Lineman, receiver sign with McNeese; Goff roster complete
Published 6:24 pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023
- McNeese State head football coach Gary Goff hopes to have more to smile about in the coming months with time to recruit and build a successful program. (Rick Hickman / American Press)
Gary Goff finished his offseason strong.
With one final push Goff signed two big final pieces to his roster Tuesday.
The second-year McNeese State head football coach continued the program’s transformation by inking a strong and experienced offensive lineman and another flashy receiver.
Goff picked up lineman Jasper Friis from Jackson State and receiver Jihad Marks out of Bakersfield Community College. Both are expected to contribute this fall to the Cowboys.
“We got better,” said Goff. “I am very excited with what we have done. I don’t think you are ever finished, but time is running out to add people.”
Friis has been around. He began his college career at the University of California before moving to Snow College in Utah and then playing two years at Iowa Central Community College.
The 6-foot-6, 330-pounder transferred to Jackson State for the 2022 season, playing for head coach Deion Sanders. There he helped the Tigers go 12-1 last year and win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
When Sanders took the job at Colorado Friis hit the transfer portal. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Friis played his high school football at Aquinas in San Bernardino, California and is expected to play offensive tackle for the Pokes.
“He is big, strong, physical and experienced,” said Goff. “He really adds to our offensive line.”
Friis is a graduate transfer who has one year of eligibility remaining.
Marks also has California ties, though he played high school at Desert Edge in Goodyear, Arizona just west of Phoenix.
Marks had 99 receptions for 1,715 yards in high school. He finished with 2,480 total yards and 24 touchdowns.
While at Bakersfield last season Marks played nine games and had 47 catches or 835 yards and six scores, averaging 92.5 yards a game. He averaged 17.8 yards a catch.
“Jihad is a very, very talented receiver,” said Goff. “He is a really good edition to our receiver room. He gives us experience at that position.”
The 6-1, 190-pound Marks picked McNeese over a host of other schools including Northwestern State. Before Bakersfield Marks started his college career at Northern Colorado.
He is the second receiver in the last month to join the Pokes, adding to the addition of Marcus Peterson from Cincinnati.
Just last week McNeese added tight end Drake Martinez from Colorado State and defensive lineman Isaiah Jackson from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California.
Players will start returning to campus June 1 with summer school and workouts starting on the fifth.
