The Lindenwood University football team went 7-3 in its first season as an NCAA Division I team in 2022. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University football program announced its 2023 Signing Class this week. The first official signing day was Wednesday, with the signing period ending next Wednesday.
Overall, Lindenwood added 21 new players, 17 of them were high school signees, the other four were college transfers. Thirteen of the players were offensive players, and eight of them were defensive players.
Head coach Jed Stugart mentioned numerous times during the recruiting season that the Lions would be looking particularly for players with size that could make a difference on their offensive and defensive lines. And they did that by adding five offensive linemen and three new defensive linemen.
“You have to get to the size to compete at Division I and we were able to address that,” Stugart said. “Depth and size are the next steps that we have to address to get to the national level that we want to get to.”
One of those players is local high school star, Will Nicholson, who played at Belleville West High. He was rated one of the area’s top prep players following his junior year in 2021, but then he suffered an injury that cost him most of his senior season this past fall.
Some of the colleges that were pursuing him backed off following the injury. But Nicholson said Lindenwood continued to stay with him and that was what made him sure the Lions were the choice for him.
“I liked the way they kept communicating with me, even when I had the broken wrist and couldn’t play,” Nicholson said. “They kept calling me, asking me how I was doing. They were very family-oriented. I didn’t like how I couldn’t play at all because it was my last season.
“I missed (football) so much. Some nights, I would sit in my room and just think about it. I can’t wait to play. I can’t wait to be on the field again.”
This year’s signing class includes players from 11 states, including two from Missouri and seven from Illinois. Stugart said it is important that his program continues to bring in top local talent, but that his staff are always looking out for talented players from all over the country that could help Lindenwood reach its goals.
“I think the culture of our program is evident,” Stugart said. “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.”
Last season, the Lions went 7-3 in their first season as members of the Ohio Valley Conference, while playing at the FCS level. Next year, Lindenwood will again play in the OVC, which announced last week that its 2023 league schedule will include games against teams from the Big South Conference, in a joint association between the two league’s football member schools.
The entire 2023 schedule hasn’t been set, but the Lions do know they will play Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, and Eastern Illinois from the OVC, and Charleston Southern and Bryant from the Big South.
Lindenwood could add more players during the second semester signing period, which is slated for February 1-7, 2023.
Lindenwood Football Signing Class – Early Signing Period
| 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, Jr. | 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 |