The first day of the early signing period for recruits was a slow one for the University of Maine football team, but new head coach Jordan Stevens said that was to be expected given the recent change at top of the program.
Early Wednesday morning, the Black Bears announced the signing of Rohan Jones, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound wide receiver from Montreal. Jones was the only player who had signed with UMaine as of mid-afternoon.
“(Jones) was actually one of the first kids I called when I got the job. I was driving north, and he was one of the first guys I got on the phone with. We were able to get his commitment right at that point,” said Stevens, who was hired last week to replace Nick Charlton.
Welcome to the FaⓂ️ily!
Rohan Jones
WR | 6'2" | 215 lbs
Montreal, Que.
Collège André-Grasset#BlackBearNation | #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/5jidvlyzVH— Maine Football (@BlackBearsFB) December 15, 2021
The early signing period runs from Wednesday through Friday, with the traditional national signing day set for Feb. 2. Stevens said while there could be a few more names announced this week, most of the Black Bears’ recruiting class will come during the February signing period.
“We have a few other guys we’re hopeful will come through between now and the end of this signing period. (A slow signing period) is kind of to be expected with the coaching change, as everything was on pause when there wasn’t a coach in place. We’re moving forward and diving back into it and having a plan moving into January,” Stevens said.
Stevens said he had nothing new to report on the construction of his coaching staff. As of now, he and the assistant coach holdovers from Charlton’s staff are working on bringing in a recruiting class, he said.
“There’s a few kids who want to get up here, and I want to see them, too. I want to get to know who they are. Relationships are number one in recruiting, and we’ll be doing a great job building those relationships over the next month and a half,” Stevens said. “Right now, I’m working with the guys here and we’re working on recruiting.”
Stevens said he’ll also continue to monitor the NCAA transfer portal, but had no news on potential transfers into the Maine program.
The Black Bears are scheduled to open the 2022 season Sept. 3 at New Mexico.
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