Doug Socha was officially introduced as Lenoir-Rhyne’s new head football coach on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Socha announced his first recruiting class at the Hickory school.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s latest signing class includes 31 players. One of them has a familiar last name. Quarterback Amari Yelding will join a program where older brothers Khalil and Rashad played. Rashad will be a volunteer assistant coach for Socha this season.
Thirteen of the new signees play on the offensive side, with 17 on defense and one a special teams player.
Amari Yelding, from Daphne, Ala., is one of three quarterbacks in this year’s class. Andrew Attimore II from Greensboro (Dudley HS) and Taiden Mines from Lexington, S.C. also will join the QB room. The 2024 class includes two running backs, four receivers and four offensive linemen. Defensively, the Bears pick up six D-linemen — all weighing more than 270 pounds — four linebackers and six secondary players.
Kicker/punter Walker Broome hails from Anderson, S.C.
Lenoir-Rhyne is coming off a 13-2 campaign, which included a conference championship and a trip to the Division II semifinals. Mike Jacobs stepped down as Bears coach in January, taking the Mercer post. Lenoir-Rhyne worked quickly to bring Socha aboard. The new Bears chief led Keiser University from West Palm Beach, Fla., for six years, capping this past season with an NAIA national championship.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s 2024 Signing Class
| Name | Hometown/High School | Position | Height | Weight |
| Deontae Starr | Clover, S.C. | Clover HS | DB | 6’0″ | 160 |
| Josh Krueger | Waynesville, N.C. | Tuscola HS | OL | 6’5″ | 300 |
| Trevor Stowbridge | Pooler, Ga. | Calvary Day | DB | 5’10” | 170 |
| Leo Maupin | Brevard, N.C. | Brevard HS | WR | 6’2″ | 160 |
| Parker McCall | Greensboro, N.C. | Northwest Guilford HS | OL | 6’3″ | 265 |
| Trey Brenton | Thomasville, Ga. | Thomas County Central HS | RB | 5’11” | 200 |
| Randy Fulmore III | Mooresville, N.C. | Mooresville HS | WR | 5’9″ | 175 |
| Quincy Smith | Snellville, Ga. | Shiloh HS | DL | 6’2″ | 285 |
| Javion Lammie | Sumter, S.C. | Crestwood HS | DL | 6’2″ | 280 |
| AJ Pardue | Yadkinville, N.C. | Starmount HS | LB/DL | 6’2″ | 215 |
| Mikel McClellan | Greenville, S.C. | JL Mann HS | WR | 5’9″ | 165 |
| Brayden Rivenbark | Raleigh, N.C. | Leesville Road HS | WR | 6’0″ | 165 |
| Jordan Gillam | Fort Mill, S.C. | Catawba Ridge HS | DB | 5’11” | 170 |
| Jeremiah Branscomb | Columbus, Ga. | Carver HS | DB | 6’1″ | 188 |
| Andrew Attmore II | Greensboro, N.C. | Dudley HS | QB | 6’1″ | 210 |
| Amari Yelding | Daphne, Ala. | Ben C. Rain HS | QB | 5’11” | 204 |
| Ryan Fletcher | Alpharetta, Ga. | Alpharetta HS | DL | 6’0″ | 250 |
| Courtney Watson | Sebring, Fla. | Sebring HS | LB | 6’1″ | 200 |
| Chip Coleman | Apex, N.C. | Cardinal Gibbons HS | DB | 6’1″ | 190 |
| Caleb Alexander | Columbia, S.C. | Irmo HS | WR | 6’1″ | 200 |
| Oshea Brooks | Hahira, Ga. | Lowndes HS | DL | 6’2″ | 220 |
| Randall Crew | Raleigh, N.C. | Enloe HS | DL | 6’1″ | 210 |
| Walker Broome | Anderson, S.C. | TL Hanna HS | K/P | 5’11” | 170 |
| Jamir Fox | Gastonia, N.C. | Ashbrook HS | RB | 5’10” | 190 |
| Jojo Barrett | Boiling Springs, N.C. | Boiling Springs HS | DB | 5’9″ | 160 |
| Colin Wilson | Daytona Beach, Fla. | Mainland HS | OL | 6’7″ | 320 |
| R.J. Flemmings | Piedmont, S.C. | Woodmont HS | DL | 6’2″ | 272 |
| Taiden Mines | Lexington, S.C. | Lexington HS | QB | 5’10” | 187 |
| Daylon Johnson | Greenville, S.C. | Greenville HS | LB | 6’2″ | 220 |
| Tristan Haddock | Conover, N.C. | Bunker Hill HS | OL | 6’6″ | 285 |
| Brodie Bradburn | Douglasville, Ga. | Carrolton HS | LB | 6’0″ | 205 |
