UWO football welcomes in Jennings’ first recruiting class

OSHKOSH, Wis. (NBC 26) — UW-Oshkosh football was welcomed into a special recruiting class on Wednesday: Peter Jennings’ first as Titans head coach.

Jennings, who was hired in early March 2022 and led the Titans to a 6-4 record last season, is the first UWO coach to host a National Signing Day event.

“It’s such a special day for 17- and 18-year-olds,” Jennings said. “It’s worth celebrating. It’s a great day. (The players) need to know how much we appreciate their decision to come and join us in the (Fox) Valley.”

Jennings said 75% of incoming players are from Wisconsin, with a large portion coming from Fox Valley.

The young head coach said he wanted to improve the game-day atmosphere at Titan Stadium’s JJ Keller Field, and he thinks recruiting local players is a great way to start.

“We’ve done a great job in Fox Valley and we’ve done a great job locally,” he said. “It’s a commitment that we have because I’m looking at pictures from the late 70s, early 80s of Titan Stadium and there are 10, 12 thousand people in this thing and there are only standing places.

“It’s the expectation of where we’re going here,” he continued. “Not just the brand of football on the pitch, but the atmosphere of the match, the atmosphere of the tailgate. And you do that by keeping really talented kids at home.”

Most of the players may be from Wisconsin, but the headliner is from outside the country. England-born Josh Allsebrook, the UK’s highest-rated quarterback, has committed to the UWO.

“He’s a great young man, he’s as highly rated as you can get,” Jennings said. “We’re looking forward to getting him acclimatized. He’s got a lot of talent with his arms, he’s very mobile and from what I’ve been told he’s a real student of the game.”

Jennings said Allsebrook will arrive in Oshkosh on Thursday and enroll in classes for the spring semester.

The UWO has two England natives on its coaching staff – offensive coordinator Rich Worsell and running backs coach Rory Humprey – who were instrumental in recruiting Allsebrook.