All of the paperwork has been submitted and admissions checklists completed for the 2017 Stetson football signing class.
 
The final group of 40 players who will arrive on campus in August includes a strong mix of players from Florida with 14 prospects from across the rest of the nation.
 
"We certainly wanted to get bigger, and we did that with 11 offensive linemen and five defensive linemen," Hatters coach Roger Hughes said. "We wanted to make sure we got some very good quarterbacks and we signed four of them. I think all of them will have a chance to help this program. I also think we got better at linebacker."
 
In addition to the 40 players who will enroll in the fall, the Hatters also signed another 15 who are expected to enroll in January, giving Stetson a total of 55 signees. Stetson currently has 71 returning players on its roster from the 2016 season.
 
The class for the Hatters was heavy on linemen, with 11 on the offensive side and five on five on the defensive side. The group of offensive linemen includes a trio – Jacob Adkins from Jacksonville's Stanton College Prep, Tanner Lesar from Lone Star High in Frisco, Texas, and Jeffrey Lu of Diamond Bar High east of Los Angeles, Calif. – who are listed at 300 pounds.
 
On the defensive line, the Hatters signed ends Jason Winston from Wesley Chapel, Fla., George Shively from Annapolis, Md., Fermon Reid from Naples and Marco Foreman from Rockledge in addition to tackle Greg Moore from Brandon.
 
"Overall, I am very pleased with the class," Hughes said. "For the first time, we filled up at spots and we had to turn people away. That is a testament to the effort of our coaching staff and to the fact that word is getting out about Stetson being a legitimate football school.
 
"We helped ourselves a lot with the offensive and defensive line. We also made a point to beef up at the QB position so that we don't get in the same situation we were in last season with injuries. Top to bottom, we got bigger, faster and stronger at a lot of positions."
 
The four quarterbacks who will be joining the program in the fall are Augusto Colagiovanni of Bradenton's Manatee High, Mark Ellis from West Potomac High in Alexandria, Va., Bronson King from Bishop Kelly High in Boise, Idaho, and Alex Piccirilli from Jupiter Community High.
 
The class also included five receivers that will have a chance to come in and compete for playing time right away. That group includes Matt Andreas, the younger brother of Hatters quarterback Nick Andreas, from Danvers, Mass., Bensley Bornelus of Fort Myers, Jack Bowen from the Hill School in West Caldwell, NJ, Justin Jordan from Stockbridge, Ga., and Ervin Charles from Orlando.
 
There were also two running backs, one fullback and one tight end in the class.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, the class includes four linebackers, a pair of dawg safeties, two free safeties and a cornerback. The class also included a punter and a long snapper.
 
Hughes said he is excited to get the newest Hatters on campus to see what they can do to help the team.
 
"It is a double-edged sword, because you want the players you have to be good enough where they can't compete for playing time, but you also want to recruit players who are good enough to do it," Hughes said. "I think, in the offensive line, at worst we are going to need some depth. At nose guard we are going to need some depth. We have a couple of good outside linebackers coming in, so that is a question mark because it depends on how well the guys who are here play."
 
The Hatters will open the 2017 season with consecutive road games – at Sacred Heart and at Marist – before playing their first game at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium on September 16 against Dartmouth from the Ivy League. The Big Green will be the first of two Ivy opponents to visit DeLand this fall. Brown will also travel to face the Hatters on October 7.
 
Stetson's Pioneer Football League slate includes home games against Campbell (Sept. 23), Davidson (Oct. 14), San Diego (Oct. 28) and Butler (Nov. 4) for Homecoming. The Hatters will travel for league games to Marist (Sept. 9), Valparaiso (Sept. 30), Morehead State (Oct. 21) and Jacksonville (Nov. 11).
 
"This is the toughest schedule we have had since we have been here," Hughes said. "We start out on the road at Sacred Heart, a scholarship school, then we have two Ivy League teams here. We also have Campbell that is going scholarship and has 21 transfer players on their roster."
 
Season tickets to see all six Hatters home games start for as little as $99. There will also be opportunities for groups to take part in the action including: youth sports teams being on the sidelines pre-game, church and school choirs singing the National Anthem, and youth cheer participants cheering alongside the Hatter Cheer team. Group tickets start at only $10 per person.
 
For more information on tickets to see the Hatters play, visit www.GoHatters.com/tix, e-mail HatterTickets@Stetson.edu or call 386-738-HATS (4287) for more information.

2017 Stetson Football Signing Class

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown	High School
Jacob Adkins	OL	6-1	300	Jacksonville, FL	Stanton College Prep
Bradley Alexander	OL	6-3	200	Windermere, FL	Bishop Moore High School
Matt Andreas	WR	5-11	185	Danvers, MA	Danvers High School
Turner Barckhoff	P	5-9	160	Roswell, GA	Roswell High School
Bensley Bornelus	WR	6-0	170	Fort Myers, FL	Fort Myers High School
Jack Bowen	WR	5-11	180	West Caldwell, NJ	Hill School
Alex Brown	OL	6-2	260	West Palm Beach, FL	The Kings Academy
Ervin Charles	WR	5-10	165	Orlando, FL	Lake Nona High School
Luke Childress	OL	6-4	250	Millerville, MD	Severna Park High School
Augusto Colagiovanni	QB	6-0	195	Bradenton, FL	Manatee High School
Thomas Connors	TE	6-5	225	Orlando, FL	Bishop Moore High School
Nathaniel Cureton	CB	5-11	173	Denver, FL	East Lincoln High School
Mark Ellis	QB	6-4	185	Alexandria, VA	West Potomac High School
Paul Fitzgerald	RB	6-0	220	Apopka, FL	Apopka High School
Marco Foreman	DE	6-1	225	Rockledge, FL	Viera High School
Hans Galm	LB	6-2	200	Lithia Springs, GA	Chapel Hill High School
Peter Greubel	OL	6-4	265	Cedar Rapids, IA	Washington High School
Dakoda Hammock	LB	6-3	190	Eustis, FL	Eustis High School
Max Hazard	FS	6-2	185	Manasquan, NJ	Red Bank Catholic High School
Xavier Hernandez	DS	5-10	180	Whittier, CA	Servite High School
Justin Jordan	WR	6-1	175	Stockbridge, GA	Dutchtown High School
Bronson King	QB	6-4	185	Boise, ID	Bishop Kelly High School
Michael Lawson	OL	6-5	290	Winter Park, FL	International Community School
Tanner Leser	OL	6-4	300	Frisco, TX	Lone Star High School
Connor Liston	OL	6-3	270	Titusville, FL	Merritt Island High School
Jeffrey Lu	OL	6-2	300	Diamond Bar, CA	Diamond Bar High School
Greg Moore	DT	6-0	275	Brandon, FL	Berkeley Prep School
Andrew Nadolski	OL	6-5	270	Scottsdale, AZ	Notre Dame Prep
Brett Oliver	DS	6-0	185	Port St. Lucie, FL	Fort Pierce Central High School
Nicholas Orlando	OL	6-3	270	Palm Harbor, FL	Palm Harbor University
Alex Piccirilli	QB	6-3	220	Jupiter, FL	Jupiter Community High School
Fermon Reid	DE	6-1	235	Naples, FL	Gulf Coast High School
Bryson Richards	LB	6-2	205	Windermere, FL	First Academy
George Shively	DE	6-3	230	Annapolis, MD	Broadneck Senior High School
Hunter Stephens	FS	6-1	185	Davie, FL	Western High School
Gordon Stetson	RB	5-9	185	Tampa, FL	Berkeley Prep
Garrett Ware	LB	6-2	200	Bradenton, FL	Manatee High School
Jason Winston	DE	6-2	220	Wesley Chapel, FL	Wiregrass Ranch High School
Seth Witt	FB	6-3	225	Niceville, FL	Niceville High School
Teddy Zervos	LS	6-1	250	Port St. Lucie, FL	Fort Pierce Central High School

 About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.