Happy Signing Day and welcome to our Live Blog where we will continually update all the activity today as the NLI’s come rolling in! So, go ahead and keep this tab open and hit that refresh button frequently as we update the day’s action with highlights, offer lists, previous articles, and so much more for Liberty’s 2025 signing class.
In the meantime, get caught up with what to expect today and this week in our Signing Day Primer. Also, for ASOR Club members, you need to check the Rumor Mill for news leading into Signing Day and keep tabs there today and this week as well in case we hear any rumors.
NLI’S RECEIVED
CB URIAH POINTS
Points is a 5’10”, 175 pound defensive back from Grayson High School and Loganville, Georgia. He recorded 130 tackles and 3 interceptions during his career. He will be a mid-year enrollee. Points helped Grayson to a 12-1 record in the 2024 season and they are still competing, currently in the semifinals of the Georgia 6A state playoffs.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Auburn, Indiana, West Virginia, Arizona State, Pitt, Boston College, BYU, Appalachian State, Memphis, Coastal Carolina, UConn, Georgia State, Marshall, UAB, Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee, Delaware
Rankings
247: 3-star 82
Rivals: 3-star 5.5
On3: 3-star 83
Highlights
DL SAM COHEN
Cohen is a 6’3″, 245 pound defensive end from Richmond, Virginia where he attends Huguenot High School. He is rated as a three-star prospect by all the national recruiting services. 247Sports lists him as the No. 20 prospect in Virginia in the Class of 2025 while Rivals ranks him as No. 26 in the state for his class and On3 has him as No. 27 in the state. According to 247Sports, Cohen is rated as the fourth highest prospect in this class and 8th highest in program history. Cohen was named first-team all-region in Virginia’s Region 4B this past fall while recording 21 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Georgia, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Kentucky, NC State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Louisville, East Carolina, Marshall
Rankings
247: 3-star 88
Rivals: 3-star 5.5
On3: 3-star 86
Highlights
QB ETHAN HOUCK
Houck is a 6’4″, 205 pound quarterback from Brunswick High School and Brunswick, Maryland. As a junior last season, he completed 91 of 141 passes for 1,503 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed 74 times for 825 yards and an additional 13 scores. He is a three-star rated prospect, currently rated the No. 49 QB prospect in the country by On3Sports, the second highest QB grade among prospects currently committed to Group of Five schools. Houck is the highest rated QB to ever sign with Liberty out of high school as his rating continued to climb throughout his senior season. He would have had considerably more offers if he didn’t shut down his commitment early and commit to the Flames over the summer. According to 247Sports, Houck is rated as the 2nd highest commit in the class and fourth highest in program history. Houck threw for 2,156 passing yards and had 42 total touchdowns during his senior year. He will be a mid-year enrollee.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Charlotte
Rankings
247: 3-star 88
Rivals: 3-star 5.5
On3: 3-star 90
Highlights
OT BRANDON EDOZIE
Edozie 6’6″, 275 pound offensive lineman from Woodbridge, Virginia and Forest Park High School. He was a big basketball player throughout his childhood and into his high school career. He is likely to begin his Liberty career at offensive tackle. He was a two-year starter on the offensive line at Forest Park and was named first-team all-district.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Central Michigan, Buffalo, Temple, UConn
Rankings
247: 3-star 85
Rivals: 2-star 5.4
On3: 3-star 86
Highlights
WR NAS NEWKIRK
Newkirk is a three-star rated wide receiver from Greensboro, North Carolina and Dudley High School. The 6’2″, 185 pound athlete previously announced a top 10 of Liberty, Charlotte, Appalachian State, Duke, East Carolina, Georgia, USF, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin. In June, Newkirk took official visits to Liberty, Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, which those four schools were his finalists before announcing his commitment. In last season’s 14-1 campaign for the Panthers, Newkirk finished second on the team with 1,123 receiving yards and paced Dudley with 16 receiving touchdowns. Newkirk is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 23 prospect in the state of North Carolina and No. 144 rated wide receiver in the Class of 2025. He is the highest rated wide receiver to commit to Liberty. Newkirk had 2,535 career receiving yards at Dudley with 31 total touchdowns. This year alone, he has 52 receptions for 909 yards and 12 touchdowns. He will be a mid-year enrollee. Newkirk helped Dudley to an undefeated 13-0 record in 2024 and they have advanced to the North Carolina 3A state regional finals.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, James Madison, Old Dominion, USF
Rankings
247: 3-star 86
Rivals: 3-star 5.6
On3: 3-star 88
Highlights
RB JAYLON COLEMAN
Coleman is a 5’8″, 150 pound prospect from Vandebilt Catholic High School and Houma, Louisiana. He projects as a running back and could be used by the Flames in a similar role to the way Aaron Bedgood was used during the 2023 season. Coleman was rated as a four-star prospect by both ESPN and Rivals when he committed to the Flames. ESPN still rates him as a four-star while the rest of the recruiting services have Coleman as a three-star prospect. According to 247Sports ratings, Coleman is the third highest rated high school recruit to commit to Liberty all-time and the highest in this class. Coleman had over 5,000 career yards at Vandebilt and ended his career as the program’s all-time leader in rushing. Coleman opened this year’s state playoff game with a 92-yard kickoff return for touchdown.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Arkansas, Florida State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pitt, SMU, Texas A&M, UCF, FAU, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, UTSA
Rankings
247: 3-star 89
Rivals: 3-star 5.6
On3: 3-star 87
Highlights
RB MALACHI FANNIN-RENDER
Fannin-Render is a 5’8″, 180 pound running back from LaGrange High School in LaGrange, Georgia. Liberty’s coaching staff first began recruiting Fannin-Render when they were at Coastal Carolina, offering him during the 2022 season. The staff quickly offered him after coming to Liberty and now Fannin-Render will make his way to Lynchburg with them. Fannin-Render has suffered from a couple of serious injuries earlier in his high school career including a broken collarbone and torn ACL, but he has been healthy for his senior season and is enjoying plenty of success. In his senior year, Fannin-Render rushed for over 2,000 yards and had 32 total touchdowns. He is the between the tackle running back the Flames utilize in this offense, which should compliment the explosiveness of Jaylon Coleman. Fannin-Render will be a mid-year enrollee. LaGrange is currently 10-3 on the season and in the Georgia Class 3A state semifinals. During LaGrange’s first three state playoff games this year, he had 52 carries for 686 yards and 9 touchdowns.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, UAB, Western Kentucky, Troy
Rankings
247: N/A
Rivals: N/A
On3: N/A
Highlights
OL GABE SMITH
Smith is a 6’5″, 330 pound interior offensive line from Alpharetta, Georgia and Cambridge High School. The three-star prospect is rated as the 87th best interior offensive lineman in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports. He was named first team all-region at Cambridge. He helped Cambridge to a 10-3 record this season, qualifying for the georgia 4A state playoffs wehre they advanced to teh quarterfinals.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Arkansas, Duke, Miami FL, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Indiana, USF, FAU, Georgia Southern, Arkansas State, Charlotte, Memphis
Rankings
247: 3-star 86
Rivals: 3-star 5.6
On3: 3-star 86
Highlights
DL GAVIN ASKEW
Askew is a 6’4″, 245 pound defensive line prospect from Powder Springs, Georgia and Hillgrove High School. As a junior, Askew recorded 50 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and one pass breakup. This past season, Askew recorded 69 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He will be a mid-year enrollee.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
UConn, East Carolina, Temple, Western Kentucky, Air Force, Army, Delaware, Ball State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Delaware, Kennesaw State, Miami Ohio
Rankings
247: 3-star 85
Rivals: N/A
On3: 3-star 86
Highlights
DB MYKE GUNN
Gunn is a 6’3″, 180 defensive back from Auburn High School in Auburn, Alabama. He is likely to start his career at corner with the Flames. He posted 60 tackles and 8 passes broken up this past season for Auburn. Gunn helped Auburn to a 10-1 record during his senior season. He will be a mid-year enrollee.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
West Virginia, Appalachian State, FAU, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville State, East Carolina, Western Kentucky, Arkansas State, Marshall, UAB, USF
Rankings
247: 3-star 86
Rivals: 2-star 5.4
On3: 3-star 83
Highlights
DL JEFFREY HAIRSTON
Hairston is a 6’3″, 220 pound defensive end from Rocky Mount, Virginia and Franklin County High School. In four games played this past season, Hairston recorded 32 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. He will likely begin his career at Joker for the Flames. Hairston will be a mid-year enrollee.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Marshall, James Madison, Air Force, UConn
Rankings
247: N/A
Rivals: 3-star 5.5
On3: N/A
Highlights
WR BRYCE RANDOLPH
Randolph is a three-star rated wide receiver from Wiregrass Ranch High School in Zephyrhills, Florida. Randolph is 5’11” and 160 pounds. He had 1,576 career receiving yards with 17 touchdowns during his time at Wiregrass Ranch. Randolph helped Wiregrass Ranch to an 11-2 record in 2024 and advanced to the third round of the Florida 6A state playoffs. He will be a mid-year enrollee.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Penn State, Boston College, Pitt, Temple, Coastal Carolina, Western Kentucky, Buffalo, Georgia Southern, Arkansas State
Rankings
247: 3-star 86
Rivals: 3-star 5.5
On3: 3-star 87
Highlights
DT KAM CULLINS
Cullins was the final piece to the puzzle of this signing class as he announced his commitment on Tuesday. Cullins is a 6’4″, 270 pound defensive lineman from Kennesaw, Georgia and North Cobb High School. Cullins committed to SMU back in the summer and then flipped to his hometown Georgia Tech later in the summer. Just a few weeks ago, Cullins announced his decommitment from the Yellow Jackets. He helped lead North Cobb to a 7-4 season and first round of the playoffs in the highest classification in Georgia, 7A, during his junior season. This year, he has helped North Cobb to an 11-1 record and the second round of the Georgia 6A state playoffs. He was selected first-team all-region for his play on defense. This past season, Cullins had 47 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He will be a mid-year enrollee.
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Georgia Tech, SMU, Maryland, South Carolina, Tulane, Appalachian State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Western Kentucky
Rankings
247: 3-star 86
Rivals: 3-star 5.6
On3: 3-star 89
Highlights
DB DAVION DEAN
Dean was first to announce his commitment to Liberty in this class. He is a 6’1″, 185 pound athlete from Glen St Mary, Florida and Baker County Senior High School. and others
ASOR Coverage
Notable offers
Iowa State, UCF, East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, UConn, FAU, Georgia Southern, Western Kentucky, USF
Rankings
247: 3-star 82
Rivals: 2-star 5.4
On3: 3-star 83
