On the first signing day of the year, the NIU football team picked up 17 recruits who committed to play for the Huskies next season.

Feb. 1 marked the first day high school football players could sign national letters of intent to the college program of their choice. Players who choose to wait have until April 1 to make their decision.

“As a whole, this class is the best athletically we’ve brought in here,” NIU head coach Joe Novak said. “With all the teams spreading the field on offense now, we have more ground to cover. This is a strong, physical group that can run and pursue. Numbers-wise, we have more athletes in this group.”

The four-page document is a contract that locks the player into the program of their choice for at least one year. A parent or legal guardian signature is required for all recruits under 21 years old.

Some of the blue chip recruits that signed to NIU include offensive guard Panan Tense and safety John Tranchitella. Tense, listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 324 pounds, is a three-star recruit on rivals.com and is the No. 35-ranked offensive guard recruit in the country according to ESPN.com. Tranchitella is the next highest rated player as the No. 43 safety.

Another high profile recruit is quarterback Billy Lowe, who helmed the undefeated No. 1-ranked high school team in the country in his native Lakeland, Fl. Lowe’s stock rose when he was named MVP of the Cali-Florida Bowl.

Novak will discuss his recruiting class more in detail in a special radio show at noon today at the Holmes Student Center’s Blackhawk Cafeteria. The show will also be broadcast on 1360 WLBK radio.