NCAA November signings. Venice, Riverview, Sarasota among those celebrating
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A roundup from the NCAA November 2026 signing period.
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Venice
Venice High School held its National Signing Day ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, celebrating 14 athletes.
Six Venice baseball players signed on Wednesday, including right-handed pitcher Kasen Poplin (Liberty University), outfielder/right-handed pitcher RJ Shields (Mississippi State), outfielder August Backman (Florida), shortstop Graham Houston (LSU), catcher Jonathan Mauro (Columbia) and pitcher Aiden Cary (Santa Fe Community College).
Shields is one of the top recruits in the country, ranking 97th nationally, according to Perfect Game. During the 2026 season, Shields posted a slash line of .299/.417/.448 in 87 at bats. He had a 0.34 ERA and 0.79 WHIP, striking out 26 batters.
“It was nice to sign next to all my brothers,” Shields said. “I’ve been playing with them for four years. It’s just really cool to see how we’ve come.”
Alongside Shields, Backman inked his commitment to Florida. Last season, Backman was talking to both Florida and Virginia, during a standout junior season. He had a slash line of .485/.587/.713 in 101 at bats.
Once Backman took an unofficial visit to Florida, he cancelled his visit to Virginia that was scheduled for the next weekend.
Backman said he was shown everything on campus, including the weight room, the student athlete center and the dining hall. All experience which made him want to become a Gator.
“It’s not really a feeling you can kind of describe when you get it,” Backman said. “You just kinda get it. And I got that feeling when I stepped on campus.”
Golfer Evyn Cannon also signed with the University of Miami. Cannon is a two-time AJGA champion, and ranked 92nd in the rolex rankings. On Wednesday, Nov 4, Cannon won the Class 3A-Region 3 tournament, shooting a 67. On Friday, November 13, Cannon will compete in the 3A State Championship.
Cannon said Miami worked overtime to recruit her, and were one of the first schools to reach out. And once they did, Miami continued to contact her almost every day.
“This is the moment we all kind of dream of,” Cannon said. “It’s what we all worked towards, and the moment just finally came. There’s no better feeling.”
Other signees included:
- Lacrosse player London Adkins (Coker University)
- Lacrosse player Reef Bartlett (North Greenville University)
- Softball’s Kiarra Evans (University of Tampa)
- Golfer Ella Gardner (Charleston Southern University)
- Volleyball setter Amelia Anselmi (Young Harris College)
- Beach volleyball’s Addie LaRiviere (Stephen F. Austin University)
- Rower Tara Schroeder (United States Naval Academy)
—Emma Moon
Riverview
Riverview's girls swimming team has won six consecutive state championships.
Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 11, two members of the team signed to continue their careers in college.
Seniors Angelina Lista and Gemma Gledhill signed with Missouri and Pittsburgh, respectively.
"Both girls have been a huge part of our championship teams for the last four years across multiple events and relays," Rams coach John Bruenning said.
Bruenning said the recruiting process has changed for most swimmers over the past few years.
"In this day and age, with the advent of social media and technology, most college coaches go straight to the athletes," Bruenning said. "Occasionally, we will get involved if we're asked to. Sometimes the kids get overwhelmed with the process. It's one of those things that can be daunting, but having coached so many kids through that process, I think it's good for them to lean on us for advice and for questions. But beyond that, I try to let them navigate it as much as possible so that they're making the decision that's best for them and not necessarily what somebody else wants them to do."
Lista swam on two relay teams, as well as competing in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle.
"It was definitely very stressful at the beginning because I had no idea what I was doing," Lista said of the recruiting process. "I ended up committing to LSU and then I kind of thought about it and I realized it wasn't really going to be the best fit for me. I started looking into more schools, and Mizzou has kind of always been a school that's been interested in me, so I kind of circled back around with them. I visited the school and I fell in love with it and the team. I'm glad I ended up where I did."
Gledhill also considered a number of schools before settling on Pittsburgh.
"I went to a few schools, but I wanted to go kind of far away," Gledhill said. "I didn't want to stay close to home. I wanted an experience and when I went there I really liked it. Everything's really new and the team's great. I had a really good time on my visit."
Gledhill, who is mainly a distance swimmer, also visited FAU and Missouri. She plans to continue competing in distance events with the Panthers.
Girls soccer player Bronwyn Leggett with Georgia Southwestern State University and volleyball player Juliana Birchbauer with St. Leo University also signed.
—Bruce Robins
Sarasota
Sarasota High honored some of its most impressive student-athletes as six Sailor seniors turned verbal commitments into accepting college scholarships.
Johnny Lackaff will continue his education and basketball career at Illinois State and teammate Isaiah Jenkins is bound for Middle Georgia State. State champion swimmer Jackson Irwin is going to attend Texas A&M.
A trio of Sailor softball stars also made their intentions clear at Edward F. Howell Gymnasium. Middle infielder Olivia Lockhart is off to Southern Mississippi, first baseman and outfielder Jade Hendrickson is heading to Sante Fe College and pitching ace Gemma Mulholland will attend Georgia Southwestern State.
Breadon Mackay, a middle infielder for the Sarasota baseball team, was also scheduled to be on hand. But his entire family came down with the flu. Mackay has accepted his offer to play for the Florida Gators.
Lackaff, a four-year starter for Sarasota head coach BJ Ivey, led the Sailors to the Class 7A state championship game last season, averaging 23.4 points per game.
Ivey had plenty of praise for his talented guard, but one sentence summed up everything he does on the basketball floor and what he means to the Sailors.
“Johnny will definitely go down as the best player to ever wear a basketball uniform at Sarasota High,” Ivey said.
Lackaff entertained 25 DI scholarship offers, including ones from Florida State and Florida Gulf Coast University, before choosing to become an Illinois State Redbird.
“Out of the schools that offered, they stood out because of the relationship I have with the head coach (Ryan Pedon),” Lackaff said. “Something just felt right about it.
“Another big thing is I want to play as a freshman. They’re bringing me in to play. Illinois State, I’m ready.”
Lackaff led the Sailors to the state semifinals as a sophomore, again as the team’s top scorer, before the Sailors took a step further last season at Class 7A state final. So, can they take the next step and win it all this season?
“The ultimate goal is to win a state championship,” Lackaff said. “That would be an amazing way to go out.”
Irwin chose Texas A&M, in large part because of their mechanical engineering department. The Aggies, and others like Ohio State and the University of Virginia, wanted him because he is a terrific long-distance swimmer.
Irwin won the Class 4A 500 freestyle last week in the remarkable time of 4:19.51, shaving more than eight seconds off his previous personal best. He also finished second at states in the 200 medley in 1:48.12, knocking more than four seconds off his personal best in that race.
“The eight seconds came about because of training,” Irwin said. “When I came up to this year’s state meet, I was finally prepared for it.”
Irwin learned a long time ago that going the distance was for him.
“You try all the events at random meets,” Irwin said. “At a young age, you figure out what you’re good at. I was always better than my friends at the longer stuff. You just naturally gravitate toward that.”
Lockhart led the Sailors with 31 stolen bases and batted .414 on last year’s 22-6 squad. She has earned a reputation as the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave.
“I have a lot of heart for the game,” Lockhart said. “I have a true love for softball. I love getting better and I love the grind. The grind is my favorite thing. Waking up at 5 a.m., whether it’s lifting or batting, I just love doing it.”
Mulhollen turned 18 on Wednesday. Sarasota’s pitching ace was 16-3 and owned a paltry 1.38 earned run average last season. Hendrickson batted a sizzling .447 and drove in 29 runs for the Sailors last season.
—Jim Brockman
Out-of-Door
Swimmer Zoe Gruber is heading to Florida State after being a double Region 1A-3 champion in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. Baseball player Cameron Yates signed with the College of Holy Cross.
Parrish Community
Volleyball setter Audrie Wilson signed to play at Daytona State College and softball players Cassidy Ott and Mackenzie Pandelo signed with Maine and Tennessee Tech, respectively..
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: NCAA November signings. Venice, Riverview, Sarasota among those celebrating