Western Kentucky coach Willie Taggart has received a couple of pleasant surprises as part of 13 signees in the Hilltoppers' latest recruiting class.

Running back Anthony "Ace" Wales selected WKU over Louisville and defensive lineman Tyrone Pearson out of Louisville's Seneca High chose the Hilltoppers despite offers from BCS programs.

Taggart stressed quality over quantity with the class with seven signees rated three-star prospects by Rivals.com.

Six of Taggart's signees are from Florida and four from Kentucky. The new recruits don't include a pair of former Seneca teammates: 2010 four-star quarterback DaMarcus Smith, a Central Florida signee who didn't qualify last fall, and Louisville transfer Jerrell Moore.

The Hilltoppers' class Wednesday ranked anywhere from second to last in the Sun Belt Conference according to the major recruiting websites.