Football | 2/1/2017 2:20:00 PM

The Georgia Southern football program announced Wednesday a football recruiting class composed of 22 student-athletes, rated by numerous scouting services as one of the tops in the Sun Belt Conference for the year."This is the second straight year we've been able to sign an outstanding class," head coachsaid. "If you take the two years combined, I think you'd see us as the resounding number one in our conference over that time period. The big piece of today was filling needs. That starts with signing two quarterbacks and then also signing seven defensive linemen. We also had to make sure we hit our numbers at running back and linebacker to set us up for the future. When you look at each one of those individual pieces, they all become essential in creating the entire puzzle that is this recruiting class."We said from the beginning that we were going to recruit our state and areas nearby the hardest and I think that shows in that we signed 17 players from either Georgia or the Jacksonville area. This was a collective group effort from our entire staff. Our nine on-the-field coaches get a lot of the recognition, but all of our off-the-field staff had just as big of a hand in us being able to have such an outstanding class."The Eagles added 17 student-athletes from the high school ranks along with two JUCO players and three mid-year transfers inandto bolster the 2017 football roster.GS welcomed 13 players from the state of Georgia, six from Florida (including four from the Jacksonville area) and one apiece from California, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.The Eagles added seven defensive linemen, four linebackers and two backs on defense, along with two quarterbacks, three running backs, three offensive linemen and an "athlete."GS will open the 2017 football season on Sept. 2 at Auburn.For all of the bios on the 22 players, click here for the Signing Day Central Page . The Facebook Live broadcast is also available on the Georgia Southern Athletics Facebook Page.Tré Allen, LB, 6-0, 225, Stockbridge, Ga., WoodlandKado Brown, QB, 6-0, 190, Ventura, Calif., Rio Mesa (Moorpark CC)Melton Brown Jr., DL, 6-3, 248 , Louisville, Ga., Jefferson CountyKenderick Duncan Jr., S, 6-3, 190, Stockbridge, Ga., Stockbridge, OL, 6-5 , 285, Glen Mills, Pa. , Cardinal O'Hara (Salisbury (CT) School)Jaalon Frazier, QB, 6-2, 190, Hinesville, Ga., Liberty County, CB, 5-11, 175, Plant City, Fla., DurantQuan Griffin, DL, 6-2, 260, Glen Saint Mary, Fla., Baker CountyChris Harris Jr., LB, 6-1, 225, Savannah, Ga., BenedictineJosh Johnson, DE, 6-5, 245, Suwanee, Ga., Peachtree RidgeRaymond Johnson III, DE, 6-4, 230, Sumter, S.C., SumterBenz Josue, LB, 6-0, 190, Lawrenceville, Ga., Mountain ViewCaleb Kelly, OL, 6-2, 275, Warner Robins, Ga., NorthsideWesley Kennedy III, ATH, 5-10, 181, Savannah, Ga., BenedictineMatt LaRoche, RB, 5-10, 170, Venice, Fla., Venice, OL, 6-5, 270, Green Cove Springs, Fla., ClayDemetrice Lofton, DL, 6-4, 230, Fairburn, Ga., CreeksideBrian Miller, DE, 6-2, 245, Savannah, Ga., Memorial DayTomarcio Reese, LB, 6-0, 220, Moultrie, Ga., Colquitt County (Northwest Mississippi CC)Kenton Tucker Jr., DL, 6-4, 275, Jacksonville, Fla., First CoastGrant Walker, RB, 6-0, 195, Ellenwood, Ga., Cedar GroveLogan Wright, RB, 6-0, 212, Jacksonville, Fla., Sandalwood