Lehigh University Athletics
From Head Coach Pete Lembo
2/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Dear Alumni and Friends -
We are in very good spirits with the arrival of the national signing date on Wednesday, February 2nd. While we do not subscribe the national letter of intent program in the Patriot League, we have secured 28 verbal commitments and have four more student-athletes visiting our campus this coming weekend.
While the NCAA allows Division I-AA programs to utilize 56 official visits before the signing date, we needed just 37 to land our 28 verbals. This hit rate of almost 76% so far is significantly better than we have fared in previous years. We typically shoot for 60%, which is still very good when you consider that recruits are permitted up to five official visits. We yielded an amazing 14 of 18 recruits on our second visit weekend in January, which took place during a severe snow storm in the northeast.
Our coaching staff has done a terrific job of identifying and pursuing quality candidates that have the credentials and character to fit into our program. I am especially pleased with the strength of this class (while not yet complete) when you consider that our admissions floor and target for the football recruiting class rose noticeably again this year.
Defensive coordinator Shannon Morrison, who recruits central New Jersey, has been particularly effective despite having no Patriot/Ivy recruiting experience prior to this year on our staff. Special teams coordinator Adam Scheier, beginning his third year at Lehigh, is also enjoying a successful campaign, with most of his commitments coming from North Jersey.
Critical needs in several position areas including defensive line, linebacker, tight end, fullback and wide receiver have already been met. Our current players continue to be excellent ambassadors, and we often receive positive feedback from recruits and parents alike on their efforts. We are also appreciative of the relationships we have with the admissions and financial aid staffs, who understand the sense of urgency necessary to succeed in the ultra-competitive Division I football recruiting environment.
The last group of recruits, which hail from four different states, will visit campus this weekend in conjunction with our annual football banquet on Saturday evening. This event will be an excellent opportunity for them to see the entire Lehigh football family celebrate last season's successes together.
We hope to wrap up the class of 2009 by early next week. We are anxious to transition back into "football mode" full time as early morning agility sessions have already begun and our video cut ups from last season are ready to be viewed and evaluated.
Please visit the lehighsports.com web early site next week for a list of award winners from the football banquet. Our football class of 2009 signee list is likely to be released later next week. I will provide you with another email update as soon as time permits.
Thanks for your ongoing interest and support.
Sincerely,
Pete
