The San Diego State football program officially announced its 2016 recruiting class on Wednesday. As you’ll hear every coach say at every program across the nation, the Aztecs think they have a solid group of players coming to the Mesa.
"We signed a pretty good class," says assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Tony White. "You're always trying to upgrade your talent level. We met our needs in this cycle."
The Aztecs look for a couple of very specific things when they recruit. Right near the very top of the list is size.
"I love big guys," says head coach Rocky Long. "I mean giants. I love giants. These kids want to be NFL football players. We run an NFL offense."
That's one of the reasons the Aztecs are suddenly getting access to a higher quality recruit while not having to work too hard to get them. As signing day crept forward several Big 10 and SEC schools jumped on some of the Aztecs recruits. That caliber of player used to be out of SDSU's reach.
"What's happened over the last few years is they're calling us," says Long. "We canvas California, Arizona and Nevada. We call every single high school in those states. Outside of that, we're not looking for them, they're calling us."
The Aztecs signed players from Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Georgia in this year's class. Even more important than their style, San Diego State's recent run of success, including last season's MWC championship and demolition of Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl, is selling the program across the country.
"I think we're getting in more homes because of our reputation," said Long.
Aside from being large (both in number and sheer bulk) the Class of 2016 is versatile and physical, two more things Coach Long covets.
"As you guys watch these recruits you'll see these guys are a physical group," said coach White. "These linemen are physical in the trenches. The linebackers are hitting guys; they're putting their face on guys. They're also pretty instinctive. A lot of them are two-way players. Great job by the staff identifying our kind of guy."
The recruits break down like this:
OFFENSIVE LINE (6): Derrick Achayo (Roseville, CA); Yasir Durant (Philadelphia, PA); Donnell Greene (Atlanta, GA); Tyler Roemer (Fernley, NV); Zachary Thomas (Carlsbad High School); Douglas Tucker II (Dallas, TX)
WIDE RECEIVERS (2): Isiah Macklin (Las Vegas, NV); Timothy Wilson, Jr. (Plano, TX)
TIGHT ENDS (2): Parker Houston (Sparks, NV); Kyle Spalding (McKinleyville, CA)
RUNNING BACK (1): Chase Jasmin (Agoura Hills, CA)
DEFENSIVE LINE (3): Jondarius Gardner (Pensacola, FL); Forrest Hanlon (Helix High School); Chibu Onyeukwu (Pittsburg, CA)
LINEBACKER (2): Troy Cassidy (Carlsbad High School); Dru Mathis (Ventura, CA)
DEFENSIVE BACK (4): Dwayne Johnson, JR. (Vista Murrieta High School); Keoni Stallworth (Elk Grove, CA); Trenton Thompson (Palm Springs, CA); Kyree Woods (Mesa, AZ)
ATHLETE (3): Parie Dedeaux, Jr. (Los Angeles, CA); Tayler Hawkins (Palm Springs, CA); Will Stricklin II (Mission Hills High School)
The Athletes are guys who played multiple spots well in high school and will find a permanent positional home in college.
You may notice that there's no quarterback in this year's class. That's OK with Rocky. The Aztecs already have eight QB's on their roster and expect five of them to play the position in Spring practice (which begins on February 19).
Coach White also mentioned San Diego State's football program being a "sleeping giant." A few more seasons like this and the giant just might wake up. Big-5 conferences, ye be warned.
