Head coach Todd Stepsis announces UNI Football’s 2025 signing class
12/5/2024 9:37:00 AM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI head coach Todd Stepsis announced the addition of 12 early signees on Wednesday. Of the 12 signees, seven are from the state of Iowa. In total, this group is composed of players from five different states and features a trio of quarterbacks.
"I greatly appreciate these young men and their families remaining loyal to the University of Northern Iowa," head coach Todd Stepsis said. "When there is a coaching transition, staying true to your original decision isn't always easy. We couldn't be more excited to officially welcome this group to UNI Football, and we will hopefully add many more good players to our team in the weeks to come. I'm very enthused about the talent of these initial signees. I can't wait to get them on campus so they can learn more about our culture as they take the next step in their academic and athletic careers.
"I had the opportunity to meet our returning players Tuesday night at the UNI-Dome," Stepsis continued. "What an impressive group of guys! The level of enthusiasm and excitement in that meeting room was very tangible and very real. Whether they view the arrival of a new head coach as a fresh start or whether it's a chance to prove that they're better than their record indicated last season, they are ready to get to work.
"And really that's going to be part of our mantra, that we have to get better individually and collectively every day," Stepsis concluded. "There's a very high standard for UNI Football and we all need to embrace the effort and commitment it's going to take to get back there. I appreciate the warm welcome that I've already received, and I'm looking forward to meeting more members of the UNI community as we put the rest of our staff and team together. Go Panthers!"
New additions to the Panthers roster include:
- Connor Best, OL, 6-3, 280, Cedar Falls HS (Iowa)
- Kaleb Diers. QB, 6-6, 220, Marion HS (Iowa)
- Colby Eskildsen, OL, 6-6, 255, Northwood-Kensett HS (Iowa)
- Elijah Hoyt, DB, 6-0, 188, Urbandale HS (Iowa)
- Gabe Meaney, OL, 6-6, 235, Janesville HS (Iowa)
- Jayce Nixon, QB, 6-0, 200, Venice HS (Fla.)
- Kaz Rebarcak, QB, 6-3, 205, Davenport North HS (Iowa)
- Kailer Smith, TE, 6-6, 240, Cedar Falls HS (Iowa)
- Theo Thomas, DL, 6-4, 260, Totino-Grace HS (Minn.)
- AJ Vaughn, DB, 6-0, 180, Macarthur HS (Okla.)
- Kaiser Williams, DB, 6-4, 180, Naperville North HS (Ill.)
- Josiah Young, DB, 6-3, 175, Totino-Grace HS (Minn.)
OL CONNOR BEST
A hometown product Connor Best comes to UNI from Cedar Falls High School where he competed on the football and track and field teams. At Cedar Falls, Best was a four-time Academic All-Conference athlete and a First Team All-Conference and All-District Honorable Mention offensive lineman.
QB KALEB DIERS
An in-state quarterback prospect, Kaleb Diers joins the Panthers from Marion High School. At Marion, Diers competed in football, basketball, as well as track and field. He was named Academic All-Conference all four years of high school. Diers received the Varsity football award his sophomore year. During his junior season his accolades included Second-Team All-Metro, Second-Team All-District, as well as Academic All-District on the track and football field. In addition he earned a Varsity Award for track and field and basketball. He was an All-Metro Honorable Mention honoree in the discus. Diers earned Academic All-District honors as a senior.
OL COLBY ESKILDSEN
Another in a long line of in-state offensive linemen for the Panthers, Colby Eskildsen arrives at UNI from Northwood-Kensett High School. Eskliden competed in basketball and football, as well as track and field for the Vikings. He was also a baseball substate qualifier, an all-conference athlete in the State Track Alt. Shuttle Hurdle. Eskliden earned honorable mention honors in basketball as freshman year. He was named to the All-District Honorable Mention team as a quarterback his sophomore year while also being named to the all-conference second team in basketball that season. As a junior he was an Academic All-District First-Team selection, while garnering All-District Second Team honors as a tight end. On the basketball court he was an all-conference first-team selection and was named the conference Player of the Year, while earning All-Substate Honors on the basketball court. Eskildsen was named to the Academic All-District First Team his senior year.
DB ELIJAH HOYT
A defensive back out of Urbandale, Iowa, Elijah Hoyt comes to UNI from Urbandale High School where he competed in football and track and field. At Urbandale, Hoyt was a four-year Academic All-Conference athlete as well as a four-year Varsity Football Letterman and three-year Varsity Track Letterman. A two-year team captain, Hoyt was named to the All-State Honorable Mention team his sophomore year, the All-Conference First Team and All-State Second Team his junior year, and the All-Conference and All-State First Teams his senior year.
OL GABE MEANEY
Meaney played tight end/offensive lineman on his eight-man prep squad at Janesville High School. Meaney arrives after competing in football, baseball and basketball, as well as track and field in high school. Academically, he was a four-year honor roll and a two-time Academic All-District student. A three-time all-conference pick on the baseball team and two-time All-District athlete on the football team, Meaney was a three-time state participant in football, a two-time District runner-up in basketball and a three-time conference champion in baseball.
QB JAYCE NIXON
The only Floridian in this group of signees, QB Jayce Nixon will play collegiately in the UNI-Dome after prepping at Venice High School. Nixon led Florida in passing yards as a sophomore on a team that made it to the second round of playoffs and the Final Four in 2023. He eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards and 100 career touchdowns during his senior year.
QB KAZ REBARCAK
This Quad Cities quarterback prospect Kaz Rebarcak joins the Panthers from Davenport North High School. He was named the 2023 District Player of the Year, as well as First-Team All-District and First-Team All-Metro. Rebarcak threw for 2,114 yards and 17 touchdowns while running for seven touchdowns as a senior season. He also posted a single-game school record with a 400-yard passing performance.
TE KAILER SMITH
A tight end out of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Kailer Smith comes to UNI from Cedar Falls High School where he competed in football and basketball. At Cedar Falls, Smith was a two-time Academic All-Conference athlete and was named First Team All-Conference and Second-Team All-District as a team captain his senior season. Smith was a part of three playoff teams and made two quarter final appearances with the Tigers.
DL THEO THOMAS
Theo Thomas comes to UNI from Totino-Grace High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At Totino-Grace, Thomas competed in both football and basketball where he was a part of a 4A State Runner-Up team his senior year.
DB AJ VAUGHN
Vaughn comes to Cedar Falls from Lawton, Oklahoma, where he competed in football and basketball at Macarthur High School. A three-year honor roll student, Vaughn was a team captain his senior year, a three-time city champion, a state semifinalist and a district champion for the Highlanders.
DB KAISER WILLIAMS
A defensive back out of Chicago, Illinois, Kaiser Williams comes to UNI from Naperville North High School where he competed in football and track and field. At Naperville North, Williams was a three-year Varsity Letterman and earned the Red Grange All-County Award in 2024. Williams also medaled in State Track and Field.
DB JOSIAH YOUNG
A defensive back out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Josiah Young comes to UNI from Totino-Grace High School. At Totino Grace, Young was a four-year Varsity athlete on the football team which included All-State honors from sophomore to senior year. Young was named the no. 1 defensive back in the state of Minnesota his junior season. Made the Prep Bowl.
UNI football action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.