Ouachita Baptist Signs 30 for 2014 Football Class

Featured, Football, Football Recruiting, Recruiting, Tigers | February 6, 2014 by Sporting Life Arkansas | 0 Comments

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Ouachita Tiger head coach Todd Knight and recruiting coordinator coach Brett Shockley are excited to announce the Ouachita Football National Signing Day Class of 2014. In all, the Tigers signed 30 players to address needs on both sides of the ball and contribute in seeking another Great American Conference championship.

Knight talked about the impact this class will have on the Tiger program.

“Our coaching staff, with Coach Shockley’s guidance, has brought in what might be the most critical class in three years,” Knight said. “We have 22 seniors next season and this class will help us carry on with continued success in future seasons.”

He added, “This class is very comparable to our 2011 class, which was one of our most successful classes in recent years.”

The Tigers signed players from four states with the majority coming from Arkansas. This continues a long tradition of bringing in players from the Natural State. In all, the 2014 class includes 17 student-athletes from Arkansas, 11 from Texas, one from Louisiana and one from Mississippi.

Of the 30 players signed, 16 will address needs on defense. Ouachita signed six defensive lineman, five linebackers and five defensive backs. Last season, the Tigers finished third in the conference in total defense and second in pass defense. They were first in limiting opponents to 17.2 first downs per game.

Several of these defensive players will be asked to step in immediately as the Tigers lost five starters on defense at the end of the 2013 season. Shockley emphasized what this group of signees brings to Ouachita.

“Defensively, I’m excited about the group we’ve brought in,” said Shockley. “We definitely added athleticism with this group of defenders.”

On offense, The Tigers added explosiveness at the skill positions. This will bolster a Tiger offense that averaged 37.1 points per game in 2013. They also added a young group of offensive lineman who will have time to mature in the weight room their first year.

Shockley said, “Offensively we couldn’t ask for a more explosive group of athletes. The skill kids in this group amassed over 24,000 yards of combined offense in their high school careers.”

The Tigers will look to fill a big void left by graduating All-Conference punter Clark Gaddis. Gaddis led the conference in 2013 with a net average of 38.2 yards per punt. Shelton Wooley from Ruston, Louisiana will take over the punting duties and add to an already stable group of specialists in kicker Matt Ehasz and deep snapper Eric Ashburn.

“Our specialist fields an immediate need at punter and will be able to step in at kicker after Ehasz graduates,” Shockley said.

Shockley added, “Overall I’m proud of the class our staff has assembled. This class will definitely help carry on the winning tradition we’ve established here at Ouachita.”