Eight players re-sign with Cheetahs
They are William Small-Smith, Nico Lee, Elandré Huggett, Ernst Stapelberg, Jean-Pierre du Preez, Lloyd Greeff, Sibabalo Qoma and Dennis Visser.
A notable exception from the list is current Cheetahs captain Francois Venter who is linked with a move to the English Premiership.
The Cheetahs also expected to secure the signatures of a number of other players in the squad in the near future.
"Indications are that announcements on a number of other top players can be expected soon due to the fact that the contracting process only just started," said a statement released by Free State Rugby.