PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Feb. 6, 2013) - The Colorado State University-Pueblo football team has announced its high school and junior college signees to its roster for the 2013 season Wednesday, known nationally as "National Signing Day."

This year, CSU-Pueblo continued to add many of Colorado's top prep athletes to its signing class, but added many athletes from such football hotbeds as Florida, California, and Oklahoma.  The Class of 2013 now officially includes 26 new National Letter of Intent signees, as well as numerous "institutional letter of intent" signees (not listed).  Additionally, if an athlete was listed on any of the three major recruiting websites (Scout.com, Rivals.com, ESPN), that ranking is listed.

Some of the highlights of the Pack's signing class includes two athletes ranked as "two star" recruits - Jordan Anderson (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley HS) and Spencer Nathe (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial HS) and a total of nine athletes that are ranked on the major recruiting websites.  

CSU-Pueblo is coming off its best season in school history, finishing the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record for the second straight year, winning the program's second outright Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title and the program's first ever NCAA Division II playoff game.  It ended the regular season as the top-ranked team in the nation for the second straight season.

The class of 2013 is the latest installment to enter the program after it officially rose to national prominence in 2011.

"We are selling a program that has done what no other program in the country has done: risen from a startup to number one in the nation and 11-0 just four years later," Wristen said. "From the beginning, we have had a blueprint for building this program - a blueprint based on integrity, respect, tradition, hard work and commitment. We now have the luxury of cherry-picking the guys that we think embody what it means to be a Pack football player, both in talent and character.  Our next step is to improve from a good program to an elite program, and it is through solid recruiting of classes such as this that we can reach our goal of a national championship."

The following players have signed National Letters of Intent to play football at CSU-Pueblo.  For more information on each athlete, click their name to see their biography.  In some cases, the athlete has an accompanying link to a highlight video. 

CSU-Pueblo will release the names of the members of the Class of 2013 once the University obtains a signed National Letter of Intent from each student-athlete.  If prospective student-athletes received an "institutional letter of intent," which offers them a chance to make the team in the fall without scholarship dollars, they are not included on this list, per NCAA rules.   

OFFENSE

Athlete / Position / Ht/Wt. / Hometown/Previous School

Chris Bonner QB 6-7/235 San Diego, Calif./Grossmont (CA) JC (Ranked by Scout.com)

Zach Boyd TE 6-5/190 Fort Lupton, Colo./Fort Lupton HS

Mitch Colin WR 6-0/165 Westminster, Colo./Pomona HS

Derion Ibarra RB 5-10/175 Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East HS

Rico Jean-Louis TE 6-4/185 Lantana, Fla./Santaluces Community HS

Marcus Johnson OL/DL 6-3/250 Longmont, Colo./Longmont HS (Ranked by Scout.com)

Kieran Kuiper OL 6-6/290 Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage HS (Ranked by Scout.com)

Ty McCulley OL 6-6/265 Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo Central HS (Ranked by Scout.com)

Jed Mendicino TE 6-7/215 Pueblo West, Colo./Pueblo West HS

Felix Mestas WR 6-0/155 Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East HS

Austin Miles OL 6-5/230 Durango, Colo./Durango HS

Ryan Miller FB 6-2/220 Firestone, Colo./Frederick HS

Spencer Nathe OG 6-2/285 Peoria, Ariz./Centennial HS (Two-star ranked by Scout.com; Ranked by Rivals.com; Ranked by ESPN)

Taylor Vaughn WR 5-11/175 Arvada, Colo./Arvada HS

DEFENSE

Athlete / Position / Ht/Wt. / Hometown/Previous School

John Adam DE 6-3/200 Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge HS (Ranked by Scout.com)

Jordan Anderson MLB 6-0/218 Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley HS (Two-star ranked by Scout.com; Two-star ranked by Rivals.com)

Riley Brown DL 6-0/250 Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County HS

Tiree Burton DE 6-4/200 San Diego, Calif./Serra HS

Lance Cox DB 6-1/180 Windsor, Colo./Windsor HS (Ranked by Scout.com; Ranked by ESPN)

Andrew Davies DT 6-2/245 Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield HS

Cody Earp OLB 6-2/201 Oklahoma City, Okla./Southmoore HS

Donivan Harville OLB 6-3/210 Colo. Spgs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain HS (Ranked by Scout.com)

Josh Knotek LB 6-2/230 Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado HS

Matt McNear DE 6-4/215 Sterling, Colo./Sterling HS

Jonathan Pauli LB 6-3/200 Grand Junction, Colo./Grand Junction HS

Lucas Watts LB 6-1/205 Windsor, Colo./Windsor HS