In mid-December -- the early signing period for high school football players and transfers -- the Northern Iowa football program added 17 players to their ever-growing roster.

After National Signing Day yesterday, the Panthers have added to what is already an absolutely loaded class of 2022.

Noah Pettinger

As seen above, Pettinger didn't just play QB for the Mustangs, he was one of the top punters in the nation. Prior to the start of the 2021 season, The Des Moines Register listed him as preseason All-Iowa. He was a top-100 punter in his class, according to Kohl's Kicking Camps, and punted for an average of 40.5 yards per punt in 2020. He also received interest from North Dakota State and Drake, according to his Twitter profile.

Jet Solinger

The most recent player I can think of that was brought in as a 6'7 tight end turned out to be pretty successful at UNI.

This was a prototypical addition by the Panther coaching staff. Though Solinger didn't put up ridiculous numbers in high school, his frame and athletic ability give him loads of potential. He received interest from Drake as well as offers from other smaller programs across the country.

Cole Filloon

Widely recruited, Filloon finished 2021 leading the Rams in receiving yards (870) and touchdowns (13), according to Varsity BoundHe was a significant part of the Rams' run to a 5A State Championship and went on to earn a spot on the All-State First Team. 

He received a barrage of offers from smaller schools throughout the state, as well as interest from Iowa State and a preferred walk-on offer from Iowa.

Aiden Hansen

Hansen caught eight passes for 213 yards and five touchdowns last season for the Lions' offense and racked up 36.5 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks defensively.

He received a preferred walk-on offer from North Dakota along with scholarship offers from DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO programs.

Caden Palmer

Palmer led Clayton Ridge in receiving last season, hauling in 26 catches for 468 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he registered 51.5 tackles along with 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also punted for the Eagles, where he averaged 43.6 yards per boot.

Joshua Jenkins

Jenkins may be the steal of the recruiting class for the Panthers. Jenkins ran the ball 135 times for the Railsplitters last season, finishing with 1113 yards rushing (that's an average of 8.2 yards per carry) and 17 touchdowns (which led 5A). He also caught 11 passes for 153 yards.

He received a preferred walk-on offer from Iowa State, an offer from Valparaiso University, and offers from schools like Iowa Central, Upper Iowa, Southwest Missouri State, and more.

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