The Lindenwood football program announced Wednesday afternoon that it has inked 18 high school recruits on National Signing Day. The Lions also announced eight transfers that will be joining the Lindenwood roster for the 2016 season.

"We are excited to announce the 2016 Lindenwood football recruiting class," said head coach Patrick Ross. "I would to thank everybody involved in the recruiting process. The football staff, admissions, compliance, academic support staff, and most importantly our faculty and Deans, who spent time with our prospective student athletes, talking about our academic programs. I would especially like to thank our President, Dr. Michael Shonrock, for creating an energetic feeling on our thriving campus. It takes an entire University to put together a great recruiting class, and fortunately we received a ton of support from the people on campus at Lindenwood.    

"This year we were easily able to identify areas of need, and attack them vigorously. Although signing day has come and gone, recruiting is not over. Fortunately we still have some great players in the pipeline. We added some really nice pieces to our roster.  I'm excited to watch this group of student athletes grow in our program, and contribute to us turning Lindenwood football back into a Championship contender. This year's Lindenwood recruiting class is 'Like No Other'."

Lindenwood concentrated on getting local talent for its 2016 class, with 12 players coming from the state of Missouri, and the majority of those coming from the St. Louis metro area. The Lions also got two players from Oklahoma, two from Texas, one from Kansas, and one from Wisconsin.

The Lions signed eight players on the offensive side, including two quarterbacks in Alex Faddoul (Helias HS) and Max Meylor (Mount Horeb HS). The Lions also signed three high school running backs/fullbacks, two offensive lineman, and one wide receiver.

Lindenwood signed 10 players on defense, including four defensive linemen, one linebacker, and five defensive backs.

Among the transfers, five are on offense with three wide receivers, one offensive lineman, and one running back. The three defenders include two linebackers and one defensive end.

2016 High School Signees
Tyler Chandler (Safety, 6-2, 205, St. Louis, Mo./McCluer South Berkley)
First-team all-conference at the quarterback position … threw for 1,609 yards and 18 touchdowns, and completed 61.7 percent of his passes.

Keylihn Cheeley (H-Back, 6-1, 220, Dallas, Texas/Bryan Adams)
A first-team all-district selection … scored 14 total touchdowns ... rushed for 394 yards and averaged seven yards a carry … had 443 receiving yards and averaged 18 yards per catch.

Kai Collier (Wide Receiver, 6-1, 175, St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt South)
First-team all-conference selection at wide receiver … second-team all-conference at defensive back.

Alex Faddoul (Quarterback, 6-1, 215, Jefferson City, Mo./Helias)
Second-Team All-State at the Missouri Class 4 level … first-team all-district … had 57 career touchdowns … threw for 3,297 yards and rushed for 1,179 yards in his career.

Drew Harlow (Linebacker, 6-1, 240, Park Hills, Mo./Park Hills Central)
Second-team all-state … first-team all-conference and all-district … Defensive Player of the Year … also an all-conference, all-district, and all-region running back.

Jarret Johnson (Athlete, 6-2, 180, Festus, Mo./Festus)
Unanimous first-team all-conference … had 25 total touchdowns … passed for 1,439 yards and rushed for 1,116 yards.

Dre Kelly (Running Back, 6-1, 205, St. Charles, Mo., St. Charles West)
GAC North Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year … first-team all-conference running back … Missouri Class 4 all-state returner.

Cameron Kennaley (Offensive Lineman, 6-3, 315, Midlothian, Texas/Midlothian)
Varsity starter at a 6A program … was a senior leader on a team that doubled their win total last year.

David Knox (Defensive Tackle, 6-0, 315, St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North)
Two-year team captain … first-team all-conference and first-team all-metro.

Lloyd Lockett (Defensive Back, 5-10, 190, Platte City, Mo., Platte County)
An honorable mention all-conference and all-county defensive back in high school … recorded four interceptions and 78 tackles.

Collyn McCarthy (Defensive End, 6-3, 227, Lansing, Kan./Lansing)
First-team all-area … honorable mention all-class … recorded 47 tackles, five backs, five tackles for loss, and six quarterback hurries.

Ricky McCoy (Cornerback, 5-11, 170, St. Louis, Mo./Ritenour)
First-team all-conference as a wide receiver.

Max Meylor (Quarterback, 6-3, 210, Mount Horeb, Wis./Mount Horeb)
Passed for 2,800 yards and had 31 total touchdowns … unanimous first-team all-conference … the conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Joe Peek (Defensive Line, 6-2, 260, St. Louis, Mo./St. Mary's)
Second-team all-state … first-team all-district … recorded 124 tackles.

Tanner Sobotka (Defensive Line, 6-4, 240, Eureka, Mo./Eureka)
Second-team all-state … recorded 62 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and one fumble recovery.

Ethan Staskewicz (Running Back, 5-11, 195, O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West)
Second-team all-state … rushed for 1934 yards and 28 touchdowns, and averaged 8.0 yards per carry.

Wyatt Whitmarsh (Offensive Line, 6-6, 290, Oklahoma City, Okla./Southmoore)
6A all-district selection … first-team all-conference.

Tony Williams (Safety, 5-11, 185, Tulsa, Okla./Thomas Edison)
Recorded 55 solo tackles, six interceptions, one sack, and one fumble recovery … had one return touchdowns … collected three receiving touchdowns and averaged 17.6 yards per catch.
 
2016 Lindenwood Transfers
Carl Bivens (Linebacker, 6-1, 245, Columbia, Mo./SIU-Carbondale)
First-team all-state in high school … first-team all-district.

Frank Davis (Linebacker, 6-0, 215, St. Louis, Mo./Southwest Baptist University)
First-team all-district in high school … first-team all-metro.

Tyler Hogan (Wide Receiver, 5-9, 188, Rowlett, Texas/Cisco CC)
An all-conference honorable mention selection … caught 40 passes for 550 yards and four touchdowns.

RJ Manfredo (Offensive Lineman, 6-5, 280, Marion, Ill./Missouri State University)
An all-conference offensive lineman in high school.

Armani Miller (Wide Receiver, 6-1, 185, Huber Heights, Ohio/University of Toledo)
A three-star recruit … first-team all-state and first-team all-conference in high school.

Kelii Padello (Defensive End, 6-0, 200, Mililani, Hawaii/Southern Oregon University)
OIA Division Defensive Player of the Year … Hawaii Defensive Player of the Year … first-team all-state.

Deantrell Prince (Wide Receiver, 6-0, 200, St. Louis, Mo./Southwest Baptist University)
Two-time first-team all-state in high school … three-time all-district.

Emery Schexnayder (Running Back, 6-0, 220, Riverside, Calif./Riverside CC)
A JUCO All-American … first-team all-league … Inland Empire All-Star team.