National Signing Day was the cherry on top for Texas State football, adding three more roster additions on Wednesday to an already successful 2024 signing class. The two high school signees include wide receiver Junior Thornton and edge rusher Tymere Jackson. Texas State also announced the addition of transfer running back Deion Hawkins from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Thornton, a 5-foot-8-inch, 160-pound wide receiver out of Waco, played at Midway High School, accounting for 1,248 receiving yards and 609 rushing yards before transferring to La Vega High School and becoming an all-district quarterback last season.
“Junior is a very versatile and dynamic athlete,” Texas State Head Coach G.J. Kinne said. “He has played both quarterback and receiver in high school but will play slot for us. We are excited to see him as a playmaker for us over the next few years.”
Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound edge rusher, played at East Los Angeles College and is coming off an all-conference season in the National Central League. He accounted for 64 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2023. While Jackson is an unranked junior college prospect according to 247Sports, Kinne said given time, he can be a special player for the Bobcats.
“Great kid, great personality. It’s hard to find those long edge rusher-type bodies this late in the process,” Kinne said. “We’re super excited to see his development and growth over the next couple of years. We expect him to be a premier edge rusher in this conference.”
Transfer running back Deion Hawkins is a two-time All-American in Conference USA and led the Miners in rushing last season. Hawkins will likely see the field immediately, looking to build off his earlier success in his redshirt senior campaign. Kinne said he likes what Hawkins brings to the table.
“[Hawkins is a] big powerful running back that adds some size and presence to the running back room,” Kinne said. “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 will finish the 2024 signing class with 34 total players— good enough to be ranked 84th overall nationally and the third-best class in the Sun Belt Conference, according to 247Sports. This is the highest-ranked class in the history of Bobcat football.
