FAIRMONT — One of the goals for fourth-year Fairmont State University football coach Mike Lopez with his third recruiting class was to address specific needs on his team.

Wednesday Lopez and his staff filled some of those needs on National Signing Day when they inked 17 players, 14 of whom hail from the state of West Virginia, including five from the Falcons’ backyard in Marion County.

It’s no secret FSU’s biggest need was at quarterback and the Falcons took a major step toward securing that position with the signing of Fairmont Senior High School standout signal caller Logan Moore.

Moore, a 6-foot, 185-pounder, will be joined at Fairmont State by fellow first-team Class AAA All-State selections and former Fairmont Senior teammates Aaron Fetty (6-1, 185-pound wide receiver) and Remington Skarzinski (5-11, 205-pound linebacker).

All three Polar Bears were first-team All-North Central Athletic Conference selections and first-team All-Mon Valley picks. Moore and Skarzinski were also respective finalists in the state for the coveted Kennedy Award and Huff Award.

The Falcons also signed North Marion wide receiver Quint Cochran (6-3, 175), a first-team All-North Central Athletic Conference and first-team All-Mon Valley performer for the Huskies and Eric Elliott (5-11, 160), a wide receiver/defensive back who garnered second-team All-NCAC honors this past fall for North.

In addition, Bridgeport quarterback Jeff Hill (6-4, 190) and Indians’ offensive lineman Chris Furbee (6-5, 305) also signed with FSU.

Hill, a two-time All-Big Ten Conference and All-Harrison County selection, rushed for 1,123 yards and threw for 674 yards and 16 touchdowns. Furbee, on the other hand, was a two-time All-Big Ten Conference pick and garnered second-team Class AAA All-State honors this past fall.

“We did have some specific needs and our first priority was quarterback,” said Lopez. “We started with 19 quarterbacks and cut it to nine and cut it again and the whole time Logan Moore was our No. 1 guy so it was awesome for us to sign him today. We got our No. 1 man. We believe he’s a player who is going to help us make the transition with our new offense. He’s very talented, very intelligent and very competitive.

“He and a lot of other people in this class are the types of people we want in this program. They’re successful kids, who are going to earn degrees and help us win a championship. I’ve said before we want to build a West Virginia all-star team here at Fairmont and today we took another step toward doing that with who we feel are some great in-state kids.

“We also had some needs at offensive line and we love the fact that we were able to sign the Hunt Award winner in Blake Brooks and the runner-up for the Hunt Award in Chase Lafferty. We also felt like we needed some help at receiver and linebacker and we feel like we got a number of good kids there. Once again, I’m pretty pleased with this class and we’re going to continue to get some more players who haven’t signed yet.”

Moore, who was being courted by a number of schools, finished his outstanding prep career as the all-time passing leader in Fairmont Senior High School history (398-of-751 for 6,286 yards and 68 touchdowns). This past fall he threw for 2,572 yards and 31 touchdowns as he helped lead the Polar Bears to a 10-2 overall record and the NCAC title. He also rushed for 609 yards and 11 scores.

“Everything I was interested in, in a college Fairmont State could offer,” said Moore, who plans to major in safety engineering. “I really like the coaches there and through the whole recruiting process I developed a really good relationship with coach Lopez. It’s also close to home so that’s a plus for me and my family.

“I don’t want anything given to me, but I know at Fairmont I’m going to come in there and have an opportunity to earn the starting quarterback spot. I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge of playing college ball. I know it’s going to be a lot different, but I’m anxious to see how I stack up. I’m also excited about the opportunity to work with coach (Bryan) Fisher and the new offense at Fairmont. I’ve talked to him a few times, he told me what they’re going to be putting in and I’m looking forward to running it.”

Moore’s favorite target in high school, Fetty, is also excited about the opportunity to continue his career at the collegiate level at FSU. The Polar Bears’ all-time leading receiver finished his career with 121 receptions for 1,845 yards and 19 touchdowns. He caught 64 passes for 1,004 yards and 13 scores this past fall.

“This means a lot to me because it shows all of the hard work you put in working out, running and doing all of the little things you do to improve yourself during the off season does pay off,” said Fetty, who plans to major in nursing. “It’s really nice for me to be going to Fairmont with Logan and Remington. We’re going into a new program together which gives you a sense of comfort and stability. It’s especially nice for me and Logan because we’re a quarterback and a wide receiver and we’re used to playing with one another. It’s a great opportunity for all of us and we’re looking forward to making the most of it.”

Skarzinski, who tied for second in the Huff Award balloting for the state’s top defensive player, finished this past season with 169 total tackles. The inside linebacker, who will likely be moved outside in FSU’s defensive scheme, was a three-time All-NCAC selection, a three-time All-Mon Valley pick and was captain of the league’s defensive team this past fall.

“I’m really excited to get started and I’m really excited that two of my teammates are going to Fairmont with me,” said Skarzinski, who will major in education. “I’m looking forward to playing for coach Lopez. He’s a guy who gets me motivated. I can’t wait to get in the program there and get things going.

“My goal is to be even more ready when summer camp starts than they think I’m going to be. I’m lifting and as soon as the weather breaks I’m going to be running to get in the best shape I can. It’s a new challenge for me and a big challenge. I feel privileged to have this opportunity. Today when I walked in here to sign the papers I felt like I grew up a little bit. That’s a good feeling.”

Cochran was moved from quarterback to receiver at the beginning of his junior season and thrived in first-year North Marion coach Daran Hays’ spread offense this past fall as a senior. He finished second to Fetty in receiving during the regular season in both the NCAC and Mon Valley with 48 catches for 697 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed five passes for 179 yards and one score. He ended his prep career with 62 receptions for 901 yards and four touchdowns.

“I literally grew up around Fairmont State with my mom working there and my dad covering athletics there for the paper so it was a natural choice for me,” said Cochran, who is undecided about his college major at this point. “This opportunity means a lot to me. I love both football and basketball, but playing for coach Hays this past fall made me realize that I have more potential in football at the next level. I also really like the coaching staff at Fairmont and when coach Lopez visited me at home he really sold me on the fact that this is where I want to be and that Fairmont is the type of program I want to be involved in.

“I’ve only played receiver for two years and to be honest I feel like I’ve got a lot to learn in terms of basic fundamentals at the position. I’m really looking forward to working with (FSU receivers) coach (Ricky) Brumfield to improve myself in those areas. I think he does a great job with Fairmont’s receivers. I also know I’ve got to work hard to get bigger, stronger and faster to compete at the college level.”

Elliott, meanwhile, caught 26 passes for 564 yards and two touchdowns this past fall for North Marion. He also ran the ball 13 times for 64 yards. He finished his Husky career with 46 receptions for 884 yards and two scores.

“I love football. I’ve played it since I was little and coming into my senior year my goal was to work hard so I’d have an opportunity to go on and play somewhere,” said Elliott, who will major in engineering. “When the opportunity came up for me to go to Fairmont I couldn’t pass it up. I’ve been around the program my whole life with my uncle (Rusty Elliott) coaching there in the past so it was definitely the right choice for me.

“It’s a great school, I’m going to get a good education there and I know if I work hard and improve myself in terms of my strength, speed and knowledge of the game I’m going to have a chance to contribute. I also like the fact that I’m going to have a chance to move on and play with Quint and the three guys from Fairmont Senior. We’re all friends. We’ve been rivals for years, but now we can put the rivalry aside because we’re teammates and that’s pretty cool.”

Other West Virginia players who signed with FSU Wednesday include: South Charleston High School offensive lineman Blake Brooks (6-3, 300), Fayetteville High School offensive lineman Chase Lafferty (6-2, 280), Parkersburg South High School running back Hunter Ferguson (5-11, 230), Sherman High School quarterback/linebacker Colby Treadway (6-2, 205), Brooke High School linebacker Michael Koscevic (5-10, 200) and Weirton Madonna High School running back A.J. Klein (5-7, 155).

Brooks, who helped lead South Charleston to its second straight state title, was the Hunt Award winner this year in West Virginia as the state’s top high school lineman, while Lafferty was the runner-up for that same award.

The Falcons also inked former Ravenswood High School standout linebacker Jake Young (6-3, 220), who spent this past fall at West Virginia University.

Three players from outside of West Virginia also signed with Fairmont State Wednesday. Included in that group are wide receiver Trey Wiggins (5-10, 160) and tight end Sage Cutri (6-1, 200) of Steubenville High School – a perennial powerhouse in Ohio prep football and kicker Frank Keenan (5-10, 190) a former rugby player from Byfleet, England.

FSU is expected to announce more recruits in the next few days and on into the spring. One of the players who reportedly is expected to commit to Fairmont State soon is Point Pleasant offensive guard Clay Krebs (6-2, 300).