Maybe the venue was a bit different for each of them – a school library for one, the gymnasium for another – but at dozens of schools around the country, high school seniors sat at a table and proudly signed on to go play football at Air Force.

For A.J. Bilyeu, a quarterback from Bartlett, Ill., it was in a room in his school’s main office. He was joined by his principal, coaches from every level of his football career, teachers, family and friends.

“I was kind of sitting in the room ready to take these pictures, and I noticed how many people were involved,” Bilyeu said. “It was cool to see how many people helped me get to where I was. It was humbling.”

That scene played out many places, whether it was offensive lineman A.J. Ruechel in a shirt and tie signing his “certificate of intent” (Air Force doesn’t have National Letter of Intent because incoming cadets go through the appointment process), or running back Andrew Long hoping Air Force plays the Sooners, who ignored him in recruiting despite being from in state, players had their moment in the sun.

“I committed because this is a chance of a lifetime to get one of the best educations in the nation, while competing at the highest level of college football,” said linebacker Spencer Hammitt, from Glendale, Arizona. “Once I had gotten a chance to get on campus and see everything, it all just felt right and I knew I wanted to be a Falcon.”

“I liked the fact that I am going to get to play Division I football and serve my country afterwards,” said offensive lineman Jacob Nesmith of Cumming, Ga.

“I noticed the Air Force Academy is one of the most prestigious universities in the United States,” said running back Devin Rushing of DeSoto, Texas. “That’s one of the first things I realized. And what better way to go to college than being able to play football and serve my country? That’s two thumbs up there.”

In addition to being a very fun day for the 2012 class, it was also a bit of a relief.

“It was definitely pretty cool to see all the hard work pay off, and the hectic season of recruiting to come to an end officially,” Bilyeu said. “It was a celebration.”

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