Mercyhurst Lands Fredericksburg, VA DB Nigel Asamoah

We had a chance to catch up with one of the newest Mercyhurst Lakers. Coming all the way from Fredericksburg, VA, Nigel Asamoah signed in the early period to play defensive back for the Lakers. Specifically, he’s going to get a chance to be a cornerback.

When we spoke to Asamoah, he was able to tell us a little about his commitment and how he chose the Lakers with his official visit still around the corner.

I hammer it home all the time: at our level, recruiting is still about relationships. While Virginia isn’t exactly in the same geographical zip code as Erie, defensive backs coach Elijah Altizer was an assistant at Old Dominion and from Virginia. When we asked Asamoah if that played into the recruitment, he agreed immediately. “Yes, it definitely did. Once I heard about him living in VA and coaching at ODU, we connected more,” he said, “just growing up in the same state and whatnot.” He cited Coach Altizer as one of the big relationships he developed through the process as well.

Even though it was clear Asamoah had other options (per 247Sports, those options included Wofford, Maine, and ULM), the conversation between them convinced the talented cornerback that he belonged on Lake Erie. “Coach Elijah said this place would be perfect for me. The scheme, academics- all of that just made it seem like it was a great place to be, and he had plans of moving me back to corner,” Asamoah told us. “When we were on the phone he made it seem like I was already committed to his school- very chill and just made it feel like home.”

He talked it over with his family and made the decision to commit the day after receiving his offer. He compares his style of game to Emmanuel Forbes, a cornerback currently on the Rams that spent several seasons as an All-SEC performer at Mississippi State and playing for Washington in the NFL.

Asamoah hasn’t taken his official visit yet, but is slated to shortly. Erie, fortunately, is due to hit a balmy 32 degrees this weekend. Or, as we call it up here, “football weather.”