The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Signing Day Coaches Quotes
2/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 1, 2006
"It's a very important class for us because, like I said after the end of the season, I felt like this would be the start of the future. We have right at 30 seniors, so I think this class and the next class will really set UAB football for the next five years. It's a very important time and I think we have been an upper-level team since we've been in this league and I feel we fell off last year. If we want to stay in that upper level then it's all up to recruiting. It think this class will be as good as anybody's in this league and should be a class that keeps us going."
On the quality of the signees:
"This was a very highly-recruited class and with just about every one of these kids we had to fight off a lot of schools. The good part about this class is that 90 to 95 percent of these kids will qualify, meaning that if they stay with what they are doing they will be eligible. A few at the end of the class will be sent to junior colleges because we do not take non-qualifiers anymore here at UAB."
On the recruiting season:
"It's been a hard three months, when you would rather be in a bowl game, but I'm glad it's over. We've got seven months until we play football and we are going into one of the toughest schedules in UAB history. I'm really excited to get back with these players and start coaching this team. I feel really good about this class."
On the quarterback signees:
"We want to keep four quarterbacks for sure and we will have five next year. I always want four quarterbacks on scholarship so we need to find two good ones. I'm a lover of athletic quarterbacks. I want them to be able to run and throw and we will get back to doing more of that with our quarterback. With Darrell (Hackney) we wanted to protect him and didn't use him that way as much. Both of these kids are runners and throwers. They are big kids and all four of the quarterbacks are 6-3 or better on this team. They are all great athletes including our senior, Chris Williams."
On the versatility of the class:
"Most of the guys we signed could go both ways but we have them playing one side or the other. Michael McRae will be a defensive back in my opinion. Frantrell Forrest was a both-way player but will be a DB. Mike Jones and Courtney Smith will most definitely be wide receivers. Rashad Slaughter is the type of player we needed. We needed a returner and slasher kind of guy. Where we are going to play him, I don't know, but he might be a guy like Norris Drinkard. I do know that he has a great chance to come in here and compete to be our returner. He will be an offensive guy here at UAB."
On the two junior college signees:
"I wanted one junior college cornerback and I'm excited to have Zach Britten. I only took two junior college guys. The other one (Stanley Lykes) is an outside linebacker, who played linebacker at junior college. We wanted an older guy to help us improve our space and he can really run. I think both of the junior college guys will help us with our needs on the defensive side."
On recruiting overall:
"I feel like our recruiting classes have improved and each year it has gotten a little better. Some classes like next year have a lot more kids but it seems to get a lot better. I think it has a lot to do with image. We started out 10 years ago being laughed at and a lot of people asked why you are doing this. Every year we get into these high schools and we get a little deeper. I think we are received better. This class is better, if not the best, we have ever had.
On where newcomers will likely play soonest:
"The most likely place for a newcomer to get a shot is at wide receiver because all the ones we are working with this spring haven't played. We don't have experience coming back in that position. Everywhere else has returning starters. I would say that is the position that might get the best look. The offense and defensive lineman are more for next year's bunch. If one jumped in as a third-teamer we would love to redshirt them. You might have an injury and one might have to step up."
On the positives of this year's class:
"This class does what we needed. This is a position-oriented class. We strictly recruited by position this year. Next year might be a little more takes the best player we can find at some spots. We need a curtain number of lineman, wide receivers, and quarterbacks. We lose so many offensive and defensive linemen next year. We have a ton of seniors. This class needed to be the one to fill those holes."
On filling the tight end position:
"All the tight ends we recruited are big kids. The player from
On the signing of Chris Evans:
"We honestly thought we got the best back in the state with Chris Evans. It was a big need for us because he has four seniors ahead of him. I thought it was important to take one running back and we got the one we wanted. Overall, we are just very excited to have Chris join this team. He's bigger than you think he is. He dodges people in the open field, he can lower his shoulder and run you over and has very good hands. I didn't see a weakness in him. I just see Dan Burks in him, meaning that he is a certain weight this year but will continue to get stronger as his career goes."
