By Harry Minium
When he was named Old Dominion's football coach in early December, Ricky Rahne vowed to sign some of the best players in Hampton Roads. And just two months later, he and his coaching staff have delivered on that pledge.
The Monarchs' 2020 recruiting class, which was finalized on national signing day Wednesday, includes four players from the greater Hampton Roads area. And for the first time since ODU began playing football, two of the Top 10 prospects in the region, as chosen by long-time Virginian-Pilot high school sports reporter Larry Rubama, signed with the Monarchs.
LaMareon James was the last to sign after he picked ODU's hat from a trio at a ceremony at Indian River High School in Chesapeake Wednesday evening. And as Rahne said, "this is a big get for us."
James (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) is a 3-star cornerback and wide receiver (who will play cornerback for the Monarchs) and who selected ODU over some of college football's elite programs.
Virginia Tech, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska and Pitt all offered him prior to this past season. He initially committed to North Carolina before de-committing a couple of months ago. The Pilot ranks him the No. 3 player in the region and the 247Sports recruiting service ranks him 19th in Virginia.
"He's a great athlete, a fantastic athletic," Rahne said. "We feel like this guy changes the level of athleticism we have" in the defensive backfield.
"I feel very confident in this kid and his ability to bring a mentality to our team."
ODU added 12 players Wednesday to complement the six players signed in December. Six of the 18 are from Virginia, but Rahne didn't limit his staff geographically. ODU signed players from Texas, Colorado and Australia.
ODU signed one junior college player and 17 from high school. Of the 18 players, 16 were rated 3-star recruits by 247Sports. That's the most ever for ODU, which signed a previous high of 12 in 2014, long considered the program's best recruiting class ever.
"It's a really good class," Rahne said. "We've filled some holes in the secondary and defensive line and added some great athleticism to the offensive line.
"I thought we did a great job as a staff making sure that we dug in on those guys, that we just didn't take no for an answer right way. We dug in, built some relationships and were able to get some guys late.
"The coaches all across the state were very receptive to us and that's a great thing. We've gone out a lot, and even if they didn't have players we were going to recruit this season, we went to see as many coaches as we could.
"Recruiting is all about relationships and we're building those relationships."
Former head coach Bobby Wilder and offensive backfield coach Bryan Stinespring deserve credit for several recruits, including two local players who committed before Wilder stepped down.
Malcolm Britt, a 6-0, 210-pound linebacker from Chesapeake's Oscar Smith High School, is ranked No. 10 in Hampton Roads by the Pilot and rejected offers from Navy, Army, East Carolina and Liberty.
"I was able to watch Malcolm play in the state championship game and he's such a great player," Rahne said. "Not to mention being a 4.0 student. I couldn't be more excited about him and his future with our program."
Amorie Morrison, a 6-4, 235-pound defensive end from Salem High in Virginia Beach, is a three-star recruit who rejected an offer from Marshall. The Virginian-Pilot ranks him the region's 23rd best player.
Once Morrison "packs on some muscle and strength, he's going to be a terror," Rahne said.
Adrian Spellman, a 6-4, 240-pound defensive end from Elizabeth City, N.C., is a three-star recruit who turned down offers from Appalachian State and East Carolina. His signing was also announced Wednesday.
The class includes seven linemen, which is the most difficult position for a Group of 5 school to recruit.
Defensive tackle Keyshawn Hunter (6-2, 295, Woodson High, Fairfax), rated the No. 12 recruit in the Washington, D.C. area., is the most highly rated of five defensive line recruits.
Alonzo Ford (6-3, 290), a defensive tackle from Varina High School just outside of Richmond; Chazz Wallace (6-2, 290), a defensive lineman from Avalon School in Gaithersburg, Maryland; and Morrison (6-4, 235) and Spellman (6-4, 240) will add size, length and a ton of depth.
Rahne said he was "excited" when he got the call from Ford to commit to ODU. He was also recruited by Boston College, Air Force and Army.
"He's going to be a fantastic player," Rahne said. "We recruited him for a long time."
On offense, linemen Talyn Hunter (6-4, 255) from Hickory Ridge High in Harrisburg, N.C., and Santana Saunders (6-5, 270) from Charles Herbert Flowers High in Upper Marlboro, Md., add size and depth.
Obasanjo Sanni (5-9, 195) is the only running back to sign but he's a good one. He's from Smoky Hill High in Aurora, Colo., located just outside of Denver. Smoky Hill coach Tom Thenell called him "the best back in the state" after Sanni rushed for five touchdowns in a state playoff game. Thenell coached Rahne, a Colorado native, at Bear Creek High.
Sanni rushed for 1,603 yards and 29 TDs as a senior, and 4,004 yards and 49 TDs for his career.
"He blocks and runs, and he runs away from people," Rahne said. "He's rocked up at 195 pounds and he's wrestling for the first time this year because his team needed him."
The Monarchs have five new defensive backs, including two from South Carolina: Tyrik McDaniel (6-1, 184) from Dutch Fork High in Irmo, S.C., who turned down Charlotte, Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern, and K'Ron Ferrell (5-11, 170) from Woodland High in Dorchester, S.C., who also turned down Charlotte and Appalachian State.
In addition to James, ODU also landed Tre Hawkins (6-3, 186), a cornerback from Temple, Texas, who signed after playing two seasons at Trinity Valley junior college; and Levi Wentz (6-3, 180), a cornerback from Pine Richland High in Gibsonia, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh.
Wentz only played one year of high school football, but nonetheless also had offers from Army and Navy.
Rahne said Hawkins "will be able to step in and make an immediate impact."
ODU signed two wide receivers in December – Noah Robinson (6-3, 180) from Louisa County High in Mineral, Va.; and Devin Lester (5-11, 175) from Graham High in Bluefield, Va.
Lester had 1,800 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns and also started at defensive back. Robinson also played both ways and caught 26 passes for 500 yards and three touchdowns and had 60 tackles and two interceptions.
The final two recruits also signed in December.
Punter Ethan Duane (6-0, 198) hails from Melbourne, Australia and was ranked No. 2 among international punters by ProKicker.com He enrolled at ODU last month and is the heir apparent to replace Bailey Cate, a senior who had a great career for the Monarchs.
Dominique Anthony (6-1, 220), a pro style quarterback from Potomac High in Oxon Hill, Md., completed 156 passes for 2,962 yards and 38 touchdowns while leading Potomac to a 12-2 record and a berth in the state championship game. However, few schools recruited him.
"Duane comes from halfway across the world and it seems like he's been here his whole life," Rahne said. "We're excited about the way he's working. We always see him with a bag of balls."
As for Anthony, the brother of Monarch tight end Donta Anthony, the failure of other schools to recruit him is ODU's gain.
"He's got big-time stats and took his team to a state championship," Rahne said. "Obviously, we've got to have great quarterbacks."
Rahne says that although some players will redshirt, he hasn't made a decision on any of the 18 newcomers.
"We've got some kids who are likely going to need to be redshirted just because of their size and strength and some may redshirt because there may not be opportunities to play at their position," he said.
"But we're going to play itself out. I'm not going to limit anyone until we've seen them in helmets and pads."
ODU's coaches will have scant time to enjoy their recruiting success. Winter workouts begin in earnest Thursday morning.
"Those workouts in February are going to be critical," Rahne said. "We've got to see our guys run around. We haven't spent enough time with them doing athletic things.
"They've got to hear us coach them. They've got see our energy, to feel how much we care about them and how much we want them to develop and succeed."
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Minium: It’s Early to Judge, but ODU’s Football Recruiting Class Could be Among the Best Ever for the Monarchs
