Football | 12/20/2023 7:53:00 PM
GREENSBORO – Today was indeed a great day to be an Aggie in Aggieland. Those were pretty much the sentiments uttered by North Carolina A&T head football coach Vincent Brown after he and his staff announced their first full recruiting class during the early signing period on Wednesday. Nine new Aggies plan to don the Blue and Gold in 2024 as the Aggies signed three wide receivers, two quarterbacks, a defensive end, a defensive back, a linebacker and an athlete.
"I am very excited about the young men we were able to sign today as part of our first full recruiting class," said Brown. "They are excellent students and were all highly sought after by numerous programs across the country, including Power Five, Ivy League, and numerous other (Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference) programs.
They chose to come to A&T because they believe in our vision of the program and know that they will get a world-class education here. We addressed several areas by improving our overall speed and productivity."
Slated to play on the offensive end for A&T are quarterbacks Justin Fomby (6-foot-3, 195, Lawrenceville, Ga., Central Gwinett High School, Houston Christian University) and Braxton Thomas (6-3, 215, Sarasota, Fla., Riverview HS), and wide receivers Michael Carlock-Williams (6-4, 180, Jacksonville, N.C., Jacksonville HS), Cortez Lane (6-3, 200, Columbia, S.C., Cardinal Newman School), and Corbin Wilson (5-11, 185, High Point, N.C., Southwest Guilford).
On the defensive side, the Aggies secured defensive end Joshua Hardy (6-4, 215, Bowie, Md., Annapolis Area Christian School, Boston College), defensive back Benjamin "Tre" Mittman (6-0, 187, Durham, N.C., Southern Durham), and linebacker Jayden Williams (6-0, 215, Richmond, Va., Trinity Episcopal HS). A&T also signed athlete Daniel Coles (6-2, 205, Stafford, Va., Brooke Point HS).
OFFENSE
The Aggies threw for 104.9 yards per game last season and five touchdowns. They signed two men they hope will guide them toward improving those numbers. Fomby is a Division I-FCS transfer who sustained some injuries last season. But in 2022, as a sophomore, Fomby threw for 2,297 yards and 16 touchdowns and completed 59.2 percent of his passes (238-402) for the Houston Christian Huskies.
Fomby ranked third in passing in the Southland Conference in 2022 and had the third-most passing yards in a single season in Huskies' program history. Fomby spent three years at Northern Iowa before transferring to Houston Christian. As a senior at Gwinnett High School, he threw for 1,502 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing 58.7 percent (149-254) of his passes.
Thomas threw for 3,954 career yards, 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his prep career. As a junior, he threw for 2,275 yards and 22 touchdowns. During his senior season, He had 510 yards rushing and nine TDs. He advanced Riverview to the Class 4 Surban-Region 4 final. Academics are a big deal to Thomas. He posted a 3.9 grade point average (GPA) in high school and intends to major in finance and sports psychology. Thomas considered Tulsa and Charleston Southern before becoming an Aggie.
Carlock-Williams considered Wake Forest, North Carolina State, and Charleston Southern before coming to the east side of Greensboro. Carlock-Williams became the first player from his area selected to the prestigious Shrine Bowl in three years. He is an extremely hard worker in season and out.
He brings size to the Aggies lineup after making 26 receptions for 610 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. Carlock-Williams is a two-time first-team All-Area Daily News selection after totaling 559 yards and seven touchdowns on 24 receptions as a senior.
Lane should bring some yards after the catch ability with him after he rushed for 1,321 yards and 19 touchdowns on 101 carries as a senior. Lane posted 794 yards rushing on 90 carries as a junior and scored 10 TDs. He also caught 26 passes for 334 yards and three scores. Lane took offers from Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee and South Carolina State.
Wilson comes in as a Piedmont area standout after compiling 1,270 yards and 11 touchdowns on 70 receptions during his career at Southwest Guilford. Seven of his touchdown receptions came during his senior season, where he averaged 22.6 yards per catch. Wilson also rushed for 1,097 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career. Wilson also played some quarterback in high school and participated in track and field.
"Offensively, we added two quarterbacks that are competitive, tough, and have great physical skills," said Brown. "We also added athleticism and ball skills to the wide receiver position."
DEFENSE
On the defensive end, the Aggies signed Power Five transfer Joshua Hardy out of Boston College. A three-star recruit out of high school, Hardy should have three years of eligibility remaining. He was the 68th-ranked defensive end in his class, the No. 25th-ranked player in Maryland, and the No. 2 edge rusher in Maryland, according to 247Sports. He earned all-conference honors from the MIAA C Conference as a senior.
Mittman will bring tremendous speed and athleticism to the Aggies secondary. He made 152 career tackles, including 69 unassisted and six for loss. He also intercepted six passes during his career. As a Durham Hillside High School junior, Mittman recorded 40 tackles, four INTs, five pass breakups and nine pass defenses. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.
He led Hillside to a 13-1 record after an undefeated regular season, losing in the fourth round of the playoffs. He posted a 4.3 GPA in high school and received multiple offers from FCS schools. =
The Aggies are expected to lose all three starting linebackers for the second straight season. Williams could help in that category after capturing two state championship titles at Trinity Episcopal High School. During one season, they went undefeated in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA).
"On defense, we added an extremely talented pass rusher, a very physical and intelligent inside linebacker, and size, athleticism, and playmaking ability to the defensive back room."
THE ATHLETE
Coles narrowed his list to schools such as Virginia Tech, Boston College, East Carolina, Penn State, and Duke before the Aggies became the school of his choice. In a come-from-behind win, Coles once posted nearly 500 all-purpose yards, including 312 yards rushing. He also had six total touchdowns, including four on the ground.
"Overall, it has been a tremendous day, and we can't wait to get to work with them, several of whom will be enrolled this spring," said Brown.
