DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Drake University football team has received commitments from 27 student-athletes to join the Bulldogs for the 2017 season, four-year head coach Rick Fox announced Wednesday to open the signing period.

"This is a big day, an exciting day for Drake Football and Drake University. We're welcoming 27 guys who made a commitment today to be a part of our football program and to be a part of Drake University and that's a big deal. These are guys that are not only Division I caliber football players, they are also guys who are incredible students - as you need to be to come to Drake University. Men of character, guys who are going to go on to do great things with their lives and those are the kind of guys we recruit and that make up this class," said Fox.
 
The 27 student-athletes that will continue their academic and athletic careers hail from those eight states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. Fourteen of the newcomers are projected as offensive players while 13 are defenders.

"These are the kind of young men that saw what was most important in the decision in terms of the impact it would have on their lives in the long run. Both in their involvement in our football program as well as the education their going to get at Drake University and I'm excited about coaching them in the future," said Fox.  

The 2017 commitments join a program that has laid claim to two of the last six Pioneer Football League championships. The Bulldogs are slated to return eight all-PFL selections from the 2016 season in which the team posted a 7-4 record and finished third in the PFL with a 6-2 mark.



2017 Drake Football Commitments
Alec Austin, DL, 6-4, 220, Fort Worth, Texas (Nolan Catholic)          
Mark Bach, OL, 6-0, 249, Barrington, Ill. (Barrington)  
Tyler Barrett, OL, 6-5, 260, Austin, Texas (Lake Travis)          
Bryce Bemer, DB, 5-11, 157, Mechanicsville, Iowa (North Cedar)
Brady Bjorkman, WR, 6-1, 195, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (San Juan Hills)      
Max Duchow, QB/ATH, 6-1, 184, Wales, Wis. (Kettle Moraine)        
Dawson Evans, DB, 5-11, 192, Edmond, Okla. (Heritage Hall)        
Armando Fitz Jr., LB, 6-1, 225, Fort Worth, Texas (Fort Worth Christian)    
Zachary Genrich, WR, 5-11, 195, Mukwonago, Wis. (Mukwonago)
Grant Gossling, H-Back, 6-0, 217, Johnston, Iowa (Johnston)          
Joseph Harkins, ATH, 6-3, 210, Earlham, Iowa (Earlham Community)      
Corden Harrington, DB, 6-2, 170, Coweta, Okla. (Coweta)  
Braeden Hartwig, RB, 5-10, 191, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Southwest)          
Max Johnson, DL, 6-3, 245, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Xavier)    
Ryan Kriceri, TE, 6-2, 200, Aurora, Ill. (Metea Valley)
Will Kulick, LB, 6-3, 230, Aurora, Colo. (Regis Jesuit)
Noah Larson, DB, 6-2, 190, Winterset, Iowa (Winterset)        
Ryan Lieb, OL, 6-5, 265, Deerfield, Ill. (Deerfield)      
Jorin McGuire, OL, 6-4, 295, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)        
Ben Nienhuis, QB, 6-2, 200, Oconomowoc, Wis. (Oconomowoc)    
Jeran Proctor, DB, 5-11, 166, Johnston, Iowa (Johnston)      
Jacob Richard, DL, 6-3, 215, Champaign, Ill. (St. Thomas More)    
Cross Robinson, RB, 6-0, 205, Naperville, Ill. (Naperville North)    
Alex Rogers, DB, 6-1, 185, Racine, Wis. (Case)
Terry Saul III, DB, 5-10, 170, Bettendorf, Iowa (Pleasant Valley)      
Andrew Shafis, LB, 6-2, 199, Mount Prospect, Ill. (Prospect)
Dalton Taylor, WR, 6-6, 220, Columbus, Neb. (Scotus Central Catholic)