National Signing Day started at 5:30 a.m. for Terry Bowden.
As the new head football coach at the University of North Alabama, he's just as excited as all the new recruits.
"Ten years of talking about recruiting and now getting back into the recruiting wars has been very exciting for me," says Bowden.
There are 27 freshman signees. In that group, ten are from high schools in north Alabama, including three Shoals players. Chase Blackburn of Deshler, Jammoris Ricks of Colbert County, and Demarie Ricks from Sheffield will be in Bowden's first recruiting class.
"I'm very proud that this will be the class we start with," says Bowden. "I don't know how much higher we can go than we've gone at UNA, but this I think will be the class that I come in with."
To Bowden, recruiting is a main priority for the UNA football program. One aspect that's very important is keeping local players local as much as they can.
"I think we will always must get our local players on this football field at UNA," says Bowden. "I think fans want to see great football at UNA, but if they can see the young men that went to grade school and the local high school system come up and help UNA become a great team, that's going to be what I think the fans want to see the most."
National Signing Day doesn't mark the end of UNA's recruitment efforts. Bowden says they will continue to look for players that can fill the needs of their football program well into the summer months.
As the new head football coach at the University of North Alabama, he's just as excited as all the new recruits.
"Ten years of talking about recruiting and now getting back into the recruiting wars has been very exciting for me," says Bowden.
There are 27 freshman signees. In that group, ten are from high schools in north Alabama, including three Shoals players. Chase Blackburn of Deshler, Jammoris Ricks of Colbert County, and Demarie Ricks from Sheffield will be in Bowden's first recruiting class.
"I'm very proud that this will be the class we start with," says Bowden. "I don't know how much higher we can go than we've gone at UNA, but this I think will be the class that I come in with."
To Bowden, recruiting is a main priority for the UNA football program. One aspect that's very important is keeping local players local as much as they can.
"I think we will always must get our local players on this football field at UNA," says Bowden. "I think fans want to see great football at UNA, but if they can see the young men that went to grade school and the local high school system come up and help UNA become a great team, that's going to be what I think the fans want to see the most."
National Signing Day doesn't mark the end of UNA's recruitment efforts. Bowden says they will continue to look for players that can fill the needs of their football program well into the summer months.
