Ready to sign on the (dotted) line

Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings soon will have an idea of how his recruiting class shapes up, since the signing period begins Wednesday.

But there is at least one indication that things are going well on the recruiting front for the Redhawks, who suffered through a 3-8 season in 2004 that included a tie for sixth place in the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference at 3-5.

Andy Lozano, regarded as one of the top offensive linemen in the state, told the Southeast Missourian this weekend that he has given Southeast a verbal commitment and plans to sign Wednesday.

In addition, Jackson High School senior two-way lineman Matt James also has given Southeast a verbal commitment and will sign Wednesday, while fellow Jackson senior Brad Crader, a tight end/defensive end, has Southeast among his final two choices.

Lozano, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles County, is rated as the No. 3 offensive line prospect in Missouri by Rivals.com, No. 24 overall in the state by Rivals.com, and he is listed as the overall No. 11 prospect in the St. Louis area by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Lozano said he chose Southeast over several other Division I-AA programs, including Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri State, and he was still being actively recruited by Division I-A programs Illinois and Indiana.

"I just love the school, and the coaches were a big factor," Lozano said.

A two-time Class 5 all-state selection, Lozano said that Billings and Southeast offensive line coach Mike Chavez told him that he moves and plays like Dan Connolly, a four-year offensive line starter at Southeast who completed his eligibility in 2004 and is expected to be selected in April's NFL draft.

Another Southeast offensive line product, Eugene Amano, recently completed his rookie NFL season with the Tennessee Titans.

"Coach Chavez reminds me so much of my high school coach, I just felt I would get along great with him, and I also really like coach Billings," Lozano said. "Sure, I could have gone to a bigger school, but some haven't sent an NFL lineman to the pros in five years, and they'll probably have two now in two years."

James (6-5, 280) was part of Jackson's strong front lines this past season, and said he'll likely play on offense for Southeast. He said Southern Illinois also talked to him, but he really did not consider any other school besides Southeast.

"I'm excited," said James, who believes he'll be redshirted his first season. "I knew all along I wanted to go to SEMO. I like it because it's close to home, and I really like the coaching staff."

Crader (6-3, 245), another two-way standout for the Indians, will chose between either Southeast or Truman State.

"They're both excellent players who had very good careers for us," Jackson coach Carl Gross said.

Billings is prohibited by NCAA regulations from commenting on specific recruits until they sign, but he said he expects Southeast to land about 15 players Wednesday -- including some junior college transfers -- and several more in the following weeks. All told, Southeast figures to sign close to 30 players.

"I think recruiting is going good, but we'll know more when we start signing kids," Billings said.

Billings also said following last season that Southeast would likely look to attract some Division I-A transfers who would gain immediate eligibility, but many of those players don't generally materialize until later in the year.