The Lindenwood football program announced its signing class on Wednesday, which made up of 17 high school seniors along with four transfers for a total of 21 student-athletes.
 
Lindenwood brought in 13 players on the offensive side of the ball, along with eight defensive positions.  On the offensive line, the Lions signed three players who stand 6-4, while all four defensive lineman measure at 6-2 or taller.  The Lions brought in two players from the state of Missouri, and seven from the state of Illinois, while this year's class was spread out across 11 states.
 
Head coach Jed Stugart and his staff went to work less than a year ago, when Lindenwood announced its move to the NCAA Division I level in February.  The Lions were able to put together a 7-3 record this past fall, with four of their wins coming over NCAA Division I FCS teams.  Stugart and his staff are highly optimistic about this recruiting class, which a credit to all coaches and players in the program for carrying on the values and beliefs of what Lindenwood football is about.
 
"I think the culture of our program is evident," said Stugart.  "We were one of the only teams in FCS that didn't have a player in the transfer portal, and that says a lot about the coaches on this staff and how we take care of our players."
 
The signing class includes big bodies on both sides of the ball, which is something Stugart sees as key in finding success at the Division I level.
 
"You have to get to the size to compete at Division I and we were able to address that," said Stugart.  "Depth and size are the next steps that we have to address to get to the national level that we want to get to."
 
Lindenwood is set to open the 2023 season on Saturday, September 9 for a Big South-OVC matchup with Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Signing Class - December 21, 2022

Name	POS.	HT.	WT.	YR.	HOMETOWN	HIGH SCHOOL	PREVIOUS SCHOOL
Mac Busteed	TE	6-6	225	Fr.	Fort Collins, Colo.	Fossil Ridge
Nate Compere	OL	6-4	260	Fr.	Crystal Lake, Ill.	Crystal Lake South
Luke Cook	DB	6-3	180	Fr.	Bethpage, Tenn.	Gallatin
Finau Fine	DL	6-5	259	So.	Kissimmee, Fla.	Gateway	Stetson
Gabe Gaines	OL	6-4	275	Fr.	Choctaw, Okla	Choctaw
Chris Gannaway	RB	5-10	175	Fr.	Bryant, Ark.	Bryant
Bryce Giesler	RB	5-10	175	Fr.	Ste. Genevieve, Mo.	Valle Catholic
Von Gordon	RB	5-11	215	Jr.	North Chicago, Ill.	North Chicago	West Hills JC
Logan Hunter	OL	6-4	280	Fr.	Johnston City, Ill.	Johnston City
Jamison Kemp	DL	6-2	290	Fr.	Omaha, Neb.	Omaha Central
Tyler Kubat	QB	6-5	205	Fr.	Fort Collins, Colo.	Fossil Ridge
Zach Lewis	LB	6-1	220	Fr.	Superior, Colo.	Fairview
Dea'blo McGee	WR	6-2	188	So.	St. Louis, Mo.	Roosevelt	Butler Community College
George Miki-Han	OL	6-0	310	So.	Irvine, Calif.	Mater Dei	Colorado State
Josh Newkirk	DB	6-3	175	Fr.	Bixby, Okla.	Bixby
Will Nicholson	LB	6-3	195	Fr.	Belleville, Ill.	Belleville West
Gavin Shaigineik	QB	6-0	155	Fr.	Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.	Tesoro
Jalen Smith	WR	6-4	190	Fr.	Shiloh, Ill.	O'Fallon Township
Jack Stump	DL	6-2	230	Fr.	Morton, Ill.	Morton
Cole Watson	TE	6-4	225	Fr.	Lawrence, Kan.	Lawrence
Andrew Zook	DL	6-4	250	Fr.	Yorkville, Ill.	Yorkville