Highest-ranked recruit in program history highlights Flames Football’s December National Signing Day class

Khristian Zachary, a defensive lineman from Georgia who is the highest ranked Liberty University Football recruit in program history, highlights an 18-player December National Signing Day class that will strengthen the Flames’ Fall 2021 roster.

Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze, who signed a six-year contract extension in October that will keep him at Liberty through 2026, announced the incoming class through a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

“This morning was an incredible morning for us at Liberty and I believe with all my heart that we got a lot better today,” Freeze said. “Coaches, our recruiting staff, our evaluators, our administration, academics, facilities, everyone played a huge part in this because it was recruiting like no other season that I’ve ever experienced before.”

Freeze’s third signing class at Liberty includes 12 three-star recruits as ranked by 247Sports.com and six three-star recruits as ranked by Rivals.com. Zachary, who stands 6-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs 250 pounds, is a four-star recruit as ranked by ESPN.com and is the first-ever Liberty commitment to be included on the ESPN Top 300 recruiting player list.

The class — which features four NCAA Division I transfers and two junior college transfers — is made up of five defensive backs, three defensive linemen, three offensive linemen, three linebackers and one quarterback, running back, tight end and wide receiver.

“With the COVID restrictions … I don’t think we could have done any better and I’m just really, really pleased,” Freeze said. “I just think we hit a home run with the type of kid that we signed and also the character that they bring and obviously what they’re going to add to us depth-wise on the field.”

Twelve of the 18 signees will join the program for the spring semester as mid-year enrollees and be eligible to participate in spring practice.

>>Read complete coverage on Liberty’s Athletics website. See the complete list of December commitments on the Flames Football Signing Day Central page. Watch Wednesday’s virtual press conference on Liberty Football’s YouTube channel.