National Signing Day: App. State inks 19; ECU 18

Staff reports

BOONE — Nineteen student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent/grant-in-aid agreements to join Appalachian State University’s football program, head coach Jerry Moore announced on Wednesday.

The nineteen signees include seventeen student-athletes that signed with the Mountaineers on Monday — DB Dante Blackmon (Covington, Ga./Eastside), TE Barrett Burns (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah), OL Jamie Collmar (Gastonia, N.C./Forestview), LB Olawale Dada (Columbus, Ga./Shaw), OL Tyson Fernandez (Fuquay-Varina, N.C./Fuquay-Varina), DB Alex Gray (Suwanne, Ga./Peachtree Ridge), LB Greg Hall (Bogart, Ga./North Oconee), WR Malachi Jones (Roswell, Ga./Central Gwinnett), DB Aaron Krah (Durham, N.C./Hillside), LB John Law (Atlanta, Ga./Grady), QB Paul Magloire (Lynbrook, N.Y./Milford Academy), DL Greg Milhouse (Garner, N.C./Garner), OL Matthew Privette (Marshville, N.C./Forest Hills), LB Tashion Singleton (Charlotte, N.C./West Mecklenburg), DL Darian Small (Hampton, Ga./Dutchtown), WR Chris Starks (Lithonia, Ga./Miller Grove) and DB Kevin Walton (Greensboro, N.C./Grimsley) — and two that enrolled at ASU at the beginning of the spring semester — RB Tysean Holloway (Asheville, N.C./Asheville) and RB Quartterrio Morgan (Jonesboro, Ga./Mount Zion/Western Kentucky).

Ten of the 19 hail from the state of Georgia with eight from North Carolina and one from New York. Eight of the 19 received two- or three-star prospect ratings from Rivals.com.

EAST CAROLINA

East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill is seeking some immediate help for a depleted secondary in a defense preparing for its second year in a 3-4 scheme.

The Pirates unveiled an 18-player recruiting class Wednesday with a focus on offensive linemen, receivers, linebackers and defensive backs. Six of those players are junior college transfers, with three of those as defensive backs in a secondary that lost three starters.

The Pirates converted from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defensive alignment last year. McNeill's third class features six linebackers and five defensive backs for that scheme.

East Carolina also signed four offensive linemen and three receivers. The Pirates didn't add a quarterback in the class, with McNeill saying he's comfortable with the passers he already has.

Five of the 18 players are from North Carolina, with three coming from South Carolina. East Carolina also reached into Virginia, Georgia, Florida, California, Mississippi and Washington, D.C.

Two of the junior college players, defensive backs Adonis Armstrong and Godfrey Thompson, enrolled in Greenville, N.C., in January. Both are from Hinds Community College in Mississippi.

Among the prep prospects, East Carolina's top recruits were offensive lineman Jonathan McLaughlin (Mauldin, S.C.), receiver Jabril Solomon (Hemingway, S.C.) and defensive back Lucas Thompson (Winter Garden, Fla.). All three players were rated three-star prospects by both Rivals.com and Fox Sports/Scout.com.

The Pirates lost on about a half-dozen players who entered the week on the fence, including in-state linebacker Jamal Marcus from Durham's Hillside High who picked Ohio State. But McNeill didn't sound hesitant to get involved in recruiting battles with more prominent programs.

"I've said from Day One we'll go after the top player," McNeill said. "I really don't care who's on them or not on them. I feel like we competed well and came down to the wire on some of them."