Richmond announces 17-member signing class for 2011

Richmond football head coach Latrell Scott announced Wednesday the signing of 17 student-athletes, who have submitted their intent to attend the University of Richmond and play for the Spiders next season. The class features one local standout, nine linemen, and 10 from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This marks the first class entirely recruited by Coach Scott and his staff, and began with the addition of former Georgia Tech S Cooper Taylor, who transferred to Richmond in December. Scott is entering his second season with the Spiders after taking the head-coaching job in December 2009.

Along with Taylor, incoming freshman Mylon Blueford (CB, Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith) enrolled at the University of Richmond at the semester break.

Richmond’s 2011 class is heavy on linemen and that includes OL Irabor Imobisa, a Chesterfield, Va. native, who was a two-star Rivals.com recruit while playing for Meadowbrook. In all, Coach Scott’s incoming class features five offensive linemen (average: 6-foot-4, 284 lbs.) and four defensive linemen (average: 6-foot-3, 260 lbs.).

Caleb High (OL, Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) was rated with three stars by Rivals, while Keevon Newsome (DL, Portsmouth, Va./Hargrave Military Academy) and Sedale Young (DE, Roanoke, Va./William Fleming) were two-star rated. The other linemen in this class are Austin Gund (OL, Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College), Terrence Fullum (DL, Bethesda, Md./Landon School), Adam Farley (DL, Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic), Nick Ritcher (OL, Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft) and Justin Williamson (DE, Hampton, Va./Phoebus).

Newsome is the brother of Penn State sophomore QB Kevin Newsome. Ritcher is the son of 16-year NFL veteran Jim Ritcher, who spent 14 years with the Buffalo Bills and was their starting center on all four Super Bowl teams. Williamson played for Phoebus, which has posted a 45-0 record in winning three-consecutive state championships.

Seven of the 17 received two-stars (or higher) from Rivals, including two-star QB Cormac Craigie (Piedmont, Calif./Trinity-Pawling-N.Y.), two-star CB Blueford and two-star ATH Dominique Miller (Woodbridge, Va./C.D. Hylton).

The class boasts a trio of versatile small-school athletes from the same district – Aaron Roane (LB, West Point, Va./West Point), Justin Grant (ATH, Franklin, Va./Franklin) and Trevor Jones (ATH, Charles City, Va./Charles City). Each of these three played multiple positions for their high school football teams, and starred in multiple sports. Roane was recruited as a linebacker, but holds West Point’s all-time rushing record. Grant was an All-Region pick at three different positions and shattered a backboard dunking as a junior. Jones earned All-District mention at three different positions.

Also from the Commonwealth is Seth Fisher (FB/LB, Salem, Va./Salem), who holds Salem’s career sacks record. Richmond’s class is geographically spread over Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Georgia and California.

Under Coach Scott, Richmond (6-5, 4-4) limped its way through an injury-plagued 2010 campaign but still was in playoff contention on the season’s final weekend. The Spiders, who won the 2008 National Championship, missed the playoffs in 2010 for the first time in four years but posted the team’s sixth-consecutive winning season — the longest streak at Richmond since seven-straight winning campaigns in the 1920s.

Spring Football at Richmond opens March 16, with the annual Spring Game set for April 9 at Robins Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. 

The list

• Mylon Blueford, cb, 5-10, 170, Oscar Smith HS, Chesapeake, Va.
• Cormac Craigie, qb, 6-2, 200, Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.), Piedmont, Calif.
• Adam Farley, dl, 6-2, 315, Charlotte Catholic HS, Charlotte, N.C.
• Seth Fisher, fb/lb, 6-1, 220, Salem HS, Salem, Va.
• Terrence Fullum, dl, 6-2, 265, Landon School, Bethesda, Md.
• Justin Grant, ath, 6-1, 190, Franklin HS, Franklin, Va.
• Austin Gund, ol, 6-3, 290, Gonzaga College HS, Washington, D.C.
• Caleb High, ol, 6-4, 270, Millbrook HS, Raleigh, N.C.
• Irabor Imobisa, ol, 6-3, 300, Meadowbrook HS, Chesterfield, Va.
• Trevor Jones, ath, 5-11, 185, Charles City HS, Charles City, Va.
• Dominique Miller, ath, 5-10, 160, C.D. Hylton HS, Woodbridge, Va.
• Keevon Newsome, dl, 6-2, 235, Hargrave Military Academy, Portsmouth, Va.
• Nick Ritcher, ol, 6-6, 270, Ravenscroft School, Raleigh, N.C.
• Aaron Roane, lb, 6-2, 200, West Point HS, West Point, Va.
• Sedale Young, ol, 6-4, 290, William Fleming HS, Roanoke, Va.
• Justin Williamson, de, 6-4, 225, Phoebus HS, Hampton, Va.