LONDON, Ont. – Western Mustangs Football is pleased to announce the first members of the team's 2017 recruiting class with Daniel Valente and Jake Andrews set to join the roster next season.

"[The addition of Valente and Andrews] gives us two players we believe that can come in and compete right away," said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall on the first two recruits of the class of 2017.

"The defensive back position in Canadian football, with teams throwing the ball all over the place, is not as simple as covering man-to-man, it's getting to know the game. The good thing about both of these players is that they've both played at a high level, played a lot of football, and represented Canada and Ontario, so they've played against good competition. They've got football smarts, and that's going to be important in the defensive secondary."

A local London product, Valente joins the purple and white from the Junior Mustangs and the CCH Crusaders. A multi-time OVFL all-star and 2015 CCH Rookie of the Year, Valente has been selected to suit up for Team Canada this coming February in the International Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

Valente is one of the top defensive backs in the country and is a two-time team defensive MVP, and three-time team MVP, taking home the award for the Junior Mustangs from 2013-15. Valente says that coming from a strong program like CCH meant that Western's tradition of winning was high on his list of reasons to join the purple and white.

"I've grown up in London, played for the Junior Mustangs, and growing up with them it was the right decision for me," said Valente. "Jake's obviously coming with me, so I knew it was the right decision."

"The defence is tough. They're a good defence obviously, and I just want to join in on that. I'm a tough player, hard-nosed, come down hill and rally towards the ball. That's what I like, and that's what they are so I feel like it's a fit for me."

Andrews comes to Western from the Niagara Spears and A.N. Myer Secondary School, currently the fifth ranked high school team in the country on the #CFC50. A three-time OVFL All-Star, the defensive back also holds a trio of OVFL records including kick return yard average in bantam, and for punt return touchdowns both in a game and a season at the junior varsity level.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake native has also racked up accolades at the high school level, earning grade 11 MVP and Niagara Region High School All-Star honours while also helping the Marauders win both the OFSAA Championship and the Junior Metro Bowl. 

While both players have no shortage of success at the team and local levels, the duo has also excelled on the national and international levels, winning bronze with Team Ontario at the 2016 Canada Cup as well as gold at the 2015 International Bowl.

"I love this school, and the football team's great, so it went together and this is the best option for me," said Andrews.

"We were just really great friends and have the same playing style, we're both DBs and feel that playing together would be a good advantage," said Andrews on his and Valente's decision to attend the same university. "We were looking at a lot of schools together, but we both really wanted to go to Western."

"We'd always come back to Western, that was the one school we always came back to, and we decided to do it now and become Mustangs," said Valente.

While Valente and Andrews are two of the most talented defensive back recruits in the country, Mustangs recruiting coordinator Chris Marcus says that it wasn't the duo's skill on the field that most interested the coaching staff.

"The major thing, and the thing we're looking at most of all, is character," said Marcus. "They're both great kids, they do well in school, which is a must if you're going to play in the CIS, and they have tremendous skill too. Of all of the things we were looking for this year it's character kids and they have it."

Note: Athletes who commit to Mustangs teams will be eligible to compete at Western provided they are academically admissible to Western University and have applied through the normal process with the Ontario Universities' Application Centre in Guelph, Ont.