CHARLESTON – The Buccaneers announced their additions from the 2025 February Signing Class on this week with the group including five true freshmen to join in the summer and 11 transfers.
 
There are five players that are on the offensive side of the ball while there are ten defensive players and a specialist. Of the 11 transfers, two come from the FBS institutions, one from FCS, six from NCAA D2 and two from junior colleges.
 
The targets from this signing class were to reload on the defensive line and defensive backs. There are five players from each of these position groups that have been added in this period, making up all the players signed on that side of the ball.
 
On the offensive side, they looked to add depth and competition to nearly all of their position rooms. A quarterback, two running backs, a tight end and an offensive lineman are getting added.
 
The state-by-state breakdown for the group has Georgia and South Carolina leading the way with 4 total signees apiece. North Carolina is the only other state with multiple representatives with two. Other states featured in the class include Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, Texas, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
 
A full listing of the 2025 February Signing Period Roster can be found below. Each player has information on their high school careers showcasing the immense talent to arrive to Charleston ahead of the 2025 season.
 
2025 Signing Class (February 5, 2025)
Brandon McDonald * 5-11 * 185 * DB * Richmond Hill, Ga. / Richmond Hill HS
Hudson Morton * 6-3 * 230 * TE * Suwanee, Ga. / North Gwinnett HS
Sharode Richardson * 5-10 * 185 * RB * Anderson, S.C. / Westside HS
Isaac Smith * 6-2 * 275 * DL * Savannah, Ga. / Jenkins HS
Cleve Tellery II * 6-0 * 290 * DL * Columbia, S.C. / Ridge View HS
Charles Atkins * 6-3 * 245 * DL * Metairie, La. / East Jefferson HS (Pearl River CC)
Ke'Marion Baldwin * 5-9 * 200 * RB * St. Paul's, N.C. / St. Paul's HS (James Madison)
Robert Clark * 6-1 * 315 * OL * Gluckstadt, Miss. / St. Joseph HS (Pearl River CC)
Avery Dixon * 6-1 * 195 * DB * Concord, Va. / Rustburg HS (Bryant)
Kiemond Emilien * 5-11 * 190 * DB * Spring, Texas / Westfield HS (Mississippi College)
Hugo Gil * 6-2 * 270 * DL * Manchester, N.H. / Cheshire Academy (Temple)
Zach Gordon * 6-0 * 190 *K* Lillington, N.C. / Rosewood HS (Western New Mexico)
Malik McKenzie * 6-2 * 225 * DL * Sumter, S.C. / Sumter HS (UNC Pembroke)
Lek Powell * 6-0 * 190 * QB * Carlisle, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt HS (Sheppard)
Tyler Smith * 6-0 * 175 * DB * Dallas, Ga. / Paulding County HS (Tuskegee)
Canii Tucker * 6-1 * 175 * DB * Ladson, S.C. / Fort Dorchester HS (Chowan)
 
February Signing Class, #MarkTheSpot25X
Brandon McDonald * 5-11 * 185 * DB * Richmond Hill, Ga. / Richmond Hill HS
Originally from Richmond Hill, Georgia where he played at Richmond Hill High School playing under Head Coach Matt Lezotte and position coach Collin Oliver … Spent time as a two-way player for his school … Ended his senior year with 15 receptions for 134 yards on offense while posting 20 tackles, six passes defensed and an interception on defense for WJCL Big 22 … As a junior, he had 303 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns while on the other side of the ball he collected 39 tackles, seven passes defensed, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to be named First-Team All-Region and a spot on the All-Greater Svannah Team and All-State… During his sophomore season he posted the most tackles he had in a single season with 49 including six passes defensed to earn First-Team All-Region and a spot on the All-Greater Savannah Team again … One of the top games of his came against Lowndes Country where he had a pair of interceptions and a touchdown … Also was a member of the basketball team at his high school … Uncle, Wallace Wright, played football at North Carolina and later the New York Jets while his cousins, Josh Johnson and Nate Craig Myers, played at Purdue and then the Jacksonville Jaguars while Myers went to Auburn and Central Florida … Received offers from FBS programs in Army and Georgia Southern and FCS programs in Mercer, Wofford and West Georgia.
 
Hudson Morton * 6-3 * 230 * TE * Suwanee, Ga. / North Gwinnett HS
Joins Charleston Southern from Suwanee, Georgia where he attended North Gwinnett High School … Was a member of the football team playing under Head Coach Godfrey and position Coach Luke … As a senior, he had 107 receiving yards to go with a pair of touchdowns in limited action while he had 22 receptions for 328 yards and five touchdowns as a junior … While at North Gwinnett, he helped lead them to a trio of region championships while he earned First-Team All-Region and a Gwinnett County Player of the Month accolade … Brother, Hayden, played at Birmingham Southern while his dad was a member of the baseball team at Clemson … Also received an offer from Austin Peay.
 
Sharode Richardson * 5-10 * 185 * RB * Anderson, S.C. / Westside HS
Originally from Anderson, South Carolina where he played at Westside High School under Head Coach Brian Lane and position Coach Montgomery … Helped lead the school to their first state championship since 1969 and made the state championship game again for this season … Joins fellow defensive back teammate from Westside, Ross Brown, who signed with the Bucs in December … Played as a two-way player for the school, excelling on both sides of the ball … Was named All-State and All-Region following his junior and senior seasons … Ended his senior year with 24 touchdowns, 1600 all-purpose yards, 30 tackles, 12 pass breakups and four interceptions … Was just as explosive during his junior year where he had 1500 all-purpose yards, 20 touchdowns and five pass breakups … As a sophomore he had seven touchdowns and 500 rushing yards … During a region championship game he had 200 rushing yards, a 90-yard kick return and the game-sealing interception … Helped lead the school to a 28-game win streak between his junior and senior seasons … Was a three-sport athlete as he was also on the basketball and track & field teams … Also received offers from Campbell, The Citadel, Chattanooga, Mercer and West Georgia.
 
Isaac Smith * 6-2 * 275 * DL * Savannah, Ga. / Jenkins HS
Originally from Savannah, Georgia where he went to Jenkins High School … While there he played under Head Coach Anthony Welch and position coach Moses Green … Earned 3A Defensive Player of the Year honors following his breakout senior season where he had 80 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble and a pick-six … Had 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a pass deflection as a junior after his sophomore season of 22 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass deflections … Helped lead Jenkins HS to a State Quarterfinals, "Elite 8", appearance … Also was a member of the basketball program at the school … Relative, Malik Benlevi played basketball at Georgia State.
 
Cleve Tellery II * 6-0 * 290 * DL * Columbia, S.C. / Ridge View HS
Joins the Buccaneers from Columbia, South Carolina where he attended Ridge View High School and served as a three-year starter and team captain … Played under Head Coach Derek Howard and position coach Chris Bonds … Following his senior season, he earned a nod to the All-State team and had All-Region accolades after each of his final two years … Was a nominee for the Richland County Player of the Year following his final year and earned a spot on the Touchstone Energy North vs South Bowl … His senior year saw him post 40 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble while helping lead the team to a pair of victories in the state playoffs … Two of the top games of his career came in the final season against Blythewood (three tackles, two TFLs, two sacks) and Fairfield (five tackles, two TFLs, one sack) … During his junior year he had 25 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked PAT … Was a member of the track & field team and advanced to the Lower State Championship during his first year on the squad … Comes from an incredibly athletic family … Father was a member of the football team at S.C. State, Uncle Willie was at Clemson and cousin Nuna at West Ashley University.
 
Charles Atkins * 6-3 * 245 * DL * Metairie, La. / East Jefferson HS (Pearl River CC)
Charles arrives with Charleston Southern as a new defensive lineman. He has seen time in 17 career games with Pearl River CC collecting 44 career tackles to go with 8.5 tackles for loss. This past fall he was a force on the defensive side of the ball with tow fumble recoveries and seven tackles for loss.
 
Ke'Marion Baldwin * 5-9 * 200 * RB * St. Paul's, N.C. / St. Paul's HS (James Madison)
Ke'Marion joined the Buccaneers this offseason and will add experienced depth to their running back room. He has seen time in six career games logging nine carries between those. He had his best season in high school during his junior when he went just shy of 2500 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns to earn a selection as First-Team All-State.
 
Robert Clark * 6-1 * 315 * OL * Gluckstadt, Miss. / St. Joseph HS (Pearl River CC)
Spent his first two collegiate seasons at Pearl River Community College. He played 13 games between those years including four his freshman year and then started nine this past fall. Helped pave the way for the team's rushing attack to average of 200 yards per game.
 
Avery Dixon * 6-1 * 195 * DB * Concord, Va. / Rustburg HS (Bryant)
Avery just completed his third year of college football this past fall. He spent his first year at The Citadel and then has spent the past two years at Bryant. For each of the past two seasons he has played 11 games and had a total of 29 tackles. Had his career-high in tackles come at Rhode Island in his first year with Bryant.
 
Kiemond Emilien * 5-11 * 190 * DB * Spring, Texas / Westfield HS (Mississippi College)
Kiemond arrives at Charleston Southern from Mississippi College where he has spent the past three years. He saw action in four games in his first two years and then moved into a bigger role this past year as he saw time in nine games. He collected 31 tackles over his final seven games including a career-high seven stops at West Florida. In the game prior, he had a pair of tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
 
Hugo Gil * 6-2 * 270 * DL * Manchester, N.H. / Cheshire Academy (Temple)
He has been a two-year member of the football team of Temple and joined the Buccaneers at the start of this offseason. He went to the Owls originally as a spring walk-on. This past fall, he was a three-time defensive scout team player of the week. In high school we was a two-time all-league and two-time all-state selection.
 
Zach Gordon * 6-0 * 190 *K* Lillington, N.C. / Rosewood HS (Western New Mexico)
Zach joins the Buccaneers after being a two-year member and starter for Western New Mexico as a specialist. For each season he served as the kickoff specialist averaging 58.9 yards per kick on his 68 attempts. This fall he moved into the starting field goal kicker role as well and went 8-10 on his attempts with his longest made of the year being from 47 yards out. On Pats he went 22-24
 
Malik McKenzie * 6-2 * 225 * DL * Sumter, S.C. / Sumter HS (UNC Pembroke)
Comes to Charleston Southern after spending three years at UNC Pembroke as a defensive lineman. He has seen time in 26 career games collecting 127 tackles to go with 21.5 tackles for loss. He had his best statistical season in his sophomore year with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
 
Lek Powell * 6-0 * 190 * QB * Carlisle, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt HS (Sheppard)
Lek comes to the Buccaneers after four years at Sheppard University in West Virginia. This past fall he moved into the starting signal caller for the team and went for over 2000 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He threw a career-high three against Millersville this past fall. He had six games with over 200 yards through the air this fall as well.                                                                                                                                                                                               
 
Tyler Smith * 6-0 * 175 * DB * Dallas, Ga. / Paulding County HS (Tuskegee)
He has seen time in 11 games for each of his two seasons at the school. During his freshman year, he had his first career interception to go with five pass breakups while this past fall he has had three pass breakups. During his freshman year, the team went 7-4 and had a 6-2 conference record.
 
Canii Tucker * 6-1 * 175 * DB * Ladson, S.C. / Fort Dorchester HS (Chowan)
Canii comes to Charleston after spending three years at Chowan as a defensive back. He has played in 20 career games to go with 41 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups. He set his career high in single-game tackles with seven at Valdosta State at the start of this past November.