Fall 2025 College Signing Day for Athletes
- Shield Editor
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By Presley Harrison, Shield Editor-in-Chief
This fall, five NRCA athletes signed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. Each got the opportunity to showcase their many achievements and celebrate with the people who helped them see their sports dreams continue beyond high school.
On NRCA’s first official College Signing Day of the school’s current era—Dec. 3—the high school gym was decked in bright colors for the future college athletes, and all the tables were decorated with trophies, balloons, memorabilia of an amazing high school athletic career, and college banners. The NRCA athletes celebrated on College Signing Day were baseball players Michael Young and Jackson Rowlands, football player Marcus Monroe, and volleyball player Brook Watkins. Scoreboards on both sides of the high school gym ran graphics celebrating the athletes’ accomplishments.
The event marked the first group signing day under Athletic Director Josh Diamond and Associate Athletic Director George Hoyle. In previous years, athletes celebrated their official commitment to play college sports individually, but this year NRCA’s Athletic Department strived to elevate the significance of the event by combining small signings into a larger recognition ceremony each semester. “We’ve changed [signing days] up a bit to try to celebrate everyone this year together and make things a little bit more formal,” said Diamond.
The group signing was a huge success. The stands facing the signees filled with teammates, families, and friends joining the celebration. Coaches stepped forward to congratulate and share both athletic and life advice with their athletes. Wise words from the coaches had three main recurring themes: seek God’s kingdom first, remember that Jesus is the purpose, and live as a messenger of the gospel.
As the athletes signed their commitment to their schools, the click of cameras and applause from their teammates, family members, and friends represented the impact they had made on NRCA as a whole. “We’re extremely excited for them, and we’re proud of them and of their accomplishments for everything they’ve done for our athletic programs and our teams,” Diamond said.
Softball player Kelsey Knox signed her commitment to play in college on Dec. 17.
College Signing Day Fall 2025 Signees
Baseball Spotlight: Michael Young
Michael Young committed to play baseball at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. “I chose Gordon because of its winning baseball culture and the outstanding coaching staff leading the program. The team’s history of success stood out to me, and I’m grateful for the chance to compete at a Christ-centered school where I can grow both as an athlete and a person,” said Young.
Young could not have achieved his goals of collegiate athletics without the many who helped him along the way. He said, “I am so thankful for my parents and their countless sacrifices to help me chase my dream, and all of my coaches and teammates for pushing me to be the very best I can be.”
Baseball Spotlight: Jackson Rowlands
Jackson Rowlands committed to play baseball at Bryant & Stratton College in Virginia Beach, Virginia. For Rowlands, everything fell into place when he saw the college for himself. “I went on a visit and loved everything it had to offer. I love the culture of the program and their focus on player development and winning,” he said.
Rowlands wants to thank everyone who helped him on his way to achieving his dream. He said, “I [especially] want to thank my parents for always supporting me and helping me to achieve this goal.”
Football Spotlight: Marcus Monroe
Marcus Monroe committed to play football at Stanford University in Stanford, California, near Palo Alto. Stanford’s unique opportunities for both academics and athletics were the deciding factors for Monroe. “I value the weight of a degree [from Stanford], and it’s one of the best schools around. When you combine that with ACC athletics, it was an easy choice for me,” he said.
Monroe would not have been able to achieve his dreams of collegiate athletics without the people who helped him along the way. He said, “I would like to thank God for giving me the natural talent and blessing me to be able to play this sport. I would also like to thank my family for being my support system, and also my coaches and everyone else that has been with me throughout this process.”
Softball Spotlight: Kelsey Knox
Kelsey Knox committed to play softball at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. Both the comfort of a strong Christian community and friendly environment led Knox to choose Columbia. She said, “I really wanted to attend a smaller Christian school with a team that felt like family, and when I was on campus it really felt like home.”
Knox would like to extend a thank you to all the people who helped on her athletic journey. “I’d like to thank my coaches, parents, grandparents, brother, and of course, God. My parents, grandparents, brother, and coaches have always been my biggest supporters. My family never misses a game if they can help it, and that will never go unnoticed for me," she said.
Volleyball Spotlight: Brook Watkins
Brook Watkins has committed to play volleyball at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Many factors went into Watkins’ decision to choose ECU to continue her athletic career. “I chose ECU because of the amazing coaches and players, [how much] I loved the campus, and [the opportunity to] play in North Carolina,” she said.
Watkins would like to thank the many people that helped her along her journey. She said, “[I want to thank] my parents for always supporting and believing in me, and my coaches at NRCA for teaching me everything I know.”
