KINGSTON, R.I. – Rhode Island Head Coach Jim Fleming announced the signing of seven players to a National Letter of Intent for the 2022 season Wednesday.

The group features 2021 Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year Marquis Buchanan, who is staying close to home to continue his playing career. The group also includes two offensive linemen who committed early - Trey Alexander (Tampa, Fla.) and Asa Neal (Rahway, N.J.). The defensive front seven will get a boost from outside linebacker A.J. Pena (Branchburg, N.J.) and defensive lineman Trey Christian (Norwich, Conn.). Rounding out the December commits is kicker Dylan Shank (Medford, N.J.), who is the all-time leading scorer for kickers out of Lenape High School.

"We got better as a football team today," Fleming said. "Our coaching staff has been finding high-end talent up and down the East Coast, which is enabling us to secure early commitments from these quality young men. Rhode Island is establishing itself as a destination program for top recruits, and we are thrilled to get to work with this group."  

Tre Alexander
Offensive Lineman
6-2 | 309
Jesuit | Tampa, Fla.
Primary Recruiter - Mike Flanagan
An offensive lineman and track & field athlete for two seasons at Jesuit, Alexander recorded more than 200 pancake blocks during his high school career. A team captain, he led Jesuit to a state championship this Fall. His coaching staff recognized Alexander with both the Coach's Award and the Offensive Line MVP honor. Alexander had more than 20 Division I offers, choosing Rhode Island over the likes of Army, Navy, Marshall, N.C. State, Toledo, Virginia Tech, Akron, Austin Peay and others. A Nursing major, Alexander plans to become an Orthopedic Surgeon after his playing career is complete.

Kennique Bonner-Steward
Quarterback
6-4 | 235
Coahoma CC | Fayetteville, N.C.
Primary Recruiter - Patrick Murphy
Arriving for the Spring semester with three seasons of eligibility, Bonner-Steward comes from Coahoma Community College, where he was a team captain last Fall while he passed for 798 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 312 yards and one score in eight games. In 37 games for Hough High School, he passed for 5,279 yards and 56 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,493 yards and 21 touchdowns. Named the MVP of the Imeck Conference in 2018, Bonner-Steward led Hough to the state semifinals for the first time in school history in 2017. He began his college career at Temple, where he redshirted while earning American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honors in 2019. He had offers from Coastal Carolina, Holy Cross, Chattanooga, Old Dominion, the Citadel, Tulane and Appalachian State, among others. 

Marquis Buchanan
Wide Receiver
6-4 | 175
Classical | Providence, R.I.
Primary Recruiter - Mike Flanagan
The Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year for football in 2021 and the state's basketball player of the year as a junior, Buchanan is staying close to home for college. A team captain throughout his time at Classical, He caught 63 passes for 1,143 yards and 10 touchdowns while leading Classical to a 10-2 record and a Division II state title. He also returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns. Also a two-time All-State defensive back, Buchanan had 75 tackles and five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns.
 
Trey Christian
Defensive Line
6-3 | 300
Norwich Free Academy | Norwich, Conn.
Primary Recruiters - Jack Cooper, Umberto Di Meo
A two-time ECC All-Star for Norwich Free Academy, Christian had 10 tackles for loss and two sacks during his senior season while starting on both side of the line. On the defensive side, he had the versatility to play defensive end, nose guard or defensive tackle. A powerful presence, Christian already can deadlift 475 pounds and bench press more than 335 pounds.

Asa Neal
Offensive Lineman
6-4 | 290
Erasmus Hall | Rahway, N.J.
Primary Recruiters - Stefon Wheeler,  Chris Lorenti
An offensive lineman who can play guard or tackle, Neal won three city championships with New Jersey power Erasmus Hall. Also recruited by fellow CAA Football school New Hampshire, he chose Rhode Island because of the welcoming nature of the coaching staff as well as the education he will receive. He aspires to be an engineer after college. He will enroll for the Spring.

A.J. Pena
Outside Linebacker
6-2 | 235
Milford Academy | Branchburg, N.J.
Primary Recruiters - Stefon Wheeler, Troy Gilmer
Enrolling for the Spring semester, Pena had 182 tackles and 26 sacks in three seasons for Somerville High School. A team captain his senior season, he earned First Team All-State honors in 2020. He led Somerville to a state title in 2017. A three-time First Team All-Conference selection for the Mid-State 38 and a two-time All-Area honoree, Pena played a prep season at Milford Academy in the fall.

Dylan Shank
Kicker
5-11 | 200
Lenape | Medford, N.J.
Primary Recruiter - Mike Flanagan
As a senior, Shank was a First Team All-Conference and All-South Jersey Touchdown Club selection as a kicker. He also earned All-County and All-South Jersey honors as a punter. He finished as Lenape's all-time leader in points for a kicker with 113 points in three seasons, converting 80 extra points and 11 field goals. As a senior, he also averaged 41.2 yards per punt. His team reached the sectional finals in 2019 and 2020, finished the 2020 season ranked No. 3 in the state. Shank comes from an athletic family. Both of his parents were Division I athletes at Villanova. His father Tom played baseball and his mother Melissa was a softball player.