Feb. 6, 2013

WEST POINT, N.Y. -Due to the U.S. Military Academy appointment process, names of recruited cadet-athletes are not available until they arrive for Reception Day (R-Day) this summer. Therefore, the Academy will not have a release available at this time.

While National Letter of Intent Signing Day does not hold the same level of interest at West Point due to the fact that the service academies cannot release the names of their recruits at this time, Wednesday still holds a great deal of importance to the young men choosing to enter the Academy according to Ellerson, who will begin his fifth season at West Point in 2013.

"It's probably not quite as dramatic as it is some places because we're on signatories to the National Letter, but an awful lot of guys have that date as `zero hour,'" Army Ellerson explains. "They're going to sign something, even if it's just a certificate from us stating that they're going to attend West Point and we're glad to have them; but we can't release that. They can certainly release it. The young men can talk to the media and talk about their intentions. We're just not allowed to comment on it. But because the rest of the college football world is centering around that date, our guys do as well. Most of those decisions have been made well ahead of time, but there's still a sense of ceremony, still a sense of celebration at that moment."

Army is scheduled to begin spring practice on Feb. 12, with the spring game slated for March 8 at Fort Hood.

The Black Knights are scheduled to open their 2013 campaign Aug. 31 when they host Morgan State.