WINONA, Minn. – Winona State head football coach Tom Sawyer today announced the signings of 30 high school and four transfer student-athletes who will join the Warriors this fall.

The 34 signees hail from a total of six different states, with the highest total coming from Wisconsin (15), along with Minnesota (9), Illinois (6), Missouri (2), California (1) and Iowa (1).

The Warriors signed in total seven linebackers, six defensive backs, five wide receivers, four running backs, four offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, a quarterback, a tight end, a fullback and an athlete to complete a well-rounded recruiting class to provide depth to mix with WSU's experience.

"The class has been awesome," said Sawyer. "The work that our coaches did to get these kids rolling in to Winona this fall has been outstanding. We took care of some needs that we had to have in this recruiting class and we're really excited about the talent level that's coming to Winona State."

One obvious need for depth for the Warriors entering 2015 was offensive line, which the Warriors addressed with three talented high schoolers in Isaac Mears (Green Bay, Wis.), Joel Miller (Waseca, Minn.) and Greg Off (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) along with Tyler Anglin, a 330-pound tackle from San Ramon, Calif. by way of Butte College. "We needed to bring in a transfer with some experience and Anglin fits that bill, but we also signed three other kids with the smallest one being about 6'5" and 280 pounds, so I think we filled that need in this recruiting class."

While addressing immediate needs, the Warriors also looked toward the future in this year's class, signing what could be the successor to current junior quarterback Jack Nelson. "Rumpza was a finalist for the Mr. Football of Minnesota and the kid threw over 100 touchdowns in his career and threw for almost 9,000 yards. He's a big, tall kid at almost 6'7" and he's got the whole package and we're excited to get him in here and be a protégé behind Jack and we'll see how it works out."

Sawyer and the Warriors also will welcome four versatile running backs to the squad in the fall with the additions of Patrick Baumann (West Bend, Wis.), Jonny Chamberlain (New Auburn, Wis.), Landon Jacobson (Grand Meadow, Minn.) and Justice MacNeal-Young. "Baumann is a pretty special talent, and Justice-MacNeal Young is a very elusive kid and is very fast and aggressive while Landon Jacobson is a local kid, Sawyer said."

Although the Warriors have a myriad of talent returning at the wide receiver position, the coaching staff brought in five newcomers in Jake Balliu (Lake Villa, Ill.), Colin Duellman (Winona, Minn.), Aitor Flood (St. Paul, Minn.), Brett Johnson (Watertown, Minn.) and Andrew Lockwood (White Bear Lake, Minn.) who will have opportunities to make impacts in purple. "We're looking at kids who are fast and kind of the return type of kids so when our five seniors graduate it'll be a dogfight to see who'll get on the field at the receiver position," said Sawyer.

Rounding out the offensive newcomers are fullback Jack De Groot (Combined Locks, Wis.) and tight end Kyle Kerrigan (Winona, Minn.). "De Groot is a hammer and he likes contact and is a physical, physical kid," said Sawyer. "Kerrigan is a raw kid from Cotter High School and we're waiting for him to blossom."

Sawyer and the Warriors also made a point to bolster a defense that made great strides during the 2014 season. Alex Evans (West Allis, Wis.), Michael Gomez (Cary, Ill.), Cole LaLiberty (Chetek, Wis.) and Avery Osterhout (Milton, Wis.) will look to help revamp a defensive front that graduated five seniors from last year's squad. "The seniors last year took virtually every snap, so that was a big need area for us," said assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Zac Barton. "We don't think any of these kids are going to have to come in and play right away, but if they come in and show their best they could possibly do that."

The Warriors also graduate a lot of experience at the linebacker position, which the Warriors addressed by making that group one of the largest of the class at six newcomers. Junior transfer from RCTC Travis Frank (Caledonia, Minn.), along with Jordan McInerney (Libertyville, Wis.), Connor Rehn (Green Bay, Wis.), David Smith (Bettendorf, Iowa), Noel Winch (Plover, Wis.) and Mitchell Wozniak (Chetek, Wis.) will each have a chance to make impacts early in their WSU careers. "Frank started at three different positions at RCTC so he can come in and have an impact on your program right away and his leadership ability fits in well with our culture," said Barton.

WSU rounded out its recruiting class by welcoming in six players to the defensive secondary – including a pair of transfers. Sophomore Samson Sia of Independence, Mo. makes his way to WSU from Lindenwood University, while Joseph Tuimaseve – also an Independence native – transfers from Iowa Central. Additionally, four high school student-athletes – Justin Gross (Colgate, Wis.), Cole Monckton (Hersey, Ill.), Clint Warminski (Stanley, Wis.) and Isaiah Webb (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) – look to shore up the Warriors' efforts in the secondary along with athlete Evan Dux (Combined Locks, Wis.), who has an opportunity to make his mark at different positions on the defensive side of the ball.