Steve Campbell didn't count wide receiver among Central Arkansas' immediate needs, but he couldn't pass up on Lester Wells.
The 5-11, 180-pound receiver from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is one of the players Campbell was most excited about when he unveiled his fourth class as Bears' coach Wednesday. Wells, who played at Campbell's previous place of employment, caught 82 passes for 1,152 yards while playing alongside receivers Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance, both of whom signed with Arkansas.
"When he didn't get an SEC offer, even though that wasn't our No. 1 position of need, I knew we had to go for value there," said Campbell of Wells, who got to campus in January. "He's a great player."
Campbell likes how UCA's 25-member class addresses the departures at receiver. Desmond Smith and Jatavious Wilson, both first-team all-Southland picks, leave after combining to catch 133 passes for 1,784 yards and 11 touchdowns. UCA added Wells; 6-3 Brandon Myers of Plant City, Fla.; 6-4 Lujuan Winningham of Humble, Texas; and 6-3 Caleb Stokes of Russellville.
Campbell called Stokes a "big, physical kid" and said the height of the wide receivers wasn't a coincidence, as he and his staff looked for players in the mold of former Bears receiver Dezmin Lewis, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills in 2015.
UCA's biggest area of need was defensive line, where it signed six players, including Jim Philistin -- a 6-2, 270-pound transfer from Highland (Kan.) Community College. The Bears lost starter Terrance Partee, its leading tackler among defensive linemen; Jordan Toliver, a first-team all-Southland pick; and contributor Dawson Hadnot.
A'Javius Brown, Caden Brown, Koby Foster and Vidal Scott are all freshmen who also could factor in on the line.
"We felt like we could get some immediate help in there," Campbell said. "Will all of them be ready? I don't know. History says probably not, but history does say that maybe one or two or three of them will be ready to help. That's why we hit that position so hard, to help our odds."
UCA also signed four defensive backs, including Cameron Gergley, a transfer from South Florida who arrived on campus in January.
"He's already been in a program for a couple of years. He can give us some experience there," Campbell said.
Sports on 02/02/2017