Full List of UNA Football Signees
FLORENCE, Ala. -- University of North Alabama head football coach Chris Willis has announced the signing of 30 freshmen and four transfer student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to join the UNA program.

Willis, set to begin his first season as UNA's head coach after 15 seasons on the staff as an assistant, said he is excited about Wednesday's results.

"I feel great about our signing day and feel like everything we've done will help move us in the right direction as a football team," Willis said. "Our freshman class of signees, on paper, reminds me a lot of our class of 41 in 2012. We didn't sign as many as that this year but we feel like the talent level is close if not better. We won't know the results of that for two to three years down the line but we are very pleased with the players that we signed."

Players from that 2012 class won an unprecedented four straight Gulf South Conference Championships and advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs four consecutive seasons. Willis said the Lions 2017 signing class took into account trying to win another GSC title in 2017, while also looking forward to UNA's transfer to Division I beginning in 2018.

"We added some transfers and freshmen that we feel can contribute right away and help us compete for a GSC championship," Willis said. "We also upped our size a little on both the offensive and defensive line, and that's something we'll have to do in Division I."

Willis said he felt the Lions also met their immediate needs across the board.

"We recruited balance throughout," Willis said. "We got a little bit of everything and covered all positions. We focused on players who have been in winning programs and won championships and feel like we got good players from good programs.

Willis credited his coaching staff in putting the signing class together.

"We went to 160 high schools in eight days and 11 junior colleges in three days and it's a credit to our assistant coaches and the relationships they have built with coaches and programs and these student-athletes," Willis said.

UNA has already added two mid-year transfers to the program in running back Austin Hicks from Tennessee Tech and offensive lineman Khadedryck Todd from Jones Community College. They are already enrolled at UNA and Willis said the Lions still have room for a few other signees over the summer.

2017 UNA FOOTBALL FRESHMAN SIGNEES - 30
Name    Pos.    Ht.    Wt.    Class    Hometown    High School            
Samuel Barnes    LS        5-9    180    FR    Tuscumbia, Ala.    Muscle Shoals
Jeffery Battle    S            6-1    185    FR    Birmingham, Ala.    Ramsay
Dexter Boykin    WR        6-3    195    FR    Ensley, Ala.    Fairfield
Jakobi Byrd    WR        5-8    175    FR    Florence, Ala.    Florence
Dawson Cazola    OL        6-2    295    FR    Mt. Olive, Ala.    Gardendale
Johnathan Coffee    WR        6-3    190    FR    Town Creek, Ala.    Florence
Brody Collier    OL        6-6    295    FR    Madison, Ala.    James Clemens
Payne Correll    LS        5-11    205    FR    Killen, Ala.    Brooks
Kedarius Davis    DE        6-2    274    FR    Suwanee, Ga.    Hebron Christian Academy
Kendall Davis    QB/ATH    6-1    178    FR    Clanton, Ala.    Chilton County
Will Evans    LB        6-2    210    FR    Haleyville, Ala.    Haleyville
Jerry Foster    DE        6-2    220    FR    Athens, Ala.    Athens
Andrew Freeman    LB        5-10    220    FR    Birmingham, Ala.    Gardendale
Joe Gurley    K/P        6-2    200    FR    Killen, Ala.    Brooks
Cortez Hall    WR        6-1    195    FR    Hoover, Ala.    Hoover
Deondre Hampton    RB        6-0    195    FR    Florence, Ala.    Brooks
Adam Ingram    OL        6-5    255    FR    Oakman, Ala.    Oakman
Demetrius King    RB        6-1    205    FR    Gardendale, Ala.    Gardendale
Jakobi Lewis    OL        6-3    265    FR    Sheffield, Ala.    Sheffield
Andre Little    WR        6-0    170    FR    Boaz, Ala.    West End
Brodric Martin    DE        6-6    275    FR    Tuscaloosa, Ala.    Northridge
Cade McGuire    OL        6-1    270    FR    Tuscumbia, Ala.    Muscle Shoals
Cameron Orr    OL        6-6    280    FR    Golden, Miss.    Itawamba Agricultural  
John Peavy    WR        5-10    185    FR    Eastaboga, Ala.    Oxford
Will Singleton    CB        5-11    153    FR    Hoover, Ala.    Hoover
C.J. Sturdivant    RB        5-9    204    FR    Hoover, Ala.    Hoover
Christon Taylor    LB        6-0    220    FR    Hoover, Ala.    Hoover
Cameron Turner    WR        6-1    195    FR    Conyers, Ala.    Rockdale County
Tucker Walters    OL        6-1    290    FR    Madison, Ala.    Bob Jones
David Woodruff    OL        6-6    335    FR    Winfield, Ala.    Winfield

2017 UNA FOOTBALL TRANSFER SIGNEES - 4
TRANSFERS    Pos     Ht     Wt     Class     Hometown    High School/Previous School
Jaylin Dailey    DE        6-1    256    JR    Montgomery, Ala.    Robert E. Lee/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
Jaylan Daniels    DE        6-4    220    JR    Vienna, Ga.    Dooly County/Univ. of South Alabama
Alex Norwood    WR        6-2    187    JR    Beldon, Miss.    Tupelo/Northwest Mississippi CC
Kelvin Thomas    S            6-0    190    JR    Castilla, Miss.    Charleston/Copiah Lincoln CC

MID-YEAR TRANSFERS    
Pos     Ht     Wt     Class     Hometown    High School/Previous School
Austin Hicks    H-Back    6-3    230    JR    Gardendale, Ala.    Gardendale/Tennessee Tech
Khadedryck Todd    OL        6-4    295    JR    Hattiesburg, Miss.    Hattiesburg/Jones CC