MOREHEAD, Ky. -- With the start of the 2021 spring season just weeks away, Morehead State has added a pair of additional student-athletes to the roster. Both are transfer students.

The newest Eagles are Devon Connors, a defensive lineman and transfer from Purdue, and Jahleel Holmes, a linebacker who transferred from Azusa Pacific.

Connors, a native of Tampa, Fla., began his collegiate career at the Air Force Academy before transferring to Purdue. Connors had a standout career at Steinbrenner High School in Tampa where he also played baseball.  He was named twice as an all-district and all-region selection and once as an All-State Elite Team pick. He was a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete of the Year. In baseball, Connors was the first freshman to ever play on the varsity squad and was a Prospect Wire All-American.

He was inducted into his school's Hall of Fame. Connors had more than 50 tackles and 10 tackles for loss as a senior. He was nominated to the Air Force Academy by the Honorable Cathy Castor of the United States Congress and had a 5.6 high school GPA.

Holmes comes to MSU after APU dropped its football program. In 2019, as a freshman, he had 26 tackles, including his top game with 13 stops against Black Hills State. 

Holmes played three seasons  for head coach Ted Wadkins at Moreno Valley (Calif.) High School. He was a team captain all three seasons while playing linebacker, receiver, and tight end. Holmes was a two-time CIF-Southern Section First Team selection. He was also named Mountain Valley League Defensive MVP in his senior season and was a three-time All-Mountain Valley League First-Team selection, including both offensive and defensive teams as a junior in 2017. He was named a 2019 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete.

Morehead State opens its season Feb. 20 at James Madison with the first home game being March 20 versus Stetson.