Rock football signs 29 recruits
Feb. 4, 2016
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The two-time defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion and No. 7 ranked Slippery Rock University football team made a big splash Feb. 3 by signing 29 incoming student-athletes on National Signing Day.
"This is one of the biggest classes we have ever signed in Rock football history," said newly appointed head coach Shawn Lutz. "We targeted these 29 guys and all of them signed with us. Many of them had Division I offers on the table but recognized that SRU is the right place for them to fulfill their academic and football goals.
"I am very proud of our entire staff for their relentless efforts in the recruiting season this year. We feel like this is one of the best recruiting classes in the country and one of the best we have ever had at Slippery Rock. We can't wait to get these guys here."
Slippery Rock's signing class focused on filling needs that were both immediate for the upcoming 2016 season and long term for the program.
The Rock signed a top tier placekicker and punter, two quarterbacks, three defensive backs, three defensive linemen, three running backs, five linebackers, five wide receivers and seven offensive linemen.
Of the 29 signed recruits, a total of 20 were from the Western Pennsylvania area and the WPIAL, an area The Rock has targeted and tried to control in recent years.
"We feel like we have to own our back yard," said Lutz. "There is a lot of great football being played in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. Our coaches did a great job of identifying those players and getting them to The Rock."
Slippery Rock is riding high as the top program in the PSAC and one of the best in the nation over the last five years. The Rock has won three straight PSAC West titles and four of the last five, have won back-to-back overall PSAC titles and have made three straight trips to the NCAA Playoffs at the Division II level, a feat that only six programs in the nation can claim.
Slippery Rock is coming off a 2015 season that saw the team compile a 12-2 record that tied the program's best finish ever. The Rock reached the NCAA quarterfinals and finished the year ranked No. 7 in the final official Division II poll.
SRU also won five NCAA statistical titles in 2015, including leading the nation in scoring offense, first down offense and total takeaways on defense. The Rock also ranked second in the nation in run defense.
A brief look at all 29 of Slippery Rock's 2016 recruits, including remarks from the SRU coaching staff and links to highlight videos, can be found at: http://www.rockathletics.com/news/2016/2/3/FB_0203163631.aspx
MEDIA CONTACT: Jon Holtz | 724.738.4925 | jonathan.holtz@sru.edu