After months of travel up and down the highways of America, the Stetson University football coaching staff has put the final touches on the 2014 signing class for Hatters football.

The group includes 35 players from 12 states, covering every corner of the lower 48. The majority of the class (15 players) hail from Florida, but the other 20 come from as far away as Oregon and Arizona, New York and New Jersey.

The class also hits every position group, but the Hatters had very specific target groups. The class includes eight offensive linemen, seven defensive linemen and seven defensive backs.

“Our focus was on the big guys, both on the offensive line and defensive line, and I think that is a strength of this class,” Hatters head coach Roger Hughes said. “We are also pleased with some of the skill guys that we got.”

The group of signees takes the Stetson roster past the target of 120 players, which means some of the returning players may not find a locker available when training camp opens at the first of August.

“Every kid that we sign puts pressure on the kids that are here,” Hughes said. “Those kids have to earn their opportunity to come back. The kids that we have here know that and welcome the challenge, that is why so many have been working hard this spring, they are fighting to get their way back on the team.”

The 35 spring signees are in addition to the seven players who joined the program in January and went through spring practice.

The Florida portion of the signing class includes players from 10 counties, from Leon County in the panhandle to Lee and Palm Beach County in the south.

Hughes is currently on his annual spring speaking tour. After having already made stops in Tallahassee, Savannah, Atlanta and Southern California, he still has stops scheduled for Charlotte, NC, tomorrow, Washington, DC, on May 6, Tulsa, Okla., on May 8, Northern California from May 13-16, Chicago on May 20 and Miami on May 23.

The Hatters will play their second season this fall with six home games scheduled for Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand. Season tickets for new customers will go on sale through the Stetson Athletics Ticket Office on Monday, June 2.

2014 Stetson Football Signees