EASTON, Pa. –  The Lafayette football program has secured the commitments of 13 student-athletes in the early signing period.

Five of the early group are slotted for the offensive side of the ball while eight defensive players signed National Letters of Intent to join the Lafayette football class of 2024. Lafayette's full recruiting class will be introduced via GoLeopards.com on National Signing Day on Feb. 5, highlighted by the Lafayette Sports Network's signing day show. 

"It is an exciting day for Lafayette football as we add some talented players to this 2020 recruiting class," said John Garrett, the Fred M. Kirby '42 Head Football Coach. "These players will add to the momentum we generated with our strong finish to our break-through 2019 season. We look forward to completing this recruiting class as we prepare to add more impressive student-athletes on the signing day in February. The future is bright for Lafayette Football. Go Leopards!"

On defense, Garrett and his staff added four in the secondary, two linebackers and two linemen. Offensively, the staff brought in two linemen, a tight end, a wide receiver and a quarterback as part of the eighth scholarship class in the Patriot League era.

The early signees from the Class of 2024 are a geographically diverse group, coming to Easton from 10 states: two each from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia and one apiece from Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas.

Lafayette's most recent recruiting class paid immediate benefits as 18 freshmen played in five or more games and nine of them started at least one game in 2019. Lafayette has had the last two Patriot League Rookies of the Year: DL Malik Hamm in 2018 (he was the PL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019) and QB Keegan Shoemaker in 2019. In 2018, 15 freshmen played in four or more games, including eight who had a start.

The team's spring season, consisting of 15 practice sessions, gets underway on March 22 and will conclude with the Maroon-White Spring Game on April 25 at 11 a.m. Lafayette opens the 2020 fall campaign on Sept. 5 at Sacred Heart and wraps the regular season on Nov. 21 when Lafayette hosts Lehigh in the 156th meeting of college football's most-played and longest continuous rivalry.
 

NAME	POS.	HT	WT	HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Mike Barr	OL	6-4	290	Havertown, Pa./Haverford School
Beau Bedard	OL	6-3	285	Annapolis, Md./McDonogh
Semaj Cross	DB	6-1	205	Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Central Catholic
Jon Engel	DB	6-3	190	Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township
Preston Forney	LB	6-1	220	Southlake, Texas/Southlake Carroll
Mason Gilbert	TE	6-6	215	Dewitt, Mich./Dewitt
Joe Groves	WR	6-1	190	Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County
Shaikyi Hannah	CB	5-11	180	Minotola, N.J./Delsea
Max Kauthen	LB	6-1	225	Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge
Stone McDonald	DB	6-1	195	Bluffton, S.C./Hilton Head Prep
Rent Montie	QB	6-3	180	Palm Harbor, Fla./Clearwater
Noah Nunn	DL	6-5	210	Medina, Ohio/Medina
Ike Summerlin	DL	6-2	230	Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West