CHICAGO – Roosevelt football coach Billy McKeon unveiled the Lakers' 35-person signing class for 2026 on Wednesday.

The group is heavily focused on the Chicagoland area with 31 student-athletes hailing from Illinois originally. The Lakers also signed one player from Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky as part of the class. Overall, 13 student-athletes enrolled at Roosevelt for the 2026 spring semester – 12 transfers and one early-enrollee freshman – and the other 23 will arrive in the fall to downtown Chicago, including a transfer.

"I'm really proud of our coaching staff for the hard work that went into this signing class," McKeon said. "We're also incredibly thankful for the support of our athletics administration, especially Vice President of Athletics and Student-Athlete Success Mike Cassidy, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Success Robin Muller, and Athletic Admissions Counselor Kayla Morrissey. The work they do behind the scenes makes it possible for our staff to recruit high-level talent while remaining transparent with prospective student-athletes throughout the process. Together, we're continuing to build and uphold the standard we're working to set here at Roosevelt University."

TRANSFERS
Carl Bew – Athlete | Joliet, Ill. | St. Francis (Ill.)

• 2^nd Team All-American All-Purpose
• 1^st Team All-MSFA Special Teams
• 11 TD Passes, 10 Rushing TDs, 3.9 Yards per Carry
• 29.6 Yards per Kick Return in 2025

Jaden Bossie – Running Back | Chicago, Ill. | Central State

• 84 Carries, 328 Rushing Yards, 3 Total TDs

Kevin Conway – Quarterback | New Lenox, Ill. | Eastern Illinois

• Played in 2 games over three seasons

Dash Dorsey – Wide Receiver | Naperville, Ill. | Kent State

• Played in 11 games over two seasons

Evan Gober – Tight End | Lawrenceville, Ga. | Austin Peay

• Appeared in 1 game in one season

Jordan Jackson – Defensive Back | Country Club Hills, Ill. | Western Illinois

• Did not appear in a game during 2025 season

Jack Leons – Quarterback | Lincolnwood, Ill. | Elmhurst

• Appeared in 6 games in one season
• 200 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD

JaVonte McCoy – Wide Receiver | Schaumburg, Ill. | Upper Iowa

• Did not appear in a game during 2025 season

Antonio Moore – Defensive Back | Gurnee, Ill. | Northern State

• Did not appear in a game during 2025 season

Jaysen Perez – Defensive Line | Chicago, Ill. | North Park

• 29 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 Sacks

Derell Simmons Jr. – Wide Receiver | Louisville, Ky. | Central Missouri

• 2^nd Team NCCAA All-American at Kentucky Christian
• Broke Kentucky Christian record for receiving yards in a game and in a season
• 54 catches, 1,045 receiving yards, 10 TDs.

Joseph Spaulding – Wide Receiver | Chicago, Ill. | Truman State

• Appeared in 21 games
• 29 Catches, 336 Yards, 6 Total TDs

Jeremiah Washington – Wide Receiver | Chicago, Ill. | Eureka

• Appeared in 16 games
• 19 Catches, 194 Receiving Yards, 1 TD

Darion Williams – Defensive Line | Chicago, Ill. | Indianapolis

• Appeared in 4 games
• 2 tackles, 1 TFL

"We were able to utilize the transfer portal to bring in players who will elevate the talent level across our roster," McKeon said. "Adding this group increases competition in every position room, and that competition will help push our returning players throughout the offseason. Ultimately, that growth will help us continue building a more connected, competitive team heading into fall 2026."

FRESHMEN
Ahmad Buchanan – Defensive Back | Oak Lawn, Ill. | Richards HS

• All-State Honoree
• Conference Player of the Year
• 63 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 TFLs

Jordan Callaway – Defensive Line | Kankakee, Ill. | Bishop McNamara HS

• All-Conference Honoree
• All-State Honorable Mention
• 75 Tackles, 11 TFLs

Jayden Camacho – Offensive Line | Chicago, Ill. | Taft HS

• Team Captain
• Team MVP
• Phil Vierneisel Leadership Award
• 30 Pancakes, 1 Sack allowed

Keith Edwards – Linebacker | Merrillville, Ind. | Merrillville HS
Landon Gilbert – Defensive Line | Chicago, Ill. | Brother Rice HS

• 2025 State Champion
• Conference Lineman of the Year
• 34 Tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 Forced Fumbles

Emmanuel Hudson – Defensive Line | Pine Bluff, Ark. | Pine Bluff HS
Amare LaValle – Defensive Back | Chicago Ridge, Ill. | Richards HS

• All-Conference
• 67 Tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 INTs, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery

Jaylen Maiden – Defensive Line | Palatine, Ill. | Palatine HS

• 2024 & 2025 All-Conference Honoree
• 2025 Defensive Player of the Year
• 2x Academic All-State

Jayden Marshall – Defensive Back | Beecher, Ill. | Crete Monee HS

• 4-Year Starter
• All-Conference in Football and Track & Field
• 132 Tackles, 6 INTs

Julius May – Running Back | Bradley, Ill. | Bishop McNamara HS

• All-State Honoree
• Conference Player of the Year
• 1,200 Rushing Yards, 23 Total TDs

Kylan McMillen – Wide Receiver | Metamora, Ill. | Metamora HS
XZavion Montgomery – Defensive Back | Zion, Ill. | Warren Township HS

• All-Conference Honoree
• 18 Tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 Sack, 8 PBUs, 1 INT, 1 Forced Fumble

Mason Moore – Tight End | Crest Hill, Ill. | Lockport Township HS
Luke Morris – Defensive Back | Bedford, Ill. | North Lawrence HS

• 2x Team Captain
• 160 Tackles, 25 PBUs, 2 INTs, 3 Forced Fumbles

DaVon Osborn – Wide Receiver | Wabash, Ind. | Wabash HS

• 2x All-Conference
• 3x All-County
• 115 Catches, 1,626 Yards, 15 Total Touchdowns

Michael Pryor – Linebacker | Evanston, Ill. | Evanston Township HS

• 2x All-Conference Honoree
• 86 Tackles, 20 TFLs, 3 Forced Fumbles, 2 Defensive TDs

Sean Sample – Kicker/Punter | Channahon, Ill. | Minooka Community HS

• 2x Conference Special Teams Player of the Year
• Career Longs: 45 Yard FG, 63 Yard Punt

Drew Silzer – Linebacker | Lockport, Ill. | Lockport Township HS

• All-Conference Honoree
• 96 Tackles, 8 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 4 QB Hurries, 3 PBUS, 1 INT

Alex Soto – Running Back | Oak Lawn, Ill. | Oak Lawn Community HS

• All-Conference Honoree
• 1,394 Rushing Yards, 10.9 Yards per Carry, 14 Total Touchdowns

DJ Streeter – Wide Receiver | Markham, Ill. | Hillcrest HS

• 1,000 All-Purpose Yards

Jamari Thomas – Running Back | Country Club Hills, Ill. | Hillcrest HS

• All-Conference Honoree
• All-State Academic
• 89 Carries, 683 Rushing Yards

"Our incoming freshman class is also impressive, and we're excited to see how many of these young men can make an immediate impact on our roster," McKeon said. "Not only did we sign players who will develop into outstanding contributors in the future, but we also added guys who will be able to step on the field and compete for meaningful snaps right away next fall. While we're still finalizing a few spots on our roster, signing day marks an important milestone, and we feel very strong about the class we've assembled."