By Lisa Byers
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rival Slippery Rock University signed 16. Fellow conference rival Gannon signed nine.
For Edinboro University, though, it’s not about the number of players signed on National Signing Day, it’s about the quality of players. And head coach Scott Browning feels the Scots are off to a pretty good start in that department.
Browning announced the signing of two players for its 2010 recruiting class yesterday. Those players are cornerback James Jackson from New Smyrna Beach, Fla. and Northwestern senior Blaine Iskula.
“We traditionally only sign two or three players on the first day,” Browning said. “It’s a marathon for us, not a sprint; and it continues to be that way. We’re going to take our time.”
Cornerback, however, was an area of priority and Jackson, who had 77 tackles this season in high school, was a guy the Scots had been keeping an eye on.
“We saw he had some Division I interest, but got dropped at the last minute,” Browning said. “We saw that and got him on a plane and up here (for a visit). He liked it here and we really liked him.
“He’s definitely going to help us.”
Iskula caught 19 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns this past year at Northwestern.
Browning said he is excited to see the 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end/defensive back and considers him a “diamond in the rough.”
Yesterday’s signings were just the beginning for the Scots. Browning said the school has other potential signees, but that nothing had been made official.
“Signing day is a little different for us because we don’t traditionally sign a lot,” Browning said. “We kind of watch and see where everyone else goes. It’s fun to watch guys you may have been looking at and where they end up.
“It’s an exciting day. It’s probably the most exciting day in college athletics that a ball isn’t involved.”
No signings were confirmed from players from Crawford County.
General McLane’s Kevin Kulka and Lee Provencher were among the 16 signed by head coach George Mihalik at Slippery Rock University. Slippery Rock also signed Hickory defensive end Akeem Fields.
Among Gannon’s nine signees were Eisenhower punter and quarterback Cody Crosby, Strong Vincent offensive lineman Alex Davis and McDowell linebacker/defensive end Kasey Gallagher.
Wilmington’s Derrick Burns, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound linebacker, signing with the University of Pittsburgh was also made official yesterday.
Lisa Byers can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at lbyers@meadvilletribune.com.
