Short-handed ASU staff worked hard to sign 19-player class

Early-morning visits to Starbucks weren't necessarily the best part of Appalachian State's recruiting effort, but they were symbolic of work that netted 19 signees on Wednesday.

The program was down on manpower — a result of the departure of six assistant coaches who left the program for a variety of reasons, including recruiting coordinator Mark Speir, who became head coach at Western Carolina. Coach Jerry Moore and his remaining staff faced an unusual challenge during recruiting season.

Moore credited assistant Scot Sloan, who had helped organize ASU's recruiting efforts in recent years, for digging in during a period of rumors about coaching-staff issues and having staff changes highlighted by competition during recruiting battles.

"But we didn't miss a lick," Moore said. "In fact, Scot about wore me out. I'd get to Atlanta at 2 in the morning and at 7 o'clock he'd have me a cup of Starbucks coffee and a piece of lemon cake. It was that way for a month. I introduced myself to my wife when we got back — I don't know that we have ever worked any harder — but it all paid off.

"Maybe the circumstances were the driving force behind that."

Moore said that the quality of this year's recruiting class isn't just "make-do." He and Sloan expressed excitement about it, but especially since it came together in not the easiest of conditions.

"There was a point where we really were short-staffed for about two weeks, with only four of us on the road," Sloan said. "There was one three-day period where we saw 31 kids in three days between the four of us. I put 4,000 miles on the car in about a three-week period. But that's part of it. We rolled our sleeves up and got it done. And I think from top to bottom, the quality of guys we got is outstanding."

A focal point of this year's effort was offensive linemen — and the Mountaineers got three they wanted to beef up their size — but a plethora of quality defensive players was perhaps the highlight.

"You don't ever know, and I've never been a guy to say, 'Man, this is a great recruiting class,' because you really never know until the kids get here and go through drills," Moore said. "But this just might be the very best defensive class that we've brought in here in a long, long time."

The Mountaineers landed 10 defensive players — including six from Georgia (more than half the overall total are from Georgia) after winning battles for some, Moore said, against Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern. Among those, defensive back Dante Blackmon is perhaps the most heralded by recruiting analysts. Sloan said that Blackmon, who originally had committed to Indiana, once stood out in a summer camp at ASU.

"He put on a clinic of his own," Sloan said of Blackmon, from Covington, Ga., and the same high school program that turned out ASU defensive back Demetrius McCray. "He not only has the skill set, but he plays with a chip on his shoulder."

Other defensive players signed by the Mountaineers include promising linebackers John Law of Atlanta, who had committed to Cincinnati before changing his mind, and 6-foot-3, 245-pound Tashion Singleton from Charlotte, who led West Mecklenburg with 136 tackles last season.

The Mountaineers found size in heavily recruited Alex Gray, a 6-3, 210-pound defensive back from Suwanne, Ga., and Greg Milhouse, a 6-3, 280-pound defensive lineman from Garner, as well as 6-2, 285-pound defensive lineman Darian Small of Hampton, Ga.

On offense, the Mountaineers landed 1,000-yard receiver Malachi Jones from Roswell, Ga., and signed running backs Tysean Holloway of Asheville and Quartterrio Morgan, who redshirted last season at Western Kentucky.

Morgan, a former Georgia Tech commitment, and Holloway are already enrolled at ASU and will participate in spring practice next month along with 6-6, 310-pound walk-on Alex Coulthard, an offensive lineman who wasn't part of Wednesday's signing class but is a transfer from North Carolina.

Another player who has enrolled at ASU, is in good academic standing but is awaiting clearance from the NCAA to play after leaving Air Force, is 6-3, 250-pound Dylan Turner.