UCO Announces 2022 Football Signing Class

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma football team announced Wednesday on National Signing Day its 2022 class.  

Central Oklahoma, under the direction of new head football coach Adam Dorrel, received national letters of intent from 22 high school football players on Wednesday.  

“Two months ago, we began the process of trying to put together the class of 2022,” Dorrel said. “We were looking for players that could lay the foundation for the new era of Broncho football, setting out to sign the best players the state of Oklahoma has to offer.”  

See the complete list at the end of this article.

UCO signed 22 total on Wednesday. The Bronchos inked 14 on the offensive side of the football and eight for the defensive side. Six offensive linemen represent the largest position group of new signees. 

“We added nine players that played in the state championship games hosted here on campus at Chad Richison Stadium,” Dorrel said. “We also signed 14 Oklahomans that were named first or second team All-State. We feel as if this class embodies our core values of being selfless, tough, and disciplined. This class is made up of phenomenal athletes that will excel against MIAA competition. Most of this class were lettermen in multiple sports in their high school careers.”  

Dorrel had some thanks to give.  

“I also want to applaud the hard work of our assistant coaches in putting together this tremendous signing class in just under two months’ time. Our recruiting coordinator Dimitri Donald did a fantastic job of spearheading our recruiting operations on short notice. 

“I would also like to give special thanks to the following people; Stan Wagnon – Athletic Director, Reggie Jordan – Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Support Services, Jeremy Rogers – Senior Associate Athletic Director, Sheridan Leake – Director of Compliance, Laura Donner – Assistant Registrar – Athletics Academic Eligibility, Samm Chavez – Manager of Athletic Aid & Student Success, Chris Brannick – Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations as well as Abby Boyer – Media Relations Assistant.” 

Dorrel was only hired Dec. 8, 2021 and put together this class in less than 60 days. He closed with remarks already looking forward to the next class. 

“With the completion of the 2022 class, we look forward to a full recruiting cycle with the class of 2023,” Dorrel said. “We are excited to take on the challenge of becoming a destination spot for high school football players in the state of Oklahoma. We plan to hit the road in May and continue to build relationships with high school coaches across the state.” 

UCO’s new assistant coaches and coordinators on both sides of the ball also had comments about Central Oklahoma’s 2022 signing class.  

“We added a mix of talent ready to compete early and a mix depth at needed positions in this 2022 recruiting class,” Brandon Lechtenberg said. “I am excited about the number of recruits that are coming to UCO from championship programs in the state of Oklahoma. We are getting some of the best players from the best teams in the state which not only make us a more talented defense; they will also add an element of both competitiveness and toughness to our defense.” 

Lechtenberg will coach linebackers this fall in addition to Defensive Coordinator responsibilities. 

“The defensive front will be adding a collection of players that is very fast and physical on film,” Lechtenberg continued. “They not only have the physical traits needed to compete in the MIAA, more importantly they have the toughness and character. The 2022 secondary will be fast with a mix elite coverage corners and several athletes that have played both sides of the ball and will be transitioning to full-time defensive players.” 

New quarterbacks coach and Offensive Coordinator Josh Lamberson on the offense. 

“We are extremely excited to welcome our new student athletes to the Smash and Dash Offense,” Lamberson said. “Every position is represented with this signing class, and we feel like the talent level is off the charts impressive. We could not have envisioned a better inaugural class for the Broncho offense. 

We feel like we have a tremendous amount of skill, football IQ, physicality, and toughness with these young men.” 

Lamberson added that this class has some sport diversity.  

“Winning comes in all varieties as we have football state champions, wrestling state champions, track state champions and basketball state champions represented in this class. The winning and hard work goes beyond the field as well as shown in the academic achievements of these young men. We are proud of the accomplishments of all these student athletes and look forward to being a part of their journey as members of the Broncho football family!”