SLIPPERY ROCK — Coming off a 9-3 season and looking to defend its PSAC West championship, the Slippery Rock University football team announced its 29-player recruiting class Wednesday.

The Rock is bringing in 10 transfers along with 19 high school recruits.

“We’re losing 16 seniors, so we had to go after some transfers who bring in some experience,” SRU coach Shawn Lutz said. “We’re counting on a number of these guys to step in and earn starting spots right away. This is the way it has to be. ”

Lutz believes he found two starters in the secondary in transfers Kevin Hyde (Tiffin) and Jacob Williams (Ashland). Both are seniors and both were first team all-conference players in their respective leagues last year.

Former Rock player Cohen Russell, a junior, is returning to the program after leading all of junior college football in kick and punt returns last season at Lackawanna. He is a wide receiver. He caught 25 passes for 357 yards for Lackawanna in 2021. Jacob Odom, a transfer from North Dakota, will join SRU’s receiving corps as well.

Chris Wells, only a sophomore, was a starting running back at Saint Francis (Pa.) as a freshman. Cottrell Hatchett, a sophomore from Lackawanna, can start either inside or outside on The Rock defensive line.

“All of those guys will help us right away,” Lutz said. “Wells joins Tim Smith and Chris D’Or in giving us a three-back tandem we’re excited about. Hyde and Williams can step in and start in our secondary, where we lost a lot of experience.”

One Butler County player — Freeport defensive lineman Cole Charlton — is among the high school recruits. Charlton was 6-foot-3, 210 pounds for the Yellowjackets as a senior.

Charlton was Allegheny Seven Conference Defensive Player of the Year, tallying 53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks.

“We love him at defensive end ,” Lutz said. “The kid is tall and explosive. He has a motor that never stops. He reminds us a lot of (Karns City graduate) Nate Waltman, who played some for us as a freshman last year.

“Cole gets off the ball quickly. He’s a great athlete. We’ll put some weight on him and he could have a great career here.”

Overall, SRU has eight offensive linemen and six defensive linemen in this recruiting class.

“Six of our high school recruits are offensive linemen,” Lutz said. “We believe football games are won up front and we wanted to bolster our depth on both sides of the ball that way.

“Jake Jonassen (6-3, 275 from Perkiomen Valley) is one high school recruit who could play for us right away. His father played in the NFL and he’s strong enough physically right now.”

SRU’s signees come from six different states and the District of Columbia. While 18 come from Pennsylvania, three each are from Ohio and New Jersey, two are from Washington D.C., one each from Maryland, Illinois and California.

SRU has 41 wins over the past four years — fifth-most in all of Division II — and is three-time defending PSAC West champion. The Rock has been to the NCAA playoffs in each of the past three years.