National Signing Day, Feb. 5 is one of the most important days of the year for college football fans and teams.
It’s the day that college-bound high school football players sign letters of intent for the university they will play for in the fall.
Winston-Salem State inked 14 signings — making the 2010 recruiting class the first since the University decided to pass on completing the transition and become a Division-I school and remain a member of the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference. Thirteen of the 14 Ram recruits are in state.
“I think that this recruiting class is a very high number of recruits to sign at the Division-II level on signing day,” said Connell Maynor, first-year head football coach at WSSU, in a recent press release.
“Most people are going to think that this many student-athletes signing is unusual, but it was the quality of the athletes that dictated how [many] young men we signed.
“We usually don’t like to sign a lot of guys on National Signing Day.
We usually wait to try to get the guys who don’t receive the Division-I offer that they think they will get, but the guys that we have in here have impeccable credentials and we couldn’t pass on the opportunity to take these guys.
“These young men could all step in and immediately contribute for us. It is a testament to not only how very talented these future WSSU student-athletes are but also to how hard my coaching staff worked in securing this talented class,” Maynor added.
The Rams addressed issues on the defensive side of the ball with four of the five defensive recruits playing at line positions. The defensive line recruits include Duvontae Covington, Davin Gray, Jermaine Kesler, and DeAngelo Johnson. The incoming class averages a weight of 295 pounds, while the 2009 class averaged 256 pounds.
The fifth recruit on defense is linebacker Jalaquon McNeill, from Lumberton High School in Lumberton, N.C.
McNeill led in tackles for two consecutive years, including 114 tackles and three interceptions for the Pirates.
He was also named the 4-A Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
“I had offers to other schools, but their programs did not move me to commit [like] WSSU,” McNeill said.
“The hope [is] that my teammates at WSSU are ready for change. The school [WSSU] seems to have a great atmosphere that I just couldn’t say no.”
The Rams addressed offense as well, adding linemen, receivers, and two quarterbacks.
The Rams offensive line class includes Kaleb Carter, who is the only recruit from South Carolina and Thomas Warren, a local talent from Mount Tabor High School.
WSSU also recruited wide receivers Graham Love, Anthony Short, Eric Wolff, and Damontra Yates.
Yates also plays the free safety position.
The Rams also picked up quarterbacks Vernon Brandon and DeShean Townsend.
Townsend, a 6-3, 210 pound quarterback from Fayetteville chose WSSU over Catawba, UNC-Pembroke,and Fayetteville State.
Townsend, an effective pocket passer with a big arm, was the 2008 and 2009 Mid-South Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Townsend threw for 45 touchdowns his last two years at South View High School.
“I wanted to choose a school that I was comfortable at and was going to enjoy,” Townsend said.
“When I took my official visit to [WSSU], it felt like home. It was nice. I liked the campus. It was beautiful.
“I also met a few of the players currently on the team, and the coaches. They were good, and the football facilities were really nice.”