Photo courtesy of Old Dominion athletics

National Signing Day is just two weeks away. To this point, only six players from the 2020 class have signed a letter of intent to play for Old Dominion.

While new head coach Ricky Rahne has only been in the role for about two months, he and his new staff have been hitting the road hard to fill out the Monarchs’ 2020 class. Though it isn’t his first full class, Rahne’s fingerprints are all over this one.

Keeping Talent in State

To this point, ODU has signed LOI’s from two local standouts. Malcolm Britt, a three-star OLB from nearby Oscar Smith High (Chesapeake), is the 19th-ranked wide receiver in the state, according to Rivals. Amore Morrison, a two-star defensive end from nearby Salem High (Virginia Beach), also has a world of potential.

Along with Britt, two-star Australian punter Ethan Duane signed his letter during the early signing period. Noah Robinson, a two-star receiver from Louisa County, also signed during the early period. Robinson chose ODU over in-state schools Richmond and William and Mary.

The last of the four Virginia players signed so far is Graham (Bluefield) wideout Devin Lester. Lester had been committed to ODU since July and is also a two-star recruit, per Rivals.

Staying in the Royal Family

The final player so far is Dominique Anthony. That name may sound familiar to Monarchs fans as he is the brother of current tight end Donte’ Anthony. Dominique is a two-star pro-style quarterback from Potomac (Oxon Hill, MD).

Currently, the Monarchs have the 13th-ranked class in Conference USA. They’ll look to improve on that when everything is said and done.

Prospects to Watch

Recently, the Monarchs offered Romon Copeland Jr, an electric athlete from the same school as Britt. Copeland is dangerous and could be utilized in the mold of to a Tavon Austin. Copeland narrowed down his list to 10 on Jan. 19. ODU is among the schools, along with North Carolina, Maryland, and Norfolk State.

LaMareon James lit the internet on fire when he posted pictures of his visit to ODU last weekend. The three-star athlete out of Indian River (Chesapeake, VA) was committed to North Carolina before decommitting in September. James is the eighth-ranked recruit in the state, according to Rivals. With a .8709 composite score, according to 247Sports, James would be the top recruit in program history. James is set to make his decision on Feb. 5 and will choose between ODU and Pittsburg.

Former Kent State commit Isiah Paige, out of Varina (Richmond, VA), is on the board for the Monarchs. The speedy wide receiver verbally committed to ODU on Jan. 18. Paige, the 2019 VHSL 5B Offensive Player of the Year, was also considering Hampton and Kent State. Paige is a two-star, according to Rivals.

ODU also looks to be in play for former Florida State tackle commit Alex Atcavage from IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL). Atcavage visited ODU last weekend with James and others. He is ranked as a three-star by Rivals and has a 247Sports composite score of .8288. Atcavage could very well flip to ODU; if so, it would be a big splash for Rahne and staff.

These and others such as Maryland quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, Washington D.C. defensive tackle Keyshawn Hunter and North Carolina defensive end Adrian Spellman look to sign on National Signing Day. ODU coaches have been hitting the road hard to find the next group of Monarchs. National Signing Day will be a good indication of how far they’ve come.