University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Photo by: Jason Rubin / JMRImages
UNI Football Signs Four
2/5/2020 4:49:00 PM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI Football announced the signing of four additional recruits to the 2020 recruiting class Wednesday. Prep standouts Cael Loecher, Gunnar Kilen and Da'Vonshai Harden and junior college transfer Kenden Robinson Jr all put ink to paper to join the 2020 Panther football team.
The four signees join 13 other future Panthers that signed in the early signing period in December.
Wednesday's group include two quarterbacks, a wide receiver and a cornerback. Loecher, a Cedar Falls product, stays at home to play for UNI while Kilen comes from Wisconsin, Harden makes his way to UNI from Topeka, Kansas and Kenden Robinson Jr. makes his way to the Midwest from California.
UNI football is expected to add one more athlete tomorrow.
So far, the Panther class includes four offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, two wide receivers, two quarterbacks, one running back, one linebacker and one athlete. The class includes nine athletes from Iowa, two from Kansas, one from Wisconsin, one from Oklahoma, one from Nebraska, one from California, one from Minnesota and one from Missouri.
Two athletes, Jaylin Richardson and Jacob Ferguson, are already enrolled on campus and participating in winter workouts ahead of spring football that will begin in March.
2020 Recruiting Class
Da'Vonshai Harden • QB • 6-4 - 194 • Topeka HS / Topeka, Kan.
Harden has a big frame for a quarterback. He is not afraid to pass or run the ball and did both to great effect for Topeka High School. He passed for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for another 901 yards and six touchdowns. He helped lead Topeka to the state quarterfinals where they fell to the eventual state champions, Derby. Harden was picked to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl and earned all-city honors in back-to-back seasons. He is a dual-sport athlete that also plays basketball. He is a consensus three-star recruit and was ranked as the 4th-best recruit in the state of Kansas by ESPN.
Gunnar Kilen • C • 6-6 – 295 • Verona Area HS / Verona, Wis.
Kilen's offer list is nearly as long as his 6-6 frame. He is another consensus three-star athlete with a ton of potential. He is a two-year All-Conference player and was named All-Area, All-Region and Honorable Mention All-State as a senior. Kilen was named the No. 9 recruit in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Sports Network.
Cael Loecher • QB/P • 6-5 – 190 • Cedar Falls, Iowa / Cedar Falls HS / Cedar Falls, Iowa
Loecher is a winner. The quarterback and punter stays at home to play for the Panthers in the same stadium where he won 13 games as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. He went 22-2 as a starter for Cedar Falls and passed for 4,006 yards and 51 touchdowns in two seasons. He also averaged 40.6 yards per punt and will look to compete right away at the punter position. He is a three-sport athlete at Cedar Falls where he plays basketball and baseball. He is averaging 81.8% from the field so far this season for the Tigers who are 12-2 on the year.
Kenden Robinson Jr. • 6-3 – 195 • City College of San Francisco / Alameda, Calif.
Robinson passed up FBS offers before attending City College of San Francisco, the junior college of UNI offensive line coach Ryan Clanton. Robinson put up gaudy numbers for the Rams his sophomore year. He has 50 catches for 746 yards and a league-high nine touchdowns. He was named All-Bay 6 League and All-State during the 2019 season. He was the CCSF Offensive MVP. He is originally from Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. He tallied 704 yards receiving and seven touchdowns his senior year while averaging 20.7 yards per catch.
The four signees join 13 other future Panthers that signed in the early signing period in December.
Wednesday's group include two quarterbacks, a wide receiver and a cornerback. Loecher, a Cedar Falls product, stays at home to play for UNI while Kilen comes from Wisconsin, Harden makes his way to UNI from Topeka, Kansas and Kenden Robinson Jr. makes his way to the Midwest from California.
UNI football is expected to add one more athlete tomorrow.
So far, the Panther class includes four offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, two wide receivers, two quarterbacks, one running back, one linebacker and one athlete. The class includes nine athletes from Iowa, two from Kansas, one from Wisconsin, one from Oklahoma, one from Nebraska, one from California, one from Minnesota and one from Missouri.
Two athletes, Jaylin Richardson and Jacob Ferguson, are already enrolled on campus and participating in winter workouts ahead of spring football that will begin in March.
2020 Recruiting Class
| Name | Pos. | HT | Wt | HS | Hometown |
| Abbott, Noah | TE | 6-5 | 220 | Bettendorf HS | Bettendorf, Iowa |
| Amos, Hayden | OL | 6-5 | 265 | Carlisle HS | Carlisle, Iowa |
| Anderson, Blake | OL | 6-4 | 285 | Skutt Catholic | Omaha, Neb. |
| Andregg, Jace | Ath | 6-3 | 191 | Solon HS | Solon, Iowa |
| Belken, Ben | LB | 6-3 | 210 | North Scott HS | Eldridge, Iowa |
| Butler, Cannon | DE | 6-6 | 210 | Columbus Catholic | Waterloo, Iowa |
| Ferguson, Jacob | DE | 6-4 | 225 | Troy Buchanan HS | Troy, Mo. |
| Green, Isaiah | DT | 6-1 | 240 | St. Cloud Tech | St. Cloud, Minn. |
| Harden, Da'Vonshai | QB | 6-4 | 194 | Topeka HS | Topeka, Kan. |
| Hine, Wes | OL | 6-5 | 280 | Kingfisher HS | Kingfisher, Okla. |
| Kershaw, Tysen | WR | 6-3 | 185 | Fort Dodge HS | Fort Dodge, Iowa |
| Kilen, Gunnar | C | 6-6 | 295 | Varona Area HS | Verona, Wis. |
| Loecher, Cael | QB/P | 6-5 | 190 | Cedar Falls HS | Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| Moore, Cade | DL | 6-6 | 235 | Centerville HS | Centerville, Iowa |
| Richardson, Jaylin | RB | 6-0 | 195 | F.L. Schlagle | Kansas City, Kan. |
| Robinson Jr., Kenden | WR | 6-3 | 195 | City College of San Francisco | Alameda, Calif. |
| Wilson, Thomas | DT | 6-3 | 290 | Sidney HS | Sidney, Iowa |
Da'Vonshai Harden • QB • 6-4 - 194 • Topeka HS / Topeka, Kan.
Harden has a big frame for a quarterback. He is not afraid to pass or run the ball and did both to great effect for Topeka High School. He passed for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for another 901 yards and six touchdowns. He helped lead Topeka to the state quarterfinals where they fell to the eventual state champions, Derby. Harden was picked to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl and earned all-city honors in back-to-back seasons. He is a dual-sport athlete that also plays basketball. He is a consensus three-star recruit and was ranked as the 4th-best recruit in the state of Kansas by ESPN.
Gunnar Kilen • C • 6-6 – 295 • Verona Area HS / Verona, Wis.
Kilen's offer list is nearly as long as his 6-6 frame. He is another consensus three-star athlete with a ton of potential. He is a two-year All-Conference player and was named All-Area, All-Region and Honorable Mention All-State as a senior. Kilen was named the No. 9 recruit in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Sports Network.
Cael Loecher • QB/P • 6-5 – 190 • Cedar Falls, Iowa / Cedar Falls HS / Cedar Falls, Iowa
Loecher is a winner. The quarterback and punter stays at home to play for the Panthers in the same stadium where he won 13 games as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. He went 22-2 as a starter for Cedar Falls and passed for 4,006 yards and 51 touchdowns in two seasons. He also averaged 40.6 yards per punt and will look to compete right away at the punter position. He is a three-sport athlete at Cedar Falls where he plays basketball and baseball. He is averaging 81.8% from the field so far this season for the Tigers who are 12-2 on the year.
Kenden Robinson Jr. • 6-3 – 195 • City College of San Francisco / Alameda, Calif.
Robinson passed up FBS offers before attending City College of San Francisco, the junior college of UNI offensive line coach Ryan Clanton. Robinson put up gaudy numbers for the Rams his sophomore year. He has 50 catches for 746 yards and a league-high nine touchdowns. He was named All-Bay 6 League and All-State during the 2019 season. He was the CCSF Offensive MVP. He is originally from Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. He tallied 704 yards receiving and seven touchdowns his senior year while averaging 20.7 yards per catch.
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