The Selma Times-Journal

So many people look at National Signing Day as some sort of deadline, when in reality it’s only the start of one of college football’s most exciting times.

Marking the first official day recruits can officially commit to colleges, some athletes elect to get the ordeal over with as soon as possible. Others wait until the 11th hour.

With a disappointingly low number of eight signees, Hornets coach Shepherd Skanes is banking on the latter.

“To be honest, it’s really a blessing,” Skanes said. “I was able to pull kids in here with good grades and high ACT scores. I beat out Tuskegee for two of the guys on that list. That’s just the way the recruiting wars are. You win some. You lose some.”

Skanes had set a goal of 25 players for this year’s class, and he still may get them. But he’ll have to scoop up some players that may be facing their last chance to play college ball.

That hasn’t been the worst thing in the world for the team. Eric Tiller and A.J. Ward are just two examples of players that went unsigned and became all-conference performers for Concordia. Skanes refers to players like that as his “diamonds.”

He may very well find one this year. Four of the players are from Carver High in Columbus, Ga., which went 15-0 and won a 3A state championship.