SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State football announced three more roster additions on Wednesday, including two signees as part of 2024 National Signing Day in wide receiver Junior Thornton and edge rusher Tymere Jackson. The Bobcats also announced the addition of transfer running back Deion Hankins, who joined the program as a mid-year enrollee in January.
 
The Bobcats' newcomer class now stands at 33 players, including 23 mid-year enrollees and 10 set to join in the summer.
 
Thornton, out of La Vega High School in Waco, Texas, is signing as a wide receiver but was a first team all-district quarterback this past year for La Vega. He started his high school career at Midway (TX) High School where he had 1,248 receiving yards, 609 rushing yards and 322 passing yards in two seasons as a sophomore and junior.
 
"Junior is a very versatile and dynamic athlete," said GJ Kinne, Texas State head football coach. "He has played both quarterback and receiver in high school, but he'll play in the slot for us. He's a Texas high school kid, and we have a great relationship with the Waco La Vega staff who say nothing but great things about him. We're excited to see him as a playmaker for us over the next few years."
 
Jackson was all-conference for East Los Angeles College (ELAC) in the National Central League in 2023. The rising junior had 64 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks from the defensive end/outside linebacker position. He also helped ELAC win the Patriotic Bowl over Bakersfield this past season, which was the school's first bowl victory since 2016. The Woodbury, New Jersey native began his career at Monroe College in 2021, where he redshirted, and then played at Dodge City Community College in 2022. He had 22 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss for Dodge City as a redshirt freshman.
 
"Very long, explosive edge rusher," said Kinne about Jackson. "While he is originally from New Jersey and coming to us from ELAC, we have been recruiting him for a while. Great kid, great personality. It's hard to find those long edge rusher-type bodies this late in the process. We're super excited to see his development and growth over the next couple years. We expect him to be a premier edge rusher in this conference."
 
A two-time All-Conference USA performer, Hankins was UTEP's leading rusher in 2023 and has run for more than 2,600 yards in his collegiate career. A Parkland High School (TX) product, Hankins was a Conference USA All-Freshman team selection in 2020, UTEP's second leading rusher in 2021, and All-Conference USA Second Team in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he ran for a career-best 812 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
 
"Big powerful running back that adds some size and presence to the running back room," said Kinne about Hankins. "He played for running backs coach Barrick Nealy at UTEP, so there's some good familiarity with him, and he was their leading rusher last season. Another high character guy."
 
Texas State's 2024 newcomer class currently has 15 players on offense, 17 on defense and one on special teams.
 
The full class of 2024 newcomers, which features mid-year enrollees, summer enrollees and the previously announced group from December, includes:
 
Mid-year Enrollees (23)

Name	Pos	YR	HT	WT	Hometown	High School/Last School
Tunmise Adeleye^	DL	JR (RS)	6-4	290	Katy, Texas	Tompkins HS/Texas A&M/Michigan State
Brice Bass*	DL	SR	6-4	250	Stockbridge, Ga.	Stockbridge HS/Gardner-Webb
Torrance Burgess^	RB	JR (RS)	5-6	175	Pearland, Texas	Dawson HS/Tyler JC/UTEP
Kylen Evans*	WR	FR	6-2	180	McKinney, Texas	Frisco Emerson HS
Brendan Franke^	K	JR (RS)	6-3	255	Gretna, Neb.	Gretna HS/Nebraska/Georgia Southern
Deion Hankins#	RB	SR (RS)	6-0	225	El Paso, Texas	Parkland HS/UTEP
Justin Harris*	CB	SR (RS)	6-0	195	Dayton, Ohio	Wayne HS/Cincinnati
Max Harris^	LB	JR	5-11	220	Montgomery, Ala.	Mansfield Legacy HS/UIW/ULM
Brad Jackson*	QB	FR	5-11	180	San Antonio, Texas	Reagan HS
Jaylen Jenkins*	RB	JR	5-8	175	Allen, Texas	Allen HS/Washington State
Tellek Lockette^	OL	JR	6-3	330	Miami, Fla.	St. Thomas Aquinas HS/ULM
Alex Merritt^	DL	SR (RS)	6-3	290	Cincinnati, Ohio	Moeller HS/Eastern Michigan
Trez Moore*	CB	JR (RS)	6-1	190	St. Louis, Mo.	Cardinal Ritter HS/Iowa Western CC/UTEP
James Neal*	LB	SR (RS)	6-0	225	Paris, Texas	Paris HS/Tyler JC/UTEP
Ryan Nolan*	S	SO	5-10	185	Gainesville, Fla.	Gainesville HS/Hutchinson CC
Steven Parker^	DE	SR (RS)	6-4	265	Dallas, Texas	South Oak Cliff HS/Kansas/UIW
Kameron Pearson*	CB	JR	6-0	185	Sumter, S.C.	Sumter HS/Coffeyville CC
Blake Smith^	TE	JR (RS)	6-4	255	Southlake, Texas	Southlake Carroll HS/Texas A&M/Oklahoma
Jordan Smith*	LB	JR	6-0	220	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.	St. Thomas Aquinas HS/Navarro College
Beau Sparks*	WR	SO	5-11	180	El Paso, Texas	Franklin HS/Utah Tech
Donte Thompson^	CB	JR (RS)	5-11	170	Pensacola, Fla.	West Florida HS/UIW/Arkansas State
Issiah Walker*	OL	SR	6-4	310	Miami, Fla.	Miami Norland HS/Butler CC
Jaden Williams*	WR	SR	5-9	185	Pflugerville, Texas	Hendrickson HS/Boston College

 
Summer Enrollees (10)

Name	Pos	YR	HT	WT	Hometown	High School/Last School
Jermy Jackson Jr.*	DL	FR	6-1	200	Waxahachie, Texas	Waxahachie HS
Tymere Jackson#	DE	JR	6-5	225	Woodbury, N.J.	Woodbury HS/East LA College
Chris Jones*	CB	FR	6-1	165	Houston, Texas	Westbury HS
Jordan Martin*	WR	FR	6-1	190	Dallas, Texas	Kimball HS
William Mitchell*	S	FR	5-9	170	Missouri City, Texas	Fort Bend Marshall HS
Tyler Norris*	OL	FR	6-4	290	Dallas, Texas	W.T. White HS
Derrick Osmond*	TE	FR	6-6	235	Broken Arrow, Okla.	Broken Arrow HS
Brock Riker*	OL	FR	6-4	285	Brock, Texas	Brock HS
Junior Thornton#	WR	FR	5-8	160	Waco, Texas	La Vega HS
Tice Williams*	S	FR	6-1	190	Conroe, Texas	Conroe HS

 
Total: 33
 
* Announced in December 2023 during the Early Signing Period
^ Announced in January 2024 as mid-year enrollee
# Announced in February 2024