Navy has ramped up its football recruiting over the past decade or so. Winning records in 12 of the past 13 seasons have given the Midshipmen a nationwide stature they never had before.

What happened on the field in 2015 enabled Navy to take an escalator to another level of recruiting, according to coach Ken Niumatalolo. The Mids (11-2) set a single-season record for wins while making a strong run at the American Athletic Conference West Division title.

Navy was ranked 18th in the final Associated Press poll, its highest finish since 1963.

“Our success last season got us in a lot of doors that were previously closed,” Niumatalolo said.

Last season marked the Mids' first as a member of the AAC, and the program received unprecedented exposure from the national media. Niumatalolo said being part of the AAC has given Navy a greater identity than it had as an independent.

“There's no doubt the league has helped raise our profile big-time,” the ninth-year coach said. “Playing big games on national television against the likes of Memphis and Houston along with being the highest Group of Five school in the BCS rankings for a while really made an impact.”

The Mids appeared to have reaped the dividends on National Signing Day, when they compiled a recruiting class ranked 89th nationally by 247sports.com. The same service ranked service academy rivals Army 102nd and Air Force 108th.

According to 247sports.com, Navy landed 13 players rated as three-star prospects. Sean Magee, Mids football director of player personnel, said that is easily the highest number of three-star recruits in one class for Navy.

“I could really care less about stars. We evaluate every single kid very carefully to determine whether we think they can play at this level,” said Niumatalolo, noting that record-setting quarterback Keenan Reynolds was considered a two-star recruit. “I do think we are recruiting at a higher level than ever before. Sean and his staff have done a great job of identifying potential recruits very early in the process and that has given our coaches a big head start.”

The Mids have secured commitments from 53 high school seniors and are not done yet, Niumatalolo said. Service academy football recruits do not sign national letters of intent and therefore remain eligible to attend school elsewhere.

However, most Navy recruits participated in a ceremony Wednesday in which they signed paperwork provided by the program. At present, the Mids have 19 direct-entry recruits while the rest will attend the Naval Academy Prep School.

Navy's highest-rated recruit is Joe Goff, a defensive lineman out of the Episcopal School in Virginia. Goff had scholarship offers from 20 Football Bowl Subdivision schools, including Maryland, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-5, 266-pound player, who is from Framingham, Mass., recently played in the prestigious United States Marine Corps' Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.

The Mids got a last-minute boost from a pair of talented prospects from Prince George's County. Riverdale Baptist running back Jonathan Lee and Bishop McNamara quarterback Ramar Williams visited the academy together last weekend and promptly committed.

Williams was reportedly contacted by Maryland after it lost top quarterback commitment Dwayne Haskins Jr. to Ohio State.

Navy has five in-state prospects as part of the 2016 class. Broadneck quarterback Emmett Davis is headed to the prep school. Gilman offensive lineman Wes Mehl, a Private Schools first-team All-State selection, is a direct-entry recruit. Defensive back Austin Talbert-Loving, who prepped at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes, is a Bowie resident.

As always, the Mids went head-to-head with Army and Air Force for several prospects. Meade two-way standout Will Huff, who had been committed to Navy, flopped to the Black Knights after taking a visit to West Point this past weekend. Huff's father and namesake played football and lacrosse at Army.

Niumatalolo said times have changed for Navy and the staff cannot base its recruiting success solely off its record against its service academy rivals. Rather, the Mids must find recruits capable of competing in the AAC.

“We're always going to battle Army and Air Force, but we can't use them as a benchmark,” Niumatalolo said. “We've also got to worry about beating Houston. We're trying to get kids who can help us win a [AAC] championship.”

Towson signs 14 players

Towson coach Rob Ambrose announced the signing of 14 players for the 2016 season. The class includes two midyear enrollees and 12 incoming freshmen.

“This class encompassed a large geographic footprint for our program and university,” Ambrose said in a statement. “Eight states are represented in this class with the largest number coming from our home state, Maryland. Every player in this recruiting class is a multisport athlete and there are more team captains that I can count. This is a great day for our program and university's future.”

The class includes four wide receivers, three linebackers, three offensive linemen, two defensive backs, one quarterback and one running back. Four members of the class are from Maryland, but only one, wide receiver Morgan Scroggins (Calvert Hall), is from the Baltimore metro area.

Wide receiver Nick Gray of Chopticon and linebacker Robert Heyward from Savannah, Ga., are the two early enrollees who will be eligible to participate in spring practice.