Yellow Jackets Football Announces 2013 Signing Class

DEFIANCE, Ohio — Head coach Brian Sheehan and the Defiance College football coaching staff has announced the addition of 73 football players to the program with the 2013 signing class. 

The class of 2013 is the first full class for the Yellow Jackets head coach, who enters his second season in charge of the Purple and Gold. After an initial class that produced 12 starters during the 2012 season, Sheehan and the staff have brought in a group to compete for more starting jobs on the field this season.

"The young men we invited to represent the Purple and Gold not only have tremendous athletic ability, but they have the character we want in the future leaders of this football team," Sheehan said of the newest group of Yellow Jackets.

The coaching staff recruited with specific needs in mind, seeking to add depth and competition for starting spots.

"This year's goal was to bring in impact talent and add competitive depth to our football team. There were also specific positions we needed to address to ensure the long-term success of our football program."

Adding playmakers on both sides of the ball was also important to the DC's recruiting efforts.

"We had to add players who would increase our team speed and potentially add a spark to our offense and special teams," commented the Yellow Jacket head coach.  "There will be a number of freshmen in the mix here and we believe they can help us be more varied in our attack this season."

When Sheehan was first hired as the head coach at Defiance, he announced a shift in the program's recruiting strategy.  Recruiting nationally is important for the Yellow Jacket program, but to truly build DC into a championship program he knew they had to protect their home turf.

"Our primary recruiting area will always be in the tri-state, with special attention paid to our own backyard," explained the Yellow Jacket head coach.  "Defiance Football has great respect for Northwest Ohio football.  As a reflection of that we hit the local area very hard."

The Jackets coaching staff brought in 31 commitments from the state of Ohio and added 30 more commitments from Michigan and Indiana. The class also features 12 Florida and Georgia commitments.

Class of 2013 by the numbers
Total Recruits: 73
Offensive Recruits: 37
Defensive Recruits: 33
Special Teams Recruits: 3
Tri-State Recruits: 60
Ohio Recruits: 30
Michigan Recruits: 23
Florida Recruits: 9
Indiana Recruits: 7
Georgia Recruits: 3
Virginia Recruits: 1

Complete list of the 2013 Signing Class