Post by DiamondThief on Oct 16, 2014 18:06:38 GMT -8
Photo courtesy of the Portland Thunder via its facebook page
Oct. 16 -- Portland added to its defensive corps today by signing (or, in AFL terms, they "were assigned) defensive end Frank Trotter and defensive back Pat Miller.
At 6'2" and 285, Trotter was a top defensive performer with the Iowa Barnstormers last season under now-Thunder head coach Mike Hohensee. He had 3.5 sacks, 28.5 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and an interception. He also broke up nine passes. He earned All-Conference USA honorable mention honors twice at the University of Memphis, where he had 36.5 tackles for a loss over his career. That ranks third all-time in school history.
Miller is a player who Hohensee has had his eye on for a while, uis a 5'11" rookie out of the University of West Virginia. He registered 136 tackles, defended 16 passes and claimed 2 interceptions over his four-year college career. He earned the Alabama State Sportswriters Association class 6A all-state honors in high school in 2008-09. He was one of the top 50 high school recruits in Alabama his senior year.
“Frank was one of the top free agents we were going after. We thought he was our best overall defensive lineman in Iowa last year,” Hohensee said. “He’s a man of character, a tremendous football player, and a great competitor. We’re fortunate to have him come in to Portland. We’ve been trying to get [Miller] into the Arena Football League for a couple of years. He played for West Virginia, a great cover guy, and he has a nose for the ball. The Portland Thunder just got better today.”
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- ANM
Graphic courtesy of David.