MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - It was a busy Wednesday for J.C. Morgan and the Millersville football program as they received 29 National Letter of Intent signatures on National Signing Day, and more additions to the Millersville football family are expected soon. 

The 2024 signing class is a band of reinforcements for a program that continues to gain depth, competition and talent under the direction of Morgan. The strides made under Morgan's watch are undeniable with the Marauders gaining watershed wins over the last two seasons, and the feeling inside Lehigh Hall's football wing is that the team is oh-so-close to a breakthrough season. 

While the Marauders went 3-8 after starting the 2023 season 3-1, they suffered four losses by seven points or fewer, and took Kutztown, which won the PSAC Championship and made a deep NCAA playoffs run, to the brink. Two years in a row, the Marauders have played the PSAC East champs to within one score. In the last two seasons, Millersville has also produced its first All-American since 1998 and the first Millersville athlete in any sport to earn CSC Academic All-America honors twice (Steve Sweeney). The 2023 season was also marred by significant injuries as All-PSAC East running back was truly healthy for only five games, and quarterback Robert Footman Jr., with whom the Marauders were 3-3 as a starter before an injury derailed his season. 

But attrition is a major factor in football, and Morgan and his staff continue to establish the program by building and developing through the high school ranks. Of the 29 players inked on National Signing Day, 28 were high school seniors. It is also a balanced class with a blend of speed, skill and strength. Notably, however, the team signed seven offensive linemen to an already deep unit, and bolstered the secondary with six defensive backs. 

At the conclusion of signing day, Director of Athletic Communications Ethan Hulsey sat down with Morgan to recap of the recruiting season. 

To view the 2024 signing day additions, click here. 

THE CONVERSATION
EH: Every offseason is a unique challenge when you are identifying targets, looking years down the road to make sure you always have the needed depth at every position. This year, what were your primary positions of focus? 
JM: We put a lot of focus in the line play with the offensive and defensive line positions. We also put a lot of focus in the defensive secondary, particularly the safety positions. 

EH: When you are out on the road and bringing prospective student-athletes to campus, what was the message about the program?
JM: It's a great time to join the program. We are definitely in position to not only be competitive week in and week out but in position to win some ball games and be in the picture in terms of championship football in the PSAC. We firmly believe are close. A lot of games this year were close. As a program we are trying to figure out how to get over the hump. We are relaying that message to the young men that in some way, shape, or form, they can be a part of getting us over that hump. 

EH: This signing class has a blend of local players, while you also reached out into Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. How do you put together your board and balance recruiting out-of-state and in your backyard?
JM: We are always going to have a strong local presence. That's something we've been committed to since day one. We want to attract young men from the Lancaster-Lebanon League, Mid-Penn, York-Adams, even Chester County, suburban Philadelphia. There is a lot of great football in a short drive. But we also have the staffing and resources to go out of state and get some guys. Our coaches did a great job identifying young men in those New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, and we were able to put a plan out there to land some of those guys. 

EH: Is there a common thread among among the athletes in this year's class? 
JM: They are physical football players. We've always wanted to hang our hat on being a physical football team. If you look at the defensive backs, line play, the running backs, every position, we wanted to go out and get physical football players. Even with the wide receivers, one common trait is that they all have the ability to block. We want guys who play a physical brand of football with a high motor, relentlessly pursuing their assignments. Those are the guys we were attracted to. 

EH: You never want to bring in players hoping they will play as freshmen. Where do you feel that you are as a roster right now. Do you see them being able to learn, grow and then contribute down the road? 
JM: You always think about how to have depth. At this level, to have quality depth, you may need some guys to step up and play early, not in a major role right away, but contribute some snaps. The one thing we keep in mind more now is that we have a three-game redshirt rule. We can develop guys throughout the year and have a chance to play three games without losing a season of eligibility. We were able to do that with some players this year. That way, you don't have to make that decision early in camp. You can see how they are developing throughout the year. We like guys playing at the age of 22 more than 18, but we've been fortunate to have some younger guys come in the last couple of years and help us win football games. We have some guys that we want to play sooner than later. How soon that happens depends on them and how they adjust to the college level. 

EH: Anyone that follows college football is familiar with how the transfer portal has impacted everything in regards to recruiting. What is your philosophy on balancing college transfers and recruiting freshmen? 
JM: Our philosophy from day one is building our foundation on recruiting high school players. We will use the transfer portal to supplement the roster. It's not what you see on signing day. It's an on-going process that continues all the way up to preseason camp. We aren't done yet. We are always going to look for ways to fill a competitive roster. If there are young men looking for an opportunity and can fit a need for us, we are going to explore those options. But we definitely like to establish our program on guys who have been in the program from high school through graduation. That's developing relationships and continuing to build on those relationships as they arrive. 

EH: You mentioned prior to signing day that this may be your strongest academic class. What is the importance of that trait when recruiting to Millersville? 
JM: It goes into retention. If you bring in strong students who can remain in school, and not just remain, but thrive academically in the classroom. It's a big reason why our team GPA has increased throughout the years. If we can keep those guys here and not have academics be a hindrance to our progress, you'll see it on the field when you are playing with veteran players. When you play with veteran players you have a great chance to win football games. We are showing that we can get guys with high academic standards who want to achieve in the classroom and can win football games. That goes along with maintaining an experienced squad with players who have been in the system.