UNCP football adds 21 transfers, 16 high-school signees on Hall's first Signing Day
Feb. 1—PEMBROKE — The University of North Carolina at Pembroke football coaching staff faced a quick turnaround from Mark Hall's hiring as head coach in December until National Signing Day.
They got plenty accomplished in that short amount of time.
The program announced the addition of 37 players Wednesday, with 21 collegiate transfers and 16 signees from the high school ranks joining the Braves program for Hall's debut season this fall.
"The class has come together really well for us," Hall said. "There is a lot of talent. We tried to touch every position on both sides of the ball. We wanted to bring in guys that we felt could help us and have an immediate impact,but also guys that would be around for a couple of years."
The transfer portion of the class is highlighted by 16 players who came to UNCP from Chowan, where Hall coached the last two seasons. Among the group, wide receiver Malik Tobias (25 receptions, 571 receiving yards, six touchdowns in 2022) and quarterback Caleb Pierce (773 passing yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions in six games) were among the Hawks' statistical leaders offensively, with defensive linemen Jamae Blank (64 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, three sacks) and Raydarius Freeman (54 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, five sacks) among the teams defensive leaders. Hall also mentioned offensive lineman Chris Russell as an immediate impact player.
"I think anytime you have guys that you have a working relationship with, that understand what we're about as coaches, what our program's about, they know what to expect from us on the other side as well," Hall said. "I think having that many kids from Chowan come is a testament to our coaches, and the kind of program we run."
The 16 Chowan transfers to UNCP are:
— Justin Anderson, Soph., TE; Tampa, Fla.
— Cam Berry, Soph., DL; Dumfries, Va.
— Jamae Blank, Jr., DL; Durham
— Jaylon Boyd, Jr., RB; Blythewood, S.C.
— Antonio Crim Jr., Soph., RB; Ocala, Fla.
— J'Vin Farmer, Jr., DB; Clayton
— Raydarius Freeman, Sr., DL; Belhaven
— E.J. Gatling, So., WR; Elizabeth City
— Donavin Hansberry, So., DL; Vianna, Va.
— Caleb Hester, Jr., DB; Mebane
— Keshawn Pickett, RS-Jr., DB; Prattville, Ala.
— Caleb Pierce, So., QB; Tampa, Fla.
— Chris Russell, Jr., OL; Kinston
— Jeremiah Smith, Sr., TE; Landover, Md.
— Justus Staten, RS-Fr., RB; Rocky Mount
— Malik Tobias, Jr., WR; Concord
Five more transfers came from schools other than Chowan.
"Anytime you bring in a lot of transfers, there's always a process of integrating them with the team who's already here, and I think that part's gone really well," Hall said. "I think they're starting to form really good relationships with each other, and we're slowly but surely becoming a team."
UNCP's non-Chowan transfers are:
— Jordan Gregg, RS-Sr., DB; Sumter, S.C./Catawba
— Jo Hayes, Sr., WR; Peanut City, Va./Elizabeth City State
— Kyle Hill, RS-Jr., DB; Chocowinity/St. Francis (Pennsylvania)
— Brayden Hinze, RS-Fr., QB; Charlotte/Brevard
— A.J. Hoggard, So., DB; Virginia Beach, Va./Hampden Sydney
The Braves' 15 high-school signees include 14 from North Carolina, including Sandhills-area players in Jack Britt running back Sincere Baines, Pinecrest offensive lineman Roston Barber, Scotland offensive lineman Amari Chance and Scotland wide receiver Cadyn Graves.
Hall pointed to Barber on the offensive line and linebackers T.J. Griffin and Jaiden Nesbit as players who could be immediately impactful as freshmen, as well as two kickers, Jackson Hills and Ty Woods.
"Really it was just trying to find our type of guys, guys that we felt would fit our program," Hall said. "And also try to find the positional needs of guys, just trying to fill the roster with some balance at each position. I think the staff did a good job with the quick turnaround, and with the holidays kind of sandwiched in between there.
UNCP's high-school signees include:
— Sincere Baines, RB; Fayetteville/Jack Britt
— Roston Barber, OL; West End/Pinecrest
— C.J. Battle, WR; Goldsboro/Eastern Wayne
— Amari Chance, OL; Laurinburg/Scotland
— Austin Cowick, WR; Mint Hill/Independence
— Jamiel Davis, DB; Wilmington/Heide Trask
— Travis Dupree, LB; Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair
— Myles Fennell, OL; Wilmington/Lane
— Cadyn Graves, WR; Scotland County/Scotland
— T.J. Griffin, LB; Shelby/Shelby
— Dustin Hall, DL; Nashville/Southern Nash
— Jackson Hills, K/P; Clayton/Corinth Holders
— Jaiden Nesbit, LB; New Bern/Havelock
— Miles Parker, OL; Durham/Riverside
— John Mark Shaw, QB; Sanford/Leesville Road
— Ty Woods, K/P; Kannapolis/A.L. Brown
Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.
