Pair of quarterbacks among 20 signees during early period OWLS SIGNEES

Kennesaw State signed 20 recruits Wednesday on the December edition of national signing day, including quarterback Xavier Shepherd from Nashville, Tenn.

Shepherd, 6 feet, 190 pounds, started at quarterback at Pearl-Cohn High School for three seasons and had 5,485 passing yards, 1,778 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns during his career.

Kennesaw State quarterback Chandler Burks was one of nine offensive starters to play their last eligible season for the Owls in 2018, leaving quarterbacks Daniel David, Tommy Bryant and Donovan Taitt to compete for the starting spot.

The Owls also signed a junior college quarterback from California: Jonathan Murphy of Los Angeles, who attended Long Beach City College.

The Owls also signed four running backs, including Nykeem Farrow from Bleckley County High School. Farrow follows his cousin, Derek Farrow who played for the Owls from 2015-16, as he was one of 11 recruits from Georgia to land with the Owls on Wednesday.

“I think we addressed some needs,” Kennesaw State coach Brian Bohannon said of Wednesday’s signees. “It’s a really good class. I think we got more accomplished than we thought we would in this early signing period. We weren’t sure exactly, but we got it now that we’re down to three or four spots in January that we have to look at. Last year we signed eight, so it’s been really good.”

In addition to Murphy, the Owls signed six other transfers Wednesday in offensive linemen Alexzander Feliz from Asa College in Hialeah, Fla., Jack Chavis from Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., defensive backs Darius Miller and Kadarius Satterwhite from Dodge City Community College, offensive lineman Jeremiah Paulo from Long Beach City College and offensive lineman Jake Lassiter from Colleyville Community College in Kansas.

In four seasons, Bohannon has led the Owls to a 37-12 record, two consecutive Big South titles and back-to-back appearances at the FCS playoffs quarterfinals. Kennesaw State is coming off an 11-2 season where it earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs but lost to South Dakota State on Dec. 8.

Kennesaw State opens its 2019 season against Point University on Aug. 31 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.