FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona head football coach Jerome Souers is big on getting players to #StayInState. Souers is entering his "Sweet 16" with the Lumberjacks, as NAU finished last season with an 8-3 record. Recruiting is a year round job for the NAU coaching staff, and it has become vital over the years to try to get as many players as possible to choose their hometown state.

NAU has 48 Lumberjacks on its current roster that hail from "The Grand Canyon State." Souers has been quite vocal on his Twitter account - @CoachSouers - as he enjoys promoting the guys on his team that chose to stay in state. Four of the six Lumberjacks that were selected as All-Big Sky Preseason picks – Zach Bauman, R.J. Rickert, Anders Battle and Andy Wilder – all hail from the great state of Arizona. Three of those four players are also preseason All-American selections going into the 2013 season.

"With the level of high school talent in Arizona improving day-by-day, I think it is important to get as many kids to stay in state as possible," said Souers. "I use the hashtag #StayInState because almost 50 percent of our roster is from the state of Arizona and I'm happy to promote that fact."

The Lumberjacks have 12 newcomers on their roster from Arizona. Tight end Patrick Baldenegro (Chandler) and defensive lineman Lorenzo Melvin (Maricopa) were both all-state selections a year ago, and are just two names in a pool full of talented players that chose NAU.

"I believe that any football team that has a strong in-state representation has a good chance of connecting with the local high schools, community, donors, alumni, students and staff," Souers said. "Players like Zach Bauman and Casey Jahn who played high school football in Arizona, and chose to continue that trend into college, get a lot of fans out to the games to support them. This is great for them and for NAU."