Football welcomes 19-member signing class

By NIck Phillips
Editor

February 9, 2012

Photo by Mindy Hubbard

UNCP head football coach Pete Shinnick, right, shares a laugh with quarterback Luke Charles during a game last fall.

The UNCP football team and head coach Pete Shinnick introduced 19 new players to the Braves' family on National Signing Day on Feb. 1.

In all, the Braves signed recruits at eight different positions, all coming from the state of North Carolina.

The recruiting class includes five all-state honorees and three players that competed for state championship teams last fall.

The players span positions on both sides of the ball, as UNCP signed four linebackers and four offensive linemen as the most at any one position.

The Braves also welcome three defensive backs and three defensive linemen to campus.

Two wide receivers, a quarterback, running back and an athlete also will don the Black and Gold this fall.

"Our goal every year is to fill immediate needs, and then to try and recruit an entire team," UNCP head coach Pete Shinnick said.

"If you combine this year's and last year's recruiting class, defensively, we are really solid. Our focus was really on the defensive and offensive line and, with the seven guys that we got, we filled those needs. We're always looking to find the right athlete for our University, and then the best athlete that we can at the positions that we are looking at," he added.