The Elon University football team has received five verbal commitments from the class of 2015.
The coaching staff couldn’t be more ecstatic.
Coaches filled Twitter with phrases like “Phoenix on the Way” and “Embrace the Grind” emblazoned in capital letters which seem to be in reference to various players committing. Tight ends coach Cris Reisert and wide receivers coach Billy Riebock have been the pioneers in the Twitter movement.
POW! The backfield just got better tonight. Big time commitment from the 336. #BigBacksEqualRings #HometownHeroes #POW15 #ELON
— Cris Reisert (@CoachReisert) June 28, 2014
POW! Big time addition from the 336! Must keep growing this program with talent from the great state of NC. #SpeedKills #POW15
— Cris Reisert (@CoachReisert) June 25, 2014
#POW15 Aerial Assault just got its captain! Great momentum heading into July! #ELON, the #MONSTER is being built one Baller at a time!
— Billy Riebock (@BillyRiebock) June 28, 2014
#ELON nation, the "Boarder Patrol" is at again! NC is #ELON Country & we take care of our own! #OnlyBallersWelcome #OURSTATE
— Billy Riebock (@BillyRiebock) June 28, 2014
First-year head coach Rich Skrosky stressed the importance of recruiting the state of North Carolina when he was hired, and he’s followed through with it. Of the five commitments, four of them come from players who hail from North Carolina — two from Alamance County.
He celebrated the most recent with this tweet.
Oh, I told you before...The great state of North Carolina is #ELON Country! #EmbraceTheGrind #KeepOurGuysHome #Process
— Rich Skrosky (@CoachSkrosky) July 10, 2014
Linebacker Matt Baker of Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina, committed last Wednesday. At 6-foot, 208-pounds, Baker had 85 tackles, three sacks, 15 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and an interception last year. He also plays running back for Heritage.
Ironically, Heritage’s coach is Jason McGeorge, son of Elon great Rich McGeorge. He played tight end for the Phoenix in the 1960s and later with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.
In late June, Elon received verbals from Malcolm Summers, a running back for Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, and Tereak McCray, a wide receiver for Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington.
The Burlington Times-News first reported those two commitments.
Around the same time, quarterback Daniel Thompson of Boiling Springs High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, committed. McCray posted this tweet about the trio.
My QB @SteppingUp_7 and the RB @2RAW_2STOP.. Oh yeah, we about to be G.O. A. T.
— Tereak McCray (@AfrosMcCray84) June 28, 2014
Thompson is the younger brother of University of South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson.
The first to commit to Elon this summer was offensive lineman Matt Kowalewski of Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte. He’s listed at 6-foot-4.5, 280-pounds and also had offers from Virginia Military Institute, Dartmouth College and Brown University.