MINOT, N.D. – Taking advantage of the 3-day early signing period this week, head coach Ian Shields and his staff have added nine talented recruits to the Minot State football roster who will make up the core of the recruiting class of 2024.

Signing their National Letter-of Intent in preparation to join the Beavers on the field in the fall of 2024 are transfers Matt Donovan from Bemidji State, Steven Earnest from Taylor University (Ind.), Canaan Boyd from Concordia College Moorhead, Aidan Lee from Garden City Community College (Calif.), Christopher Calhoun II from Hutchinson Community College (Kan.), and Jakob Guzman from College of the Sequoias (Calif.) along with true freshmen Robert Overton from Canada Prep in St. Catharines, Ontario, Kyle "KJ" Cherry from Etiwanda High School in Fontana, California, and local product William Mayo from Surrey/Des Lacs-Burlington High School.

NCAA football schools were allowed to early-sign student-athletes for the class of 2024 from Wednesday, Dec. 20 through Friday, Dec. 22. After Friday, players must wait until the regular national signing day which will be February 7, 2024.

Here is a look at the newest members of the Minot State football program:
Canaan Boyd, DL from Concordia College Moorhead (Minn.), graduate of Poplar HS in Poplar, Montana
A 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman, Boyd redshirted with the Cobblers in 2022.

Christopher Calhoun II, QB from Hutchinson Community College (Kan.), graduate of Sandalwood HS in Jacksonville, Florida
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound dual-threat quarterback was a First Team All-Conference and Offensive Player of the Year in high school who was recruited by Connecticut, Bowling Green, Navy, and Army while in high school.

Kyle "KJ" Cherry, WR from Etiwanda HS in Fontana, California
A 6-foot-2, 173-pound wide receiver who caught 38 passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons at Etiwanda, Cherry has been a highly sought-after player and was recruited by Fresno State.

Matt Donovan, QB from Bemidji State University, graduate of Kasson-Mantorville HS in La Crescent, Minnesota
A 5-foot-11, 180-pound quarterback from La Cresent, Minn., Donovan played in the opening game of the 2023 season for the Bemidji State Beavers before redshirting. He was a 2-time all-district quarterback at Kasson-Mantorville HS where he also played hockey and competed in track and field.

Steven Earnest, K/P from Taylor University (Ind.), graduate of Middletown Christian Schools in Liberty Township, Ohio
A 6-foot, 200-pound punter and kicker, Earnest played in 8 games during the 2021 season for Taylor, an NAIA school in Indiana, averaging 35.5 yards per punt with a long punt of 53 yards, and five punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

William Mayo, DL from Surrey/Des Lacs-Burlington HS in Surrey, North Dakota
A 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman, the local product is a three-sport star student-athlete who also competes in basketball and baseball.

Jakob Guzman, OL from College of the Sequoias (Calif.), graduate of Corcoran HS in Corcoran, California
Guzman is a 6-foot, 252-pound offensive lineman who played in five games during his time at the College of the Sequoias where he also had two tackles.

Aidan Lee, RB from Garden City Community College (Calif.), graduate of Desert Ridge HS in Gilbert, Arizona
A 6-foot-2, 230-pound running back who redshirted in 2022 with the California Golden Bears of the PAC-12, Lee played receiver at Garden City CC where he had 11 catches for 56 yards in 8 games and also added three tackles.

Robert Overton, OL from Canada Prep in St. Catharines, Ontario
A 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive lineman who played his final year of high school for Canada Prep in St. Catharines, Ontario, Overton is originally from Edmonton, Alberta, but moved to Ontario to play prep football.