Fobbs announces the signing of 11players

GREENSBORO, February 7, 2007 – North Carolina A&T took big steps in its football program on Wednesday night both with their fan base and with the addition of the next class of student-athletes who will be chanting Aggie Pride.

Head coach Lee Fobbs announced the signing of 11 student-athletes to national letters of intent on Signing Day. The class includes four offensive linemen, four defensive backs, two running backs and one linebacker in Fobbs’ second recruiting class as Aggies head coach. Fobbs announced his Signing Day Class at the Aggies first-ever Signing Day party held at Stallings Ballroom on the campus of N.C. A&T.

“We addressed some needs offensively,’’ said Fobbs. “Today was just the beginning and not the end. We will continue to recruit and continue to fill some of our needs. But I’m thrilled that we were able to add offensive lineman with size and agility. We added some running backs who I think will give us some different looks back there along with Michael Ferguson (Aggies leading rusher in 2006). But like I always say, ‘Recruiting is a 365-day a year process.' "

The Aggies answered some immediate needs for the 2007 season on the offensive end. The Aggies, who ranked last in the MEAC in total offense, added Clemson transfer Demmerick Chancellor at the running back position. Chancellor is 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of Miami, Fla. Chancellor was a third-string back at Clemson, but averaged 6.1 yards per carry. He had 114 yards against Temple last season.

He compiled 1,100 yards of offense as a senior at Edison High School, where he was recruited by Auburn, Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina and N.C. State. Chancellor still has three years of eligibility remaining.

The other running back the Aggies added is David “Speedy” Robinson out of College of the Sequoias in California. He scored 17 touchdowns and compiled 1,100 all-purpose yards last season. He is a 5-foot-9, 180-pound native of Leisure, Fla. Robinson wanted to return to the East Coast. He has already completed his degree at the College of the Sequoias and will be eligible to participate in Spring Practice in March.

The other big need on offense the Aggies addressed was the offensive line. Two of the linemen are North Carolina natives, including Winston-Salem native Enoch Cohen, a 6-4, 285-pound North Forsyth graduate. Cohen was a two-time All-Metro performer, who recorded 147 pancake blocks during his career. Academically, Cohen was a four-year honor roll student who played center and tackle during his career.

But Fobbs said his biggest steal came with signing of 6-foot-6, 315-poiund Jason Valmont out of Lake Charles, La. Valmont attended St. Louis Catholic High School. He was first-team All-District and should be another strong student-athlete for Fobbs. He was first-team All-State academic athlete.

“He’s excited about being on campus, and excited about being an Aggie,’’ said Fobbs. “He is a very athletic young man, who will really help us up front.”

The other two offensive linemen the Aggies signed are Adrian Carter and Alex Harper. Carter is a Richmond County High School graduate from Hamlet, N.C. He is a 6-foot-3, 285-pound lineman from outstanding high school program. Harper is a 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman out of Baltimore, Md. He is an aggressive player, who was an all-district wrestler at Woodlawn High School.

“Our immediate need was up front and we addressed those needs,’’ said Fobbs. “On the back end, we need to cover people. We accomplished what we wanted to in terms of speed. We want to be aggressive on defense so we need people who can play man-to-man.”

The Aggies signed local defensive back DaShaun Graham out of Greensboro Page. Graham was a two-time all-conference selection and he also earned all-county honors. He recorded 130 tackles for his career with 15 coming behind the line of scrimmage. He also recovered nine fumbles and intercepted six passes.

The Aggies added their second Clemson transfer with signing of defensive back Brandon Croley. Coley (6-1, 205)  will come to N.C. A&T as a junior. He played mostly special teams for the Tigers, but his 4.47 speed should help the Aggies multiple ways.

When showing the video of Michael Pace, the Aggie coaching staff introduced a player who can make the big hit and cover. Pace is a 6-foot, 185-pound Hinds Community College (Miss.) transfer from Gulfport, Miss. Pace runs a 4.44 forty and broke eight passes a year ago. 

Closing out the defensive back for the Aggies class is another College of the Sequoias transfer in Ihsan Shaheed. Shaheed is an Oakland, Calif., native is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds who played at Castlemont High. Shaheed returned three interceptions for touchdowns at Sequoias and was responsible for breaking up 18 passes.

The lone linebacker the Aggies added to their defense was Nicholas Johnson out of Page High School. Johnson made 112 tackles with 10 coming behind the line of scrimmage. The all-conference performer also blocked three punts.