HAMMOND, La. – Three student-athletes agreed to continue their academic and athletic endeavors as members of the Southeastern Louisiana University football program, SLU head coach Frank Scelfo announced on Wednesday's National Signing Day.
 
The three newest Lions are linebacker Jackson Casanova (6-1, 220, Crowley, Louisiana), defensive back Lennis Finister Jr. (6-0, 170, Metairie, Louisiana) and quarterback Conner Nelson (6-2, 215, Leeds, Ala.). The trio joins the 13 Lions Southeastern welcomed on the early signing day last December to give SLU a 2025 signing class of 16.
 
"During this recruiting process, we wanted to address areas where we thought we could bolster our depth, while also finding some players who can step in and be starters," Scelfo commented. "In this day and age, where you can lose key players to the transfer portal in addition to graduation, you have to bring in some older guys who are ready to play right away.
 
"What I like about our roster heading into spring ball is the depth we have at all levels at every position," Scelfo added. "We feel like we're bringing in a lot of new talent, not only though our signing class, but with some of the transfers we've been able to add."
 
Scelfo acknowledged that the process of building a roster never stops for the Lion coaching staff. SLU is looking to build momentum off a 7-5 finish last fall that saw Southeastern post a 6-1 Southland Conference record and finish as one of the final four teams outside of the FCS playoff field.
 
"We signed 13 in December, plus brought in some transfers who enrolled for the spring semester," Scelfo said. "We added three more today. During spring practice, we'll see if there some areas of need that we still need to address when the portal opens back up in April."
 
Southeastern opens spring practice March 11. The Lions will open the 2025 season at Louisiana Tech Aug. 30.
 
2025 Southeastern Football Signing Class
BJ Ausmer | DE | 6-3 | 230 | Ocean Springs, Miss. | Ocean Springs HS
Carter Byrd | DB | 6-1 | 190 | Gulf Shores, Ala. | Gulf Shores HS
Jackson Casanova | LB | 6-1 | 220 | Crowley, La. | Notre Dame HS
Aamir Ellis | WR | 6-0 | 170 | Locust Grove, Ga. | Locust Grove HS
Deshawn Feazell | OL | 6-2 | 330 | Moss Point, Miss. | Moss Point HS
Lennis Finister Jr. | DB | 6-0 | 170 | Metairie, La. | Archbishop Rummel HS
Laramie Guidry | DE | 6-6 | 235 | Baton Rouge, La. | Naval Academy Preparatory School/University Lab HS
Gabriel Harvey | DE | 6-3 | 230 | Watson, La. | Live Oak HS
Deantre Jackson | RB | 5-8 | 165 | Marrero, La. | Copiah-Lincoln CC/Edna Karr HS
Jakyri Jones | DB | 5-10 | 190 | Monroe, Ga. | Georgia Military College/Monroe Area HS
Conner Nelson | QB | 6-2 | 215 | Leeds, Ala. | Leeds HS
Kyree Paul | WR | 5-9 | 165 | Baton Rouge, La. | Istrouma HS
Etison Pholo | DT | 6-2 | 275 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | McCallie HS (TN)
Lonnie Shinn | TE | 6-5 | 235 | Columbus, Miss. | New Hope HS
Calvin "CJ" Smith Jr. | RB | 5-11 | 210 | Boutte, La. | Hahnville HS
Tanner Spears | LB | 6-0 | 200 | Amite, La. | Oak Forest Academy
 
February 5 signees in bold
 
Southeastern Football Signee Profiles (February 5 Signees)
Jackson Casanova | LB | 6-1 | 220 | Crowley, La. | Notre Dame HS
Multi-time all-state, all-metro and all-district performer at Notre Dame High School … Finished senior season with 90 tackles, eight sacks and one interception, while also scoring 14 touchdowns as a running back … Named 2024 District 6-2A Defensive Projects as a linebacker for SLU … Also plays basketball and runs track at NDHS.
Frank Scelfo on Jackson Casanova: "Jackson is a physical player from one of the better high school programs in the state. Lewis Cook has been at Notre Dame for a long time and speaks highly of Jackson and his leadership ability. He's the kind of student-athlete we're looking for and will bring a physicality to our team as soon as he steps on campus."
 
Lennis Finister Jr. | DB | 6-0 | 170 | Metairie, La. | Archbishop Rummel HS
Four-year starter at Archbishop Rummel High School … Also a standout sprinter on the Rummel track and field team.
Scelfo on Finister Jr.: "Lennis is an excellent student and is great in coverage. He runs well and we think he can play boundary or field corner. He's a guy who slipped through the cracks a little bit during the recruiting process. We're fortunate to have him join our program and we see Lennis as someone who can come in and play early for us."
 
Conner Nelson | QB | 6-2 | 215 | Leeds, Ala. | Leeds HS
All-state performer at Leeds High School … Named 2024 Birmingham News All-Region Offensive MVP and Trussville Tribune Player of the Year … Dual-threat quarterback threw for 1,240 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception, while finishing sixth in the state with 1,856 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns … Also a standout on the baseball diamond at LHS.
Scelfo on Nelson: "Conner's is very versatile player who we were really impressed with through the recruiting process. He is a multi-sport athlete and a leader at Leeds High School. Conner will be a great addition to our program, on and off the field."
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow lionupfootball on Instagram.
 
TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics observes a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.