a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Steelers and later played for the USFL's Birmingham Stallions (1984-85) before concluding his pro career in the NFL with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1986-88), Miami Dolphins (1989) and Dallas Cowboys (1991).