Grand Valley State University head football coach Matt Mitchell announced Wednesday the signing of 22 players who will be joining his team in the fall of 2014.

More than two-thirds of the student-athletes are from the state of Michigan.

“We always start in Michigan,” Mitchell said. “We look to try to identify prospects in the state and work out from there. Fifteen guys were from Michigan-based schools, and that’s no coincidence.”

The other seven recruits were from Indiana (4), Illinois (1), Kentucky (1) and Tennessee (1).

GVSU finished its 2013 campaign as the No. 3 team in the final American Football Conference Association poll after finishing with a 12-3 record. The team has finished in the top four 10 times since 2001.

The recruiting class consists of seven linemen, three defensive backs and three special teams players, two running backs, two tight ends, two wide receivers, two linebackers, and a fullback.

“We were looking for quality over quantity,” he said. “They’re going to be a great fit for us.”

The team advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals in the fall for the eighth time since 2001, but fell to Northwest Missouri State University 27-13.

GVSU capped off the 2013 season as the all-time winningest college football team in the nation with a 350-126-3 record (.7338204), better than the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan.

The Lakers will kick off their 2014 campaign at Azusa Pacific University on Sept. 6.

“We’re excited, we’ve got a great group of guys coming back,” he said.

GVSU will then have a chance to avenge a pair of 2013 losses in back- to-back games against Ohio Dominican University and Ferris State University.

The teams combined to score 111 points in two games against GVSU last season.