As expected, the Kansas University football team signed 18 players to its 2010 recruiting class during Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

The group includes 17 high school players (nine of which are projected offensive players, eight defensive), one junior college transfer and eight players from the talent-rich state of Texas.

The following are head coach Turner Gill’s comments on each member of the class:

On Keba Agostinho: “A defensive lineman from the Houston, Texas area – Katy, Texas. A guy that has a great motor, he runs very, very well sideline to sideline. The biggest thing this guy can do is that he has a passion for the game. This guy can run. You will see him playing a little bit of a defensive tackle position in high school, we will start him out as a defensive end, and see what happens after that.”

On JaQwalin Arps: “A defensive end from Denison, Texas. A guy that really has a passion for the game. He uses his hands very well and can get off blocks. He is an excellent pass rusher. Those are the things that really got to me.”

On Brandon Bourbon: “A running back here from Potosi, Mo. A guy who is smart and tough, with great speed. He makes plays when it looks like there is nothing happening, he does make things happen when that occurs. I just call him a phenomenal running back who can do some great things for us.”

On Jeremiah Edwards: “A defensive tackle out of Garland, Texas. A big guy with a great anchor against the run. He also shows a great aggressiveness and has good explosion, as far as getting off blocks at the point of attack.”

On Jake Farley: “We’re going to play him as a linebacker. He is actually a quarterback who also played safety at his high school. I look at him as a great football IQ guy. Excellent skills and excellent growth potential.”

On Ed Fink: “A linebacker from Belleville, Ill.. He is a guy who committed early to us and stayed true to his commitment. He is a tough guy with great growth potential. Again, you are going to see him flying around and making plays. He raises the level of play of his teammates.”

On Ricki Herod: “A receiver from Mesquite, Texas. Great ball skills, excellent run after the catch – I think the good size and also the speed that he delivers is really a great combination that we love about him.”

On Chad Kolumber: “An offensive lineman from Virginia. Again, this guy here is very long. I use that term about a guy with great length, and he has that. As one of our sponsors, AT&T says, he can reach out and touch somebody. He has great length and is going to be a great offensive lineman for us from that standpoint. He is a tough guy with a little bit of nastiness about him, but he plays within the rules. He is very aggressive player.”

On Pat Lewandowski: “He is a guy right here from the Overland Park (Kansas) area. A guy who has a motor, he is a fierce competitor. Again, this guy has great length and can run from sideline to sideline, and he makes plays. We anticipate him to be a pretty big guy when it’s all said and done. Right around now he is about 245 or 250 pounds – we anticipate him to be somewhere in that 275 to 280 range.”

On Brian Maura: “A receiver from the Miami, Fla. area. This guy here will excite you. When the ball is in his hands, he can take it to the house at any given time. Again, he has great size; he is 6’3″ to 6’4″ range. He is a playmaker; he can definitely run after the catch.”

On Dexter McDonald: “Right here from the Kansas City area, at Rockhurst High School. A defensive back for us, he is a tremendous athlete. He is a very explosive player – he will start out at cornerback for us. A very bright young man and I think he has tremendous upside, and he will really do some great things for us.”

On Quinn Mecham: “A junior college guy who we already have enrolled here at Kansas. He is a tremendous passer and has done some tremendous things at Snow Junior College, breaking all kind of records there. He has only lost two games in his entire career, being very accurate would be the first thing that comes to my mind as a quarterback.”

On Ray Mitchell: “A defensive back from Irving, Texas, MacArthur High School. He is very explosive, and striking. He can play both sides of the ball. Great range and ball skills as far as a defensiveb, and also as ar – but we are going to put him on the defensive side of the ball.”

On Jimmay Mundine: “A tight end from Denison High School. This is a playmaker – a difference maker, whatever you want to call it. Again, when the ball is in his hands, a lot of things will occur in a great way. He does some great things when the ball is in his hands and makes some long runs after the catch. Also, he is a very smart football player.”

On James Sims: “A running back, another great running back that we have in this class. A tough inside runner between the tackles, but he can also make you miss – he will run over you. We feel very good about his skills.”

On Trent Smiley: “The other tight end that we have. Very physical and athletic, very talented young man – he can do it all. He is an excellent blocker, along with being an excellent receiver. A very versatile player that we anticipate to be in our program.”

On Keeston Terry: “A wide receiver from right here in the area, from Blue Springs, Mo. An outstanding athlete, phenomenal wide receiver. A guy who has excellent skills, really on the offensive and defensive side. A guy that could potentially play both sides of the ball, but we will play him as a wide receiver, where he will do a lot of great things from there.”

On Andrew Turzilli: “A wide receiver from New Jersey. Great growth potential – he is another tall guy, 6’3″, 6’4″. This guy has excellent ball skills, and again, he is an outstanding receiver that shows he can make great plays when the ball is around in his area.”