FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Dec. 20, 2023) – Northern Arizona University head football coach
Brian Wright has announced 14 additions to his initial signing class on the first day of the early national signing period.
The newest Lumberjacks are Ammon Allen, Travis Arena, Michael Beresford, Carson Berry, Jaelen Collins, Seth Cromwell, Kaden Dixon, Corey Johnson, Kolbe Katsis, Jeremiah Katt, Dylan LaFlamme, Jaden Mack, Javery Mayberry and Ty Pennington.
The class is made up of eight true freshmen and six transfers, two of which transferred in from Pittsburg State with the others coming from Arizona, Saddleback College, Missouri Western and UT Chattanooga. Five signees hail from the state of Arizona, while five come from California, two from Oklahoma, one from Texas and one from Missouri.
Four offensive linemen make up the bulk of the class, while the Lumberjacks also bring on two wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end, and a quarterback. On the defensive side of the ball, NAU reloaded with two defensive backs and two linebackers.
The list of the 14 new Lumberjacks and their bios can be found below. Stay tuned to NAUAthletics.com and follow NAU Football on X, Instagram, and Facebook for further additions to the 2024 signing class.
Ammon Allen | LB | Mesa, Ariz. | Highland HS | Arizona | R-Jr. | 6-3 | 220
Ammon Allen transfers in after three seasons at the University of Arizona where he played in 26 games during his career, including 11 during the 2023 season. During the 2022 season, he recorded three total tackles, two of which were solo.
Allen hails from Mesa, Ariz., where he prepped at Highland High School. He was a first-team all-state defensive back and won the 2021 Marquis Cooper Award for football leadership. During his senior season, he racked up 89 tackles to go with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He also broke the school record in the javelin throw.
Travis Arena | LB | Irvine, Calif. | Northwood HS | Saddleback College | Jr. | 6-3 | 230
Travis Arena comes to Northern Arizona after two seasons at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif. As a true freshman, he recorded 29 total tackles and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with five and a half.
His sophomore season saw him play in 10 games with 46 total tackles and five and a half sacks. Averaging 4.6 tackles per game, he finished the season with a career-high 11 tackles against Mt. San Jacinto and had at least six tackles in three other contests.
Arena prepped at Northwood High School where he lettered in both football and lacrosse. He was a two-time, all-league selection during his time at NHS.
Carson Berry | OL | Newbury Park, Calif. | Newbury Park HS | Fr. | 6-5 | 285
Carson Berry is another offensive lineman heading to Northern Arizona after three seasons at Newbury Park High School in California. As a senior, he helped guide the Panthers to a CIF-Southern Section Division 5 championship game as Newbury Park finished 10-4 overall including a 5-1 mark in conference action. He chose Northern Arizona among seven other Division I offers.
Berry was named Offensive Lineman of the Year by the Thousand Oaks Acorn newspaper and anchored an offensive line that allowed its quarterback to throw for 4,222 yards and 52 touchdown passes. He was also named the Canyon League's Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Michael Beresford | DB | Long Beach, Calif. | Long Beach Poly HS | Fr. | 5-11 | 175
Michael Beresford heads to NAU from Long Beach, Calif., where he played three years of football on both sides of the ball at Long Beach Poly High School.
In his career at Long Beach Poly, he racked up 422 receiving yards on 24 catches with four receiving touchdowns in 29 games played.
As a junior, he played in 12 games and recorded six interceptions which he returned for 204 total yards and three touchdowns. He has seven interceptions in his career to go with 16 pass breakups. As a senior, he recorded 10 pass breakups, an interception, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Also a factor on special teams, Beresford returned one kickoff for a touchdown during his senior season. He racked up 216 kick return yards and 42 punt return yards this past season to bring his total to 380 all-purpose yards in 2023 and 891 in his career.
Beresford earned first-team All-Bay honors as a defensive back following his senior year.
Jaelen Collins | WR | Tucson, Ariz. | Marana HS | Fr. | 6-2 | 175
Jaelen Collins is an offensive and defensive threat out of Marana High School in Tucson, Ariz., where he played both cornerback and wide receiver. As a junior, a hauled in 417 yards on just 17 receptions, good for 24.5 yards per catch, with two touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Collins racked up 63 tackles, four interceptions, a forced fumble and five pass breakups. Also a threat on special teams, Collins averaged 34 yards per punt with a long of 53 while averaging 28.7 yards per kickoff return with an 83-yard return for a touchdown. He was named first-team All-5A Sonoran as a defensive back in 2022.
In four seasons, Collins racked up 959 receiving yards on 53 catches with 10 touchdowns, including 285 yards on 18 catches with five scores as a senior. He has 1,849 all-purpose yards. Collins also has 124 total tackles in his career to go with six interceptions, eight pass breakups, a blocked punt, and a blocked field goal.
Seth Cromwell | RB | Littleton, Mo. | Columbine HS | Missouri Western | R-So. | 5-10 | 218
Seth Cromwell is the 2023 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Freshman of the Year, also earning a spot on the All-MIAA third team. Cromwell played in 12 games during his redshirt freshman campaign and helped the Griffons finished 8-4 overall. He racked up 758 rushing yards on 137 carries with 18 touchdowns. Cromwell had a long of 71 and averaged 63.2 yards per game. On Nov. 11 at Missouri Southern State, he rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns.
Kaden Dixon | RB | Center, Texas | Center HS | Fr. | 6-2 | 190
Kaden Dixon comes to Flagstaff from Center, Texas where he had a standout prep career at Center High School where he primarily played as a running back. In his career, Dixon compiled 4,560 rushing yards on 590 carries with 61 rushing touchdowns.
As a senior, Dixon had nine games with over 100 rushing yards and scored 23 touchdowns after garnering 1,980 rushing yards on 253 carries in 11 games. As a junior, he rushed for over 2,200 yards and 33 touchdowns on 267 carries. In one game, he rushed for 409 yards and six scores. He also played in the Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game.
Corey Johnson | OL | Perris, Calif. | Orange Vista HS | Fr. | 6-2 | 280
Corey Johnson prepped at Orange Vista High School in Perris, Calif., where he played on the defensive line. In 21 career games, he totaled 44 tackles, 40 of which came during his senior year. Also as a senior, Johnson had 8.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He was part of a defense that totaled over 30 sacks as a squad in 2023. In 2022, he was named All-CIF as an offensive lineman.
Kolbe Katsis | WR | Owasso, Okla. | Lincoln Christian School | Pitt State | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 182
Kolbe Katsis comes to Flagstaff from Pittsburg State where he played for
Brian Wright for two seasons. He was named the 2021-22 MIAA Freshman of the Year and earned an honorable mention All-MIAA return specialist nod. Katsis played in 25 games and compiled 1,160 career receiving yards on 70 catches with nine touchdowns. In his career, he averaged 16.6 yards per catch and 46.4 yards per game. Katsis also has a pair of kick return touchdowns, racking up 880 return yards on 30 tries. In 2021-22, he had a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown the NCAA Division II playoffs.
In 2023, he had 655 receiving yards on 48 catches with four touchdowns including a long of 55.
Katsis prepped at Lincoln Christian School where he had 50 career passes for 1,235 yards and 16 touchdowns as a quarterback.
Jeremiah Katt | OL | Mesa, Ariz. | Mountain View | Fork Union Military Academy | UT Chattanooga | Jr. | 6-3 | 293
Jeremiah Katt played in 23 career games on the offensive line at UT Chattanooga. He spent the Fall of 2019 at Fork Union Military Academy and lettered in wrestling at Mountain View High School in Mesa, Ariz., where he placed third in state with a 54-3 record.
As a freshman at UTC, he was part of an offensive line that limited opponents to nine sacks that season while the offense averaged 205.5 rushing yards per game. In 2023, the Mocs finished 8-5 (6-2 SoCon) and advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Katt played in all 13 games, helping UTC rack up 384.5 yards of total offense per game.
Dylan LaFlamme | OL | Queen Creek, Ariz. | Queen Creek HS | Fr. | 6-3 | 280
Dylan LaFlamme was a standout offensive lineman at Queen Creek High School for four years, earning first-team all-conference honors as a junior and a senior.
Jaden Mack | DB | Newbury Park, Calif. | Newbury Park HS | Fr. | 5-11 | 170
Jaden Mack is a two-way player out of Newbury Park, Calif., at Newbury Park High School where he also played baseball.
In his career, he scored seven receiving touchdowns with 614 yards on 38 catches, good for 24.6 yards per game. As a senior, he stepped on the scene with 549 receiving yards and six touchdowns with 33 catches. On defense, he had 53 total tackles, 41 of which came during his junior season. Mack also has two career interceptions and five pass breakups.
Mack helped guide Newbury to a CIF-Southern Section Division 5 championship appearance. In the game, Mack caught five passes for 78 yards and had an interception.
Javery Mayberry | TE | Gilbert, Ariz. | Basha HS | Fr. | 6-5 | 235
Javery Mayberry is another Arizona product who prepped at Basha High School. In two seasons at Basha, Mayberry hauled in 661 receiving yards on 47 catches with eight touchdowns. His senior season saw him catch 31 passes for 520 yards and six scores while averaging 43.3 yards per game and 16.8 yards per catch with a long of 76. He improved from the 141 receiving yards and two touchdowns as a junior.
In his final year at Basha, the squad went 10-2 overall including 4-0 in conference play and he earned first-team All-Region honors.
Ty Pennington | QB | San Springs, Okla. | Charles Page HS | Pitt State | So. | 6-3 | 207
Ty Pennington played for head coach
Brian Wright at Pitt State. In 2023, he played in 13 games and completed 46 of his 69 pass attempts for 447 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Also a threat with his feet, Pennington rushed for 359 yards on 76 carries, finding the endzone four times for eight total touchdowns on the year.
Pennington prepped at Charles Page High School where he was an Oklahoma Class 6A All-District MVP and a three-year starter. He compiled 6,455 career passing yards with 54 touchdowns.
2024 Northern Arizona Football Signing Class
| Name |
Pos. |
Hometown |
High School |
Previous School |
Yr. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
| Ammon Allen |
LB |
Mesa, Ariz. |
Highland |
Arizona |
R-Jr. |
6-3 |
220 |
| Travis Arena |
LB |
Irvine, Calif. |
Northwood |
Saddleback College |
Jr. |
6-3 |
230 |
| Carson Berry |
OL |
Newbury Park, Calif. |
Newbury Park |
|
Fr. |
6-5 |
285 |
| Michael Beresford |
DB |
Long Beach, Calif. |
Long Beach Poly |
|
Fr. |
5-11 |
175 |
| Jaelen Collins |
WR |
Tucson, Ariz. |
Marana |
|
Fr. |
6-2 |
175 |
| Seth Cromwell |
RB |
Littleton, Mo. |
Columbine |
Missouri Western |
R-So. |
5-10 |
218 |
| Kaden Dixon |
RB |
Center, Texas |
Center |
|
Fr. |
6-2 |
190 |
| Corey Johnson |
OL |
Perris, Calif. |
Orange Vista |
|
Fr. |
6-2 |
280 |
| Kolbe Katsis |
WR |
Owasso, Okla. |
Lincoln Christian |
Pitt State |
R-Jr. |
6-1 |
182 |
| Jeremiah Katt |
OL |
Mesa, Ariz. |
Mountain View |
UT Chattanooga |
Jr. |
6-3 |
293 |
| Dylan LaFlamme |
OL |
Queen Creek, Ariz. |
Queen Creek |
|
Fr. |
6-3 |
280 |
| Jaden Mack |
DB |
Newbury Park, Calif. |
Newbury Park |
|
Fr. |
5-11 |
170 |
| Javery Mayberry |
TE |
Gilbert, Ariz. |
Basha |
|
Fr. |
6-5 |
235 |
| Ty Pennington |
QB |
San Springs, Okla. |
Charles Page |
Pitt State |
So. |
6-3 |
207 |
