NEWARK, DE -- University of Delaware football head coach K.C. Keeler (at right) is stressing quality over quantity as he announced that five high school standouts have signed NCAA National Letters of Intent as part of National Signing Day Wednesday afternoon.

The five players, defensive back Marcus Burley of Richmond, VA, offensive lineman Chad Davis of Newark, DE, offensive lineman Rob McDowell of Silver Spring, MD, defensive tackle Logan Shultz of Orrtanna, PA, and wide receiver Nihja White of Wayne, PA, have signed on to attend the University of Delaware on an athletic scholarship and compete for the Blue Hens next fall.

Keeler also expects to announce the addition of at least one transfer student next week when the spring semester begins on Feb. 11. Due to NCAA rules, the signing of transfer students cannot be announced until they have enrolled in school.

“I am proud of this class and proud of our staff,” said Keeler in announcing the recruits. “We worked as hard on this class as any we have had since I’ve been here. We have high standards here and I think we are bringing a group with great ability and great upside. Our goal coming in was to sign five to seven players and we met our goals and filled some needs for the future and we are excited about that. Our run through the playoffs cut down on a lot of time that we were able to get out and recruit. It’s a difficult process, but for us to land the quality players in this class feels really good and says a lot about our staff and about the University of Delaware.”

Delaware’s 2008 recruiting class is one of the smallest in school history in terms of numbers, due to the fact that the Blue Hens lost just nine seniors from last year’s squad that posted an 11-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game for the second time in five years. Delaware also captured the ECAC Team of the Year and the Lambert Cup Trophy as the top team in the East.

The Blue Hens are 52-26 in six seasons under Keeler and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times in the last five years, capturing the NCAA national title in 2003 and advancing to the quarterfinals in 2004. Delaware is 30-20 in conference play during that period, including two league titles. Delaware will return 10 full-time starters on defense and seven on offense for the 2008 campaign.

Delaware will open the 12-game 2008 season Aug. 30 at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. The Terrapins have appeared in a bowl game five times in the last seven years and faced Oregon in this past season’s Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.

Below are capsules on the five incoming recruits.

MARCUS BURLEY - DB - 5-10 - 160 - Richmond, VA (Highland Springs High School)
Marcus Ray Burley...son of Charles and Marcella Burley...played at Highland Springs High School for head coach Scott Burton...competed in football and track and field...played cornerback, kick returner, and punt returner in football...projected as cornerback at Delaware...led team to a 10-0 record and the Capital District title in 2007...team has qualified for the Central Region playoffs seven straight years...as a senior intercepted four passes and collected 29 tackles and returned five kicks for touchdowns...averaged 33.0 yards on 25 returns for the season...named first team Virginia High School Coaches Association All-State, first team Associated Press All-State, and Virginia Preps honorable mention All-State as a senior as a defensive back...first team Richmond Times Dispatch All-Metro, first team All-Capital District as both a defensive back and kick returner...in track, was the Capital District 400 meter champion last spring.

Keeler Says: “Marcus comes from a school that has had several defensive backs sign with Division I (FBS) schools over the last few years which says a lot about the kind of program they have. He has a world of ability and is a dynamic cornerback and kick returner. He has an excellent upside.”

CHAD DAVIS - OL - 6-4 - 285 - Newark, DE (Newark High School)
Charles Evan “Chad” Davis...son of David and Lori Davis...played at nearby Newark High School for head coach Butch Simpson...played both offensive and defensive line positions...led Newark High School to four state playoff appearances, two state title game appearances, and the state title in 2004..two-time All-State selection who earned first team honors at both offensive tackle and defensive tackle in 2007...had 44 tackles, including 21 solo hits, six tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries in 2007...third team All-State offensive lineman as a junior in 2006...three-time All-Blue Hen Conference selection...served as team captain as both a junior and senior...earned Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award and 2007 Newark High School Principal and Athletic Director awards...projected to play offensive guard or center.

Keeler: “We targeted Chad early and he knew a lot about our program from being right here in town. This is the right fit for him. He had some other CAA offers, so we are happy to have him stay at home here at Delaware.”

ROB MCDOWELL - OL - 6-3 - 270 - Silver Spring, MD (DeMatha High School)
Robert “Rob” George McDowell..son of Robert and Margaret McDowell...played at DeMatha High School for head coach Bill McGregory...also competes for the DeMatha wrestling team...played center, offensive tackle, and defensive end at DeMatha...projected to play offensive line at Delaware...led team to three-year record of 33-3 and three straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference league championships....team was ranked No. 10 nationally by USA Today in 2006 (12-0) and No. 14 in 2005 (11-1)...led 2007 squad to 10-2 mark...posted 52 “pancake” blocks as a senior and 47 as a junior...set school squat lift record (605 lbs.)...earned second team All-State honors as a senior...also named first team All-DC Sports and second team All-Metro as a senior and was a two-time first team All-WCAC selection...named to Principal’s List and Honor Roll all four years of high school.

Keeler: “Rob is another outstanding offensive lineman that we targeted early in the recruiting process. He was our first commitment. He is a player that we think we will be an outstanding player for us up front.”

LOGAN SHULTZ - DT - 6-3 - 275 - Orrtanna, PA (Gettysburg High School)
Logan Shultz...son of Jim Pennington and April Shultz...played at Gettysburg High School under head coach Sam Leedy...played both offensive tackle and defensive tackle in football....projected to play defensive tackle at Delaware...led football team to four-year record of 37-11...team won league titles three times and advanced to the state playoffs twice, including this past season when team went 12-2...four-year varsity standout who posted career totals of 278 tackles, 33 quarterback sacks, 56 tackles for loss, 13 forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries...as a senior in 2007, posted 103 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries...holds school records for sacks and tackles for loss in both a season and a career...team Most Valuable Player as a junior and senior...earned all-conference honors at both offensive and defensive line each of his final three seasons...broke school weightlifting record by over 200 lbs., lifting 1,400 lbs. in the bench (375 lbs.), clean (425 lbs.), and squat (600 lb.) lifts.

Keeler: “Logan had a lot of Division I (FBS) interest but he stayed with us through the entire process. We feel we have a player who has tremendous ability and a great motor. He is the kind of defensive tackle you need to win championships.”

NIHJA WHITE - WR - 6-2 -200 - Wayne, PA (Conestoga High School)
Nihja W. White...first name pronounced “nigh-juh”...son of Whitney and Sharon White...played at Conestoga High School for head coach Jon Vogan...also competes for basketball team...has played wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner at Conestoga....led team to four-year record of 26-11...team went 11-2 and qualified for district playoffs as a senior in 2007 and also advanced to district playoffs in 2005...in two varsity seasons caught 103 passes for 2,076 yards and 34 touchdowns...caught 50 passes for 988 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2006 and snared 53 passes for 1,088 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior in 2007...earned second team Associated Press All-State honors in 2007 and was also selected to the Pennsylvania Football News All-State team, and Philadelphia Inquirer All-Southeastern Pennsylvania team...selected to play in Pennsylvania East-West All-Star Game and Valor Bowl Game...named Main Line Life Newspaper Area Player of the Year, Main Line Times first team All-Area, and All-Central League first team...two-time team Offensive Player of the Year...member of school’s District Strategic Planning Committee...earned local Knights of Columbus Leadership Award.

Keeler: “Nihja signed early with Duke but after they changed staffs he committed to Delaware. He also had a lot of interest from some other CAA schools. He really looks impressive and is an outstanding receiver with good size and good body control. He can really get up and get the ball and has good hands.”

2008 University of Delaware Football Recruiting Class