Liberty head football coach Hugh Freeze held a virtual press conference with the media to discuss the 2022 signing class. For more signing day coverage, check out our Signing Day Live Blog. Here’s everything Freeze had to say about his signing class:

OPENING STATEMENT

“We are thrilled. We are very excited. I think the job that our staff, not just the on the field guys, but the entire building, obviously also academics, facilities, our training table staff, our administration, everyone pitched in to represent Liberty just for who we are. I think the ones who came and experienced the weekends with us or back in the summer or whenever they took their visit, I think they felt what we all feel there that it’s a special place with special people, trying to accomplish something very special. We are really thrilled to get to this point. It’s been a crazy two and a half weeks.”

“Having 10 mid-year signees and 7 others sign today, we really hit on most every target. We still have scholarships left. Recruiting is going to continue heading into the new year when it opens back up, that first weekend in January when you can trip transfer kids and then obviously back to the open period around the 14th where you will continue leading up to that February signing day. Not sure exactly how many we want to sign, but we certainly are still looking for a couple of guys in the offensive line, for sure, and maybe another safety or corner. Don’t pigeon-hole me on that, you never know what great players could come about and we think they fit with us.”

“Just really, really thrilled with the families. Talking with them this morning as their papers came in, I think it just reaffirmed to everybody in that room the type of kids and families we have attracted to come join us. We feel extremely blessed and thankful. Looking forward to adding this class to our roster to continue to help us be one of the premier programs in the country. Really excited.”

QB CHARLIE BREWER

“There’s a lot of neat recruiting stories that I think we could tell. One day we probably should sit down and try to tell a lot of them. I was in Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota my first day out. I get the word that, we obviously knew that he was on the market, not quite sure if we had a real shot at him, but I just kept on. Adjusted my plans and flew to Austin and met with he, his mom, his brother. I thought we had just a great visit. I explained to him, showed him on a board, they met us at a FBO, I went through the whole offense with him and how I thought he fit it. We hit it off. That really got us, I think, in it. He sees himself fitting in our offense with what we do. I think it fits his skill-set. If you watch his stuff from Baylor, he’s a tremendous rhythm player, rhythm passer, RPO guy that stands in the pocket and delivers the throw. And, also, has the ability to run. There’s not many Malik Willis’ out there, but Charlie has his own skill sets. He’s not afraid to run it. He rushed for 22 touchdowns or so in his Baylor career.”

“I think he’s a heck of a leader and the type of guy you want competing. That room is full of some good players. It doesn’t mean we don’t like the ones we have. I tell all recruits, I don’t know if many coaches do it, but I’m straight with them and tell them, ‘look, my goal is to recruit you and then my goal is to recruit somebody better than you as soon as I can.’ I think that’s real talk. I don’t care what program you go to they are going to have 4-5 quarterbacks on scholarship, 5 tight ends on scholarship, 5 running backs on scholarship every year. You’re not going to change that. You’re not just going to roll into a year where you’re like well, we like our guys so let’s just go with one scholarship guy. That’s not the way it works.”

“Competition, for the right type of guy, brings out the best in people. I love the fact that Charlie, he’s not afraid of that. He’s open to that. I hope everybody responds to that the right way. I think he appreciated my honesty and the opportunity I think to come in and play in a system that fits him and a culture that fits him was attractive to him.”

WR CALEB SNEAD

“That one didn’t feel like someone you didn’t know. Number one, absolutely have great respect for his high school coach, Coach Bradley. He and I talked as soon as it was evident that he was going in the portal. Even before that, I remember talking to Bradley when we played them about how fun it was for him to coach him and the type of kid, type of family he came from. Obviously, so many of our players on our team know him. That one didn’t feel quite as strange as some that you bring in on a weekend that you really haven’t gotten to know. I didn’t feel like that at all.”

“When I did the home visit with him, I just loved the kid, loved his personality, loved his glow about him. That one certainly, it was not one that felt real uncomfortable.”

“Obvioiusly, Snead speaks for himself. Veteran, mature, big, outside threat that can win one on ones.”

OT REGGIE YOUNG II

“Length, long, need that, and he has the feet. The only thing we have to do with Reggie is just put a little mass on him. I’m confident that Dom and Danielle can do that. He will walk on campus being one of the more athletic offensive linemen that we have”

“We did miss on a target there (OL) that we really felt good about, but I’m confident, we have already got a group set to come up for January for that position too. We’d like to sign another tackle, obviously, and probably a center also to have here just to add to the depth of that room. We don’t lose much. It was big though that we know we will have Reggie here in the spring for that extra work in the weight room, nutritionally and on the field.”

“Wonderful family. He took three trips. Committed to me on my home visit. They love the place, and he fits with us. Really thrilled we get Reggie.”

LB MIKE SMITH JR

“Mike Smith, Jr., cause we need to talk about Mike Smith, Sr. too who is an incredible father and Miss Miyah, the whole family. That was a battle all the way to the end with Power Five schools. I think it speaks volumes to how our program is viewed. That one went down to Monday, Tuesday of this week. Really, our guys did a great job. Jack Curtis was heavily involved in that along with myself. I think Mike Smith, man he’s the guy that you look at and say I want that guy to be our team captain and leader. What a guy and what a player. Again, beat out some really, really good options that he had for him to come here.”

LB JORDAN NORWOOD

“Norwood, the high school kid out of Colorado that signed with us is, I think, a Power Five talent. Got to see him when we went out to Colorado. They were getting ready to play for the state championship game. Just watching the way he works and practicing and plays. Then, visiting with his family, I think he’s a heck of a signee out of high school.”

WR MARKEL FORTENBERRY

“You bring in a high school kid like Markel to develop. I love his length. I like long receivers and we definitely have gotten longer with those two (Markel and Caleb Snead). Great story, great family. Paul and Caroline, we love that family. They fit with us. I’m glad that we got him in early and he committed because he started blowing up there at the end and dominated the all-star game in Tennessee. I think we’ve got us a gem there.”

“He really kinda reminds me, if you watch his tape, and I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but when I watch his tape and I go back and watch tape on AGG from high school, there’s a lot of similarities there. We’re really thrilled with getting Markel.”

TE AUSTIN HENDERSON

“To get a kid who has signed with a Power Five program that has so many years left. What a great family. I can’t take a ton of credit for this one even though I think Kent and I did a home visit there and really felt good about it, but truthfully Liberty can sell itself to some families. Their family has kids that are here. His uncle and aunt have two students at Liberty. Austin has a brother that is at Liberty also. Word of mouth from those is probably the biggest asset for those. He had other options also. He took his visits, but we had the last visit. I think he was pretty clear that this was the right fit for him.”

“He is a guy that is 6’5″ and weighed 236 or 238 on his visit. I think he will be 255, 260, 6’5″ guy that can play a lot of snaps for us for a long time.”

TE TEIGAN MARTIN

“I kept telling Coach Ben, look Ben, I’m tired of going out to pregame and seeing tight ends on other teams that are a lot longer than ours. We’ve got to get some length man, if at all possible. I think length is important at a lot of positions, tight end being one of them.”

“He had Iowa State, Minnesota, and just really knew this was the place for him. We had to convince dad a little bit. I hope dad hears this. Mom was all in with us all the time, but we had to convince dad a little bit to get him away from home. After he came on his visit, dad was all in too. That was thrilling. I think Teigan is going to be a big human being in time.”

S BRYLAN GREEN

“The only one that I recall right off the top of my head (that played two sports) was Senquez Golson who played corner for me at Ole Miss and also played baseball and was tremendous at both. That is one position that I think you can do that. This recruiting kind of wound up back in summer. They took an early visit. The collaboration between our staff and Coach Jackson’s baseball staff, I thought he probably sensed. He took three other visits and was clear about his intentions. Really, at the end of the day, I think he felt like there was more unity between our staffs and our plan to support him and his endeavors to do both.”

“Another tremendous family. He reminds me of Mike Hilton who started all four years for me, who everybody said he was too small to play and now, I don’t know, what’s he going on his 7th NFL season and still making picks and making tackles. Brylan when you put on his tape and you watch him run down hill in the alleys and tackle, it’s impressive. I think, again, the family feel of the way we collaborated with baseball in recruiting him I think gave us the edge.”

S JAYDEN SWEENEY

“What a player. Guy’s led his team to two state championship games. That was a battle too. He had a lot of great options, wasn’t until really after his official visit this past weekend on Tuesday that we felt like we were in the best shape with winning him. Think he’s going to play early. He could be a big guy.”

S A’KHORI JONES

“A’khori comes from a highly academic school. He’s a phenomenal kid. I think he’s going to be one of those big, physical safeties that we need as we move to the next level. Thrilled to get those three high school safeties, one of which will be here this spring to get extra time with us.”

“Have one more spot for a safety that we will look for a veteran guy.”

DT BRYCE DIXON

“Bryce is a Power Five defensive linemen. Really just fell in love with us early and shut it down. I couldn’t believe it. Even this past week he sent screen texts, I won’t say what school because I don’t like the way they’re recruiting, but that’s for them to live with. They certainly were trying to bump us and were doing a lot of things. His response to everyone, he would send me the screen shots, was always, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ I love his demeanor, man. He will be here in spring, also.”

DE MIYON CONAWAY

“Miyon, gosh, when you hug him, the depth of his, I’m not a biology major, but the depth of his back down to his spine, I like the feel of that on him. He’s going to be a big human being. What a great kid. Comes from just hard nosed, country school. He is going to be here this spring, also. That’s two spring guys.”

DE CJ BAZILE, JR

“CJ, the story of his family coming from Haiti and escaping the life they had there to the life they have now. The gratitude. It seems like kids that have gone through things like that, they have no sense of entitlement and just feel very blessed. He is Tre’Shaun Clark, that’s who I think he is. Thrilled to have him also in those slots.”

“Have one more spot kinda slotted there (defensive line). Don’t have to have it because we have good depth there with everyone returning except for the ones we lost to expired eligibility. We might look at taking one more there if it’s the right guy.”

RB DAE DAE HUNTER

“Speed, good hands, physical, really, really good lower body. Really good vision. He’s got to develop his upper body some with Coach Dom, he knows that, owns it. Brought him in on his official visit. That’s one of the ones that you’re not sure. I love his tape. Here we are, we have one weekend to get to know him. We had a lot of great, honest conversations with he and his family that were some probably a little odd and difficult to sit through and listen to from me, but this is our family. At the end of the visit, man we just fell in love with him. I think he did the same. Again, it’s another kid that goes back home and he gets one Power Five and many other Group of Fives trying to convince him not to sign this Wednesday and hang on until the January period. He chose that this was the best fit for him. Thrilled to add him to that room of Shedro and TJ and Troy and the others that we have returning.”

CB DEXTER RICKS, JR

“We’ve done extremely well in Georgia. We are thankful in all the high school coaches there and their trust in us. Ahmad Walker is a big hit down there. Everybody loves him, CJ Daniels. The guys that we’ve gotten from there have done really, really well there. I think that’s helped us.”

“Dexter is another mid-year corner that can come in and play. Love his family, great fit here.”

CB ANTWON JACKSON

“That team goes to the state championship game near about every year at Warner Robins in Georgia. The staff there has really helped us and have confidence in us. He’s another one that stayed solid. He’s got the length. Got to put on some weight. He’s like Deon Biggins, can really run. He’s physical and got that swagger, both (corners) do that you have to have at corner and a very short memory at corner.”

“Excited to get both of those (at corner) We will look to add to that room hopefully in this mid-year time.”