The Marshall University men's soccer team had a busy National Signing period, with 11 recruits scheduled to become members of the Thundering Herd.

Coach Bob Gray said he has found what he was looking for to get ready for 2015-16: a very diverse group of players that really addresses positional needs.

"This group is full of talent and we are also getting great student-athletes to wear the Herd uniform," Gray said. "We found what we were looking for and our team depth at every position has improved quite a bit."

Here is a look at each Marshall men's soccer signee for the 2015 season, with a quote from Gray:

Rimario Gordon

Gordon is originally from Kingston, Jamaica, and spent last season at Northeast Texas Community College. At Northeast Texas, Gordon scored 18 goals and recorded 10 assists. He also scored four game-winning goals. Overall in junior college, he showed balance as a scorer and distributor, with 30 goals and 28 assists.

Coach Gray: "He has all the tools to make a powerful impact on our team this fall. He is dynamic, has great quickness, is very savvy on the ball and he scores goals. He is a first team All-American junior college striker who was heavily recruited by many schools. He lives to play soccer and has always wanted to be part of the Thundering Herd since he graduated high school. Rimario grew up in Jamaica and has that special flair to make something happen when it appears nothing is there. We struggled to score goals last year and relied heavily on our defense. That should not be the case this fall with the likes of Rimario and Michael's experience at the junior college level.

Rudy Erwin

Shafiek "Rudy" Erwin joins the Herd from Tyler Community College in Texas, where he won the national championship last season. In high school (two schools) he had 47 goals and 17 assists.

Coach Gray: "Rudy has sophisticated feet and he is dangerous as a central midfielder. He is quick, slices through space nicely, and finds pockets of space for himself even better. He is very comfortable on the ball. He will give us an added dimension in central midfield and will be a handful for opponents. Probably the most appealing thing about him is his ball winning ability. He loves to put a good strong tackle on his opponents. He is originally from Jamaica and in fact was coached by one of my former players, Barrington Gaynor, who captained the Jamaican National Team."

Michael Mayberry

Mayberry comes to the Herd from Ames, Iowa, and Iowa Central Community College, which he attended for two seasons. While in community college, Mayberry was named to the first and second-team All-Region team and the academic all-region in his freshman year. He was named conference player of the week four times in 2014. Mayberry scored 29 goals with seven assists in his two years.

Mayberry also scored 47 goals and had 16 assists in his high school career at Ames Senior High School and was named all-tournament team for Iowa in his junior year and first-team all-state in his senior season.

Coach Gray: "Michael is a proven goal scorer that has statistically been in the top 10 scorers in the nation at the junior college level. He is a blue collar forward who puts central defenders in a bind constantly with his mobility and aggressiveness. His athleticism will bode well at the Division I level. He loves to compete and could be a major factor in our success this fall. Ironically, he was recruited to play football at Iowa Central Junior College as a receiver but decided to stick with soccer and helped Iowa Central to its best season ever."

Connor Openlander

Connor Openlander hails from St. Louis and plays for one of the top developmental academy clubs in the country, Scott Gallagher. Connor is a goalkeeper who is an excellent shot stopper as well as a leader for his team. If his name sounds familiar it's because his uncle Tim Openlander was a very successful kicker for the Marshall football team in the mid 90's and also played soccer.

Coach Gray: "Connor will give us immediate depth in that very important position. We have had a history of producing good goal keepers and Connor will not disappoint us. We like his range and versatility. He will need to get stronger. However, he is a gym rat and will do whatever it takes".

John Pappas

Pappas signed on to the Herd from Oceanside, N.Y., where he spent four years at Oceanside High School. Pappas said he is excited to join Marshall and lists the successful criminal justice major, as well as the coaching staff and facilities among his reasons for joining.

Coach Gray: "John is a very consistent defender and he brings to the table some important traits as a defender from his playing days at BW Gotschee. He is solid in the air, good on 1v1's, he can get forward nicely, and has good positioning. He reminds me a little of Christian Kershaw when he came in last year, and he just finished a good first season with us. With 3 out of the 4 players in our back four being seniors John will give us immediate depth and also help us fill the holes immediately when we graduate this next senior class."

Jacob Purpero

Purpero hails from Waverly, Ohio, where he attended Waverly High School for four years. He scored 65 goals and chipped in 48 assists during his time at the school. He has been named as an All-Ohioan three times and was named the Midwest District Player of the Year in 2014.

Coach Gray: "Jacob is a very dynamic attacking player. He will add strong depth to our flank play. He is very good at breaking players down one-on-one into space and has tremendous pace to do so. I always said that there is no substitute for speed and he has plenty of it. He is a local player and one in a long line of Ohio South players at Marshall that have fared quite well."

Chris Sanchez

Chris Sanchez is a member of the Sereno SC U18 Boys team outside of Phoenix, AZ. He is a dynamic forward who also plays for his Chaparral High School team in the winter and was also the kicker on the school's football team. Chris is an active target who can hold the ball and has tremendous vision which makes him a dangerous forward with a subtle touch and nice passing range.

Coach Gray: "Chris has a huge upside for us in that he hasn't even scratched the surface of his potential as a college player. Once he learns the nuances of the college game and adapts, he will have a nice impact on the field and certainly gives us an added dimension and depth at the forward position."

Cameron Schneider

Schneider is from Knoxville, Tenn. and attends Hardin Valley Academy, where he was a three-time district champion. He was named to the All-State team, All-Region team and the All-District team twice.

Coach Gray: "Cameron was our first commitment for the 2015 class. He is a versatile player who can play a number of central positions on the soccer field. He is athletic, has a good footballing mind, and he is technically sound. He has a high fitness level and that allows him to play on both sides of the ball. We expect him to come in and contribute in midfield right away. The beauty of a player like Cameron on the field is that he is like having a coach on field. He will adjust to collegiate soccer very quickly."

Jack Sedor

Sedor will be the first member of the Herd from Alaska. The Anchorage native attended A.J. Dimond high school for four years. In high school, he was a four year First team All-Conference player, two-time Offensive Player of the Year and was nominated for Gatorade Player of the Year as a Sophomore, He won the Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior.

Coach Gray: "Jack is a strong player with good skills. He should develop into a polished attacker and we expect him to play a big role on our team. He is quick, skilled, and smart with how he moves off the ball. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time and have a knack for scoring second chance goals, and he will challenge for playing time right away". Jack is our first ever recruit from the state of Alaska and was the Gatorade Player of the Year for his state.

Rett Stevens

Rett Stevens joins the Herd from Irmo, S.C., where he attended Dutch Fork High School. For his final two years of high school, Stevens played for the USSDA South Carolina Battery Academy. He was a fixture on the team, starting all but one of the team's games. He also showed a durability by playing in both the midfield and back line. He was selected for the SCUFC German Exchange with FC Horressen in Montabaur, Germany (named the MVP for Sir Alfred Mueller's Cup).

Coach Gray: "Rett has been to campus a number of times and has gotten to know the guys on the team with whom he will fit in nicely.He has a great engine, he can play multiple positions, and having played in the Developmental Academy with SC United Battery brings a nice pedigree to the squad this fall. Rett is from the same home town as senior Matt Freeman and has already learned to bleed green."

Chris Taibi

Taibi comes to the team from Wantagh, N.Y., where he attended Wantagh High School for four years. While in high school, he was named an All-Conference player, All-County player and was an All-State honorable mention player. He also played club soccer for the Massapequa Celtics..

Coach Gray: "Chris can play several positions in the back and is quite versatile. His soccer personality really comes out on the field and he is a fierce competitor and a blue collar player. He is good on the ball, he's athletic and his passing range is sound. He has the body to fit in at the Division 1 level and in fact starts for his high school basketball team. He should fit in nicely with our current squad in the fall."

Marshall's 2015 team will feature seven seniors. Gray and his staff said they think they are confident that the incoming freshmen will fill the gap left when the class graduates next year.