Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University football coach Willie Taggart announced the addition of 13 new student-athletes Wednesday on National Signing Day.

Rivals.com gave seven of WKU's 13 signees a three-star ranking. Though this is one of the smaller classes WKU has signed in recent years in terms of overall numbers, 54 percent of the 2012 class have three-star rankings - the largest percentage in program history.

Taggart's first three recruiting classes at WKU (2010-12) have boasted 23 three-star signees. In the first three years of Hilltopper Football's transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (2007-09), WKU was able to sign six three-star recruits.

The 2012 signing class does not include 2010 four-star quarterback Damarcus Smith (Louisville, Ky. / Scenica HS) and University of Louisville wide receiver transfer Jerrell Moore (Louisville, Ky. / Fern Creek HS) - a three-star recruit out of high school. Both have enrolled at WKU for the spring semester.

WKU addressed needs at nearly every position on both sides of the ball, signing six offensive and seven defensive players. Five of the seven defensive signees are linemen, while three running backs highlight the class on the offensive side.

Five different states are represented in this year's class - including six signees from the state of Florida. WKU has hit the Sunshine State hard in each of Taggart's three recruiting classes, signing 28 players from Florida since 2009.

"We have continued the momentum we finished last season with by signing another outstanding class," Taggart said. "We addressed our needs in numerous areas by adding high character impact players. It is a great day to be a Hilltopper!"

The 2011 season saw WKU rebound from an 0-4 start to finish 7-5, with the only loss in the final eight games coming at #1 LSU. The Hilltoppers' 7-1 Sun Belt record was good enough for a second-place finish in the league standings.

2012 WKU Football Signing Class

Austin Aikens
WR / 6-0; 185 / Freshman / Tampa, Fla. / Plant HS

Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and 247sports.com ... Wrapped up his career at Plant High School with over 1,600 yards receiving on 85 catches and 20 touchdowns ... Had over 700 yards receiving in 2011 on 37 catches, with 11 of the grabs being touchdown receptions ... Found the end zone a total of 13 times in his senior season, with a pair of kick returns going for scores ... Named first team all-county and honorable mention Army All-Combine.

Leon Allen
RB / 5-11; 215 / Freshman / Bradenton, Fla. / Manatee HS

Rated as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Helped lead Manatee High to a 2011 Class 7A Florida state championship, totaling over 130 yards from scrimmage in the state title game ... Served as a dual-threat running back in his senior season, finishing the year with 834 yards on 161 carries, to go along with 36 receptions for 336 yards ... Averaged over five yards per carry, while finding the endzone 10 times on the ground ... Had a pair of receiving touchdowns, averaging over nine yards per reception ... Named a running back on the South roster in the Florida FACA North-South All-Star Game, scoring the team's first touchdown of the game on a four-yard reception in the first half ... Also earned honorable mention all-state honors, to go along with first team all-area honors.

Travis Elliott
RB / 5-10; 210 / Freshman / Union, Ky. / Ryle HS

Rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com ... Had his senior season cut short following a knee injury early in the 2011 season ... Despite the injury, still finished his career at Ryle High School with 4,745 yards rushing in three years, including over 2,200 yards rushing with 32 touchdowns in his junior season in 2010, averaging over seven yards per carry ... Went over 200 yards rushing in three different games, scoring eight touchdowns in those three games ... Found the endzone four or more times in a game three times, including a five-touchdown game in the playoffs against Simon Kenton ... Helped lead the Raiders to the state semifinals during that season ... Was a four-year starter on the varsity level before the injury in 2011 ... Went over 1,000 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons, and led the team with 675 yards rushing as a freshman ... Named to the All-Tri-StateFootball.com first team list in 2010 and a NKAC All-Star in 2009 ... Named to the 2011 Kentucky Class of the Commonwealth by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Tyler English
OL / 6-3; 275 / Freshman / Louisville, Ky. / Trinity HS

Helped lead Trinity High School to the Class 6-A Kentucky state championship and a top national ranking in numerous polls following the Shamrocks perfect season ... Anchored an offensive line that nearly produced a 2,000-yard rusher (1,901) in Daylyn Dawkins, while helping Trinity compile over 3,100 rushing yards as a team in 2011 ... Named honorable mention all-state, a two-star recruit and the 17th-best prospect in the state of Kentucky by Rivals.com.

Brett Harrington
DB / 6-1; 190 / Junior / Rochester, N.Y. / Edison HS, Alfred State CC

Played two seasons at Alfred State Community College, making an impact on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams returning punts and kicks ... Played in 10 games in 2010, totaling 40 tackles and intercepting three passes on the year ... Scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in his first year and broke up seven passes ... Carried over his success to 2011, intercepting a pair of passes in the first four games over the season ... Spent his high school career at Edison Tech in New York, playing a variety of positions on both sides of the ball, including quarterback, receiver and defensive back ... Rated as the No. 1 junior college prospect in New York by 247sports.com and a three-star recruit, as well as the 15th-best junior college cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com.

Forrest Lamp
OL / 6-4; 260 / Freshman / Venice, Fla. / Venice HS

Rated as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Named a member of the South team in the FACA North-South All-Star Game in 2011 ... Helped lead Venice High School to a 17-6 mark in his final two seasons with the Indians ... Played both ways, serving on the offensive and the defensive line in his senior season ... Honored as a first team all-state performer and first team all-area following his senior year.

Julian Leslie
DL / 6-3; 215 / Freshman / Miami, Fla. / Coral Reef HS

Rated as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Member of the Nike South Florida All-Star Team in 2011 ... Racked up 71 total tackles in his junior season in 2010, including a pair of interceptions and four pass break-ups from his defensive end position ... Played both ways for Coral Reef High School, lining up at tight end on offense.

Tyrone Pearson
DL / 6-3; 275 / Freshman / Louisville, Ky. / Seneca HS

Rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com and ranked as one of the top five players in the state of Kentucky by Rivals.com ... Was a force along the Seneca High School defensive front his entire career, including his senior season in 2011 ... Racked up 52 solo stops on the defensive line, including seven sacks, four fumble recoveries and three blocked punts in 2011 ... Had a knack for the ball - even on the offensive side ... Finished his senior season with nine carries on offense for 41 yards and a touchdown ... For his career, posted 121 tackles from his defensive tackle position, to go along with 18 sacks ... Nominated as an Army All-American prior to the 2011 season and an honorable mention all-state performer in 2011 ... Rated as the second-best prospect in the state of Kentucky by ESPN.com and the 36th-best defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com.

Marquez Pride
DL / 6-3; 265 / Freshman / Madison, Ala. / Bob Jones HS

Ranked as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com ... Wrapped up his high school career with a stellar senior season on the gridiron, posting 78 total tackles, including 12 sacks from his defensive tackle position for Bob Jones High School in Alabama ... Helped lead the Patriots to a regional title and a 10-2 season in 2011, anchoring a defense that allowed only 13 points per game ... Finished his career with 208 tackles and 19 sacks ... Named the Huntsville Times' Elite Football Defensive MVP following the 2011 season and an Alabama Class 6A All-State and All-Region performer ... Was honored as the team's co-Most Valuable Player and received the Best Defensive Lineman award.

Daqual Randall
LB / 6-0; 225 / Freshman / Palmetto, Fla. / Palmetto HS

Rated as a three-star recruit and top 35 in the nation at his position by Rivals.com ... Helped lead Palmetto High School to a 12-2 mark in 2011, which included a berth in state semifinals after his defense allowed less than 13 points per game ... Led the Tiger defense with 122 tackles in 2011, wrapping up a stellar defensive career ... Posted 169 solo tackles in his sophomore and junior seasons combined, with six total sacks in those two seasons ... Led the team in tackles in each of his final three seasons at Palmetto ... For his career, finished with 358 tackles, 11 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and an interception ... Selected to play in the Florida North-South All-Star Game following his senior season ... Named to the Florida Class 5A Third Team All-State list in 2011, along with being named to the IMG Football Academy All-Madden Team.

Devante Terrell
DL / 6-0; 275 / Freshman / Lakeland, Fla. / Lake Gibson HS

Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com ... Finished his senior season at Lake Gibson High School with six sacks as a defensive tackle, to go along with 63 total tackles and 14 tackles for loss, helping the Braves to an 8-3 record ... Wrapped up his career with 192 tackles, to go along with 15 sacks ... Honored as a first team all-county and all-district performer in 2011 by the FACA, and a Preseason Honorable Mention All-Area by the Bright House Sports Network.

Anthony Wales
RB / 5-9; 170 / Freshman / Louisville, Ky. / Central HS

Finished his illustrious career at Louisville Central High School ranked third in Kentucky history in career rushing yards with 8,213 yards - 12 yards behind Dereck Homer's mark for second place all-time ... Finished his career with 114 touchdowns ... Led Louisville Central to its second consecutive Class 3A state championship in 2011, rushing for 2,784 yards in his senior season, despite missing almost two complete games, including leaving early in the 2011 state championship game with a shoulder injury ... Had 40 rushing touchdowns in his senior season and made an impact catching the ball out of the backfield, posting over 400 yards receiving with four receiving touchdowns ... Rated as the 14th-best all-purpose running back in the nation by Rivals.com ... Tabbed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Scout.com, and ESPN.com ... Named first team all-state and the District Player of the Year in 2011 and was honored by the Lexington-Herald Leader as a member of the Class of the Commonwealth.

Calvin Washington
DL / 6-4; 265 / Junior / Charlottesville, Va. / Fishburne, Eastern Arizona CC

Rated as a three-star recruit and the eighth-best junior college defensive end by Rivals.com ... Named to the second team All-ACCAC Football Team in 2011 following his season at Eastern Arizona ... Finished the season with 38 total tackles from his defensive end position, including four sacks and a fumble recovery.