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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) Southern Mississippi announced a 23-member class that coach Todd Monken hopes will hasten the rebuilding process for his football program.
Monken said Wednesday that fighting off other schools for prospects has been difficult, but, ''We are fired up about the guys that we got.'' The Golden Eagles finished with a 1-11 record last season, but the one victory was in the final game against UAB.
The class includes four junior college signees and 10 players from Mississippi.
Monken has said that he hoped the Golden Eagles' recent struggles wouldn't have much of an effect on recruiting because the program's winning history should be more persuasive.
Rivals ranked Southern Miss' class eighth in Conference USA while Scout ranked it seventh.
Here's a an overview of Southern Mississippi's recruiting class:
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National ranking: (Rivals: 87, Scout: 99)
Best in class: Jon Michael Edwards, DE, Montgomery, Ala. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound recruit was ranked a three-star by Rivals and could give the Golden Eagles some help putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Best of the rest: Darian Yancey, LB, Auburn, Ala; Ito Smith, RB, Mobile, Ala. Yancey is another promising defensive player. He enrolled this spring, which will give him time to learn the program's playbook.
Late addition: Jordan Mitchell, WR, Oak Grove. Mitchell fought injuries during his senior season of high school, but the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has a lot of potential. Mitchell learned under former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who was Oak Grove's offensive coordinator the past two seasons.
One that got away: Torrence Brown, ATH, Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Golden Eagles would have liked to have Brown, but he decided to sign with Penn State.
