EKU Colonels football sign 10 on first day of early period

Players from five states on the list

RICHMOND, Ky. (EKU Athletics) – Eastern Kentucky head coach Walt Wells announced the signing of 10 student-athletes who will join the football program for the 2022 season as part of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday.

The newcomers consist of three linebackers, two defensive linemen, two offensive linemen, one defensive back, one quarterback, and one punter. Five of the incoming Colonels hail from Kentucky, while Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Australia are also represented.

“We’re really excited to welcome these young men into the EKU football program,” Wells said. “Our coaches did a great job of addressing the needs of our team. We’re very excited about all the traits these young men bring to our program, and we look forward to seeing them compete. We’re also very appreciative of all the high school coaches in the state and in Tennessee that helped us with our high school signees.”

Jeremiah Bailey | DL | 6-3 | 240 | Smyrna, Tenn./Smyrna

• Tennessee East-West All-Star Classic selection as a senior
• 2021 Region 6-6A Co-Defensive MVP
• Region 5-6A Defensive Player of the Year as a junior
• 79 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2020
• Helped Bulldogs win a region championship as a junior
• Also played tight end

Wells on Bailey: “Jeremiah has good length and good size. He also camped with us and did a great job. We’re excited about how he played his senior year and we’re looking forward to adding him to the defensive line room.”

Kellen Bowen | LB | 6-5 | 210 | Hodgenville, Ky./LaRue County

• Second Team News Enterprise All-Area linebacker as a junior
• Also played wide receiver
• Part of Region 3A championship team as a freshman
• Member of basketball and track teams
• Named LaRue County H.S. Most Athletic
• Most Versatile award winner in all three sports

Wells on Bowen: “Kellen is a big athlete that came to camp this summer. He has good length and speed. We’re looking forward to seeing his growth and development.”

Jeremy Edwards | P | 6-3 | 210 | Bendigo, Australia/Prokick Australia

• Fourth Colonel punter since 2009 to hail from Australia
• Trained with Prokick Australia

Wells on Edwards: “Jeremy was recommended to us by former Colonel Rick Sang. We’ll continue our Aussie connection at punter after having guys like Jordan Berry, Keith Wrzuszczak, and Phillip Richards here. We really loved Jeremy’s film and we’re looking forward to seeing him.”

KJ Figures | DB | 6-0 | 195 | Charleston, W.V./Antelope Valley College

• 40 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 12 pass breakups, and two interceptions in 2021
• Helped Marauders win 2021 SCFA American Pacific League championship
• Led AVC to CCCAA American Championship Bowl berth
• Finished first in the American Pacific League in pass breakups
• Ranked sixth in the conference in solo tackles
• Played cornerback and wide receiver at Capital H.S.

Wells on Figures: “KJ’s film was sent to us by Coach Perry Jehlicka, who’s the head coach at Antelope Valley and was a coach on the 1997 OVC championship team here at EKU. KJ had a great high school career and a very productive junior college career, so we’re looking forward to having him here.”

Cameron Hergott | QB | 6-3 | 200 | Fort Mitchell, Ky./Beechwood

• 2021 KFCA 2A Player of the Year
• 2020 KFCA and AP Mr. Kentucky Football
• Led Tigers to state championships in 2018, 2020, and 2021
• Three-time state championship MVP
• 2020 Louisville Courier Journal and Greater Cincinnati First Team All-State quarterback
• Threw for 8,537 career yards and 97 touchdowns while rushing for 4,197 yards and 63 touchdowns

Wells on Hergott: “Cameron addresses a need we have at quarterback. He’ll be here this spring, so we’re excited about watching him compete. Obviously, he had a storied career at Beechwood High School, where he won three state championships and was Mr. Football for the 2020 season. We’re really excited about how he performed at camp with us and how he was solid in his commitment with us.”

Anthony Johns | OL | 6-1 | 285 | Winchester, Ky./Lexington Christian Academy

• KSR 2021 All-State Football Team selection
• Helped lead Eagles to back-to-back 2A state championship game appearances as a junior and senior
• Part of Kentucky’s highest-scoring offense in 2021 (46.9 points per game)
• Paved the way for running back Xavier Brown, who rushed for 1,511 yards and 22 touchdowns and was named the Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year
• Name lineman MVP at 2021 Best of the Midwest Combine
• Member of track & field team

Wells on Johns: “Anthony camped with us multiple times and did a great job of earning his offer. We’re really excited about his future on the offensive line at the center position. He played in back-to-back state championships and is a really good football player.”

Dylan Jordan | LB | 6-3 | 210 | Pittsburg, Kans./Butler C.C.

• Honorable Mention KJCCC All-Conference selection
• 32 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 2021
• Helped Grizzlies reach the KJCCC semifinals
• Led all Butler freshman in tackles this fall
• Guided Butler to first 8-seed upset of a 1-seed in KJCCC playoff history
• Made 16 stops in the final three games of the season, including nine in the postseason

Wells on Jordan: “Dylan played at TCU before going to Butler. He’s shown the skill set we’re looking for at our SAM position. He has good length and good speed and possesses good pass-rushing ability.”
Jeremiah Lightfoot | DL | 6-2 | 300 | Bowling Green, Ky./Bowling Green

• First Team All-SKY Conference defensive lineman as a junior and a senior
• Led Purples to 2020 5A state championship
• Recorded 73 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks in his junior season
• Courier Journal 2020 Kentucky High School All-State Football Honorable Mention
• Part of defense that allowed 9.6 points per game in 2020

Wells on Lightfoot: “Jeremiah will be a nose tackle for us. He has good athleticism and won a state championship at Bowling Green High School in 2020 and was a really good player for that program.”
Matthew Napier | OL | 6-6 | 343 | Nicholasville, Ky./University of Kentucky

• Letterwinner at Kentucky
• Prepped at East Jessamine H.S.
• Earned Courier Journal All-State honorable mention honors as a senior
• Participated in the 2017 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl
• Member of the basketball and track & field teams

Wells on Napier: “I knew Matthew from my time at Kentucky. He’s a really big, athletic young man. He was competing for playing time on a great offensive line at Kentucky. He’ll come in and compete immediately at our guard position but can play guard or tackle.”

Kylan Robinson | LB | 5-11 | 210 | Southaven, Miss./Northwest Mississippi C.C.

• Second Team All-MACCC selection
• Led Rangers to back-to-back MACCC championships in 2020 and 2021
• Recorded 74 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and one interception this fall
• All-Mississippi Gridiron Team selection in 2020
• Third Team JCGridiron.com Fall All-American honoree last season

Wells on Robinson: “Kylan played on two state championship teams at Northwest Mississippi and was part of a team that made the national semifinals. He was a leader on their defense. He’s an aggressive, hard-nosed middle linebacker and was highly recommended by the Northwest staff. We really enjoyed meeting Kylan and are excited to have him here.”

Get Tickets: https://bit.ly/EKUTix22

New season tickets for the 2022 EKU Football season are now available through EKUSports.com and the EKU Athletics Ticket Office located in the Rick Erdmann Olympic Sports Training Center. Tickets start at just $39 when purchasing four or more in select sections. Ticket prices for the general public did not increase from the 2021 season that saw the Colonels win their final five home games of the season. Box seating in the stadium has seen prices reduced with Stadium Club seating also featuring a reduced per-game rate for the 2022 season off previous five-game pricing. Renewals for 2021 season ticket holders will be available in January.