The foundation of the U-N-I football program has been high school players but a number of transfers have played significant roles for the Panthers. Seventeen members of this year’s squad started their college career at a division-one school or junior college.
Coach Mark Farley says the rules have developed over the years to allow them to bring in some other players, but Farley says he is very selective in the players he asks to join the team.
Farley says transfers can help address an immediate need at a position. He says they take 16 to 17 high school players and work with them to develop them. Farley says you take some two-year players to fill in for attrition and have the experience to make a class of players better.
Farley believes having mostly high school players develops good chemistry because they are in the program for so many years. He says the best athletes don’t always win, but the best teams do. Among the transfer on this year’s team is running back Whitney Lewis who began his career at U-S-C. U-N-I opens the season August 31st at Drake.