ROCKINGHAM — Three more student-athletes held a signing day ceremony Tuesday at Richmond Senior High School.
Bringing the total number of signees this school year to five, seniors Jentry Denson, Amer Morrison and Daylyn Robinson got their moment in the spotlight to celebrate their future playing careers.
Rescheduled from Feb. 4 due to snow, which was National Signing Day, the signing ceremony was a chance for all three student-athletes to be recognized by their peers, family members and faculty and staff.
In front of a packed gymnasium, Denson, Morrison and Robinson held a mock signing and also addressed the crowd.
Denson signed with Pfeiffer University to play soccer, while Morrison and Robinson both signed with UNC Pembroke to play football.
Earlier this school year, Terande Spencer (East Carolina, football) and Caden Nolan (Belmont Abbey, baseball) signed. Athletic director James Johnson noted that several more student-athletes are expected to sign this school year.
“When you start your high school career, there’s just potential,”Johnson said as he began the program. “Now today it’s the realization of a dream to be able to go and play at the next level.
“Academically, they’re really accomplished,” he added. “Then you learn a little more about (each one) and there’s something they’ve developed, or overcome or shown grit. And that grit is something that’ll carry them a little bit further in life.”
Jentry Denson
Pfeiffer University Soccer
Head soccer coach Chris Larsen introduced Denson and shared her journey from attending Richmond’s soccer camp as an elementary student through her progression to being the captain and lone returning starter along the defensive line for the Lady Raiders this spring.
Denson became the first girls’ soccer player at Richmond to sign to the college level since Kaitlyn Huff signed with Gardner-Webb University in Feb. 2022.
A four-year varsity starter for Larsen and the Lady Raiders, Denson has been a staple on the defense as both an outside and center back. A player who Larsen called “the backbone” of the defense, Denson has shown her ability to produce by scoring seven career goals, including two game-game winning tallies.
Also a member of the AC Sandhills organization, Denson credited her time with the Lady Raiders and her travel club for helping her reach the next level.
“I chose Pfeiffer because it honestly just felt right,” Denson explained. “From the beginning, the coaches made me feel wanted and valued, not just as a player but as a person. The team culture really stood out to me. It’s competitive, but it still feels like a family. When I went on my visit, the campus and the people just felt like home.
“Playing at Richmond and ACS has definitely prepared me for the next level. Both programs were competitive and demanding, and they taught me how to work hard and adapt to everything. They pushed me to stay disciplined and accountable, even when things weren’t easy.
“Soccer in general has shaped me so much,” she continued. “It’s taught me discipline, time management, and how to handle challenges. Not everything goes your way in sports, and you have to learn how to respond instead of react. I think that’s something that really carries over into real life.”
In addition to playing soccer, Denson said she will major in nursing while being on track to become a CRNA. She noted she’s “excited to grow academically while competing at the college level and setting myself up for my future after soccer.”
Amer Morrison
UNC Pembroke Football
When head football Coach Brad Denson introduced Morrison, he said the soon-to-be Braves wide receiver “did a lot of growing up” during his junior season, which paved the way for Morrison to “explode on the scene” during his senior campaign.
A key part of an historical offensive performance in 2025, Morrison led the team with 45 receptions, 1,015 reception yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. He set the program’s single-season record in reception touchdowns and is third all-time for single-season reception yards.
Morrison finished his career with 70 total receptions and 14 total touchdown catches. In the Mid-South Conference championship game against Pinecrest High School, Morrison hauled in a single-game career-high three reception TDs.
When he heads east, Morrison will join a program he said made him feel welcome from the start of the recruiting process. He’ll also continue being a teammate of Robinson, something he’s looking forward to.
“I chose UNCP because of the connection that I had with the coaching staff,” Morrison said. “The campus was nice and it’s not too far from home. The coaches always kept in touch with me and let me know how much they wanted me to be a Brave.
“My thoughts on being future teammates with Daylyn are that we’re already close, so it’s going to be fun. And I think we are easy people to make friends with so we should get started with the guys there pretty easily.”
While playing football, Morrison plans to pursue a degree in business or finance, further exploring his love for mathematics.
Daylyn Robinson
UNC Pembroke Football
Sticking with his anecdotal approach, Coach Denson shared how Robinson’s journey as a Raider football player almost didn’t come to fruition through his senior year.
When Denson became head coach in Feb. 2024, Robinson was one of the first players to meet with him. Robinson said he wanted to quit football – something Denson didn’t want to happen. After the conversation, Robinson gutted it out and worked to earn his position with UNCP.
Calling Robinson the player with the “biggest maturity growth” over the past two years, Denson followed that by sharing that Robinson not only excelled on the football field, but made major changes in the classroom.
A two-way player, Robinson protected quarterback Evan Hodges’ blind side at left tackle, and also played some defensive end his senior season. He had nine total tackles, more pancakes on the o-line than the local diner and impressed the coaching staff with his hustle downfield on kickoffs.
Feeling an early sense of connection with UNCP’s program, Robinson said the relationship with the coaching staff extended to his family, which gave him a real “at home” feeling.
“I chose UNCP out of all my options because they welcomed me with open arms,” Robinson shared. “They showed me how badly they wanted me and they convinced me with the vision they had set for me at such an early time.
“They asked about my family, and small things like that helped me feel at home. I know I’ll be taken care of, and I love how the program is predominantly Native American, so I’ll be surrounded by my heritage and familiar faces.
“Between my mother, my coaches and my close friends consistently staying on me about grades and football, I started to see it myself and I figured once I got my first offer I could do something with my skill set,” Robinson added of his growth in the classroom.
“There was no hiding the fact that I had to do some work to get where I wanted to be, so I excelled in my classes. And I’m trying to continue to do the same now, while staying in the gym and putting in work on the field.”
Robinson’s plan while at Pembroke is to major in sports medicine.
Watch the entire signing day ceremony, complete with comments from coaches and student-athletes, on Richmond’s media page.
