Stanford, Cal, SJSU get early start
Stanford added a quartet of four-star recruits on the first day of the inaugural early signing period as 10 high school seniors inked national letters of intent on Wednesday, but in terms of name recognition it’s a preferred walk-on who stands out.
Jake Lynch, a 6-foot2, 215-pound outside linebacker out of Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego, is the son of 49ers GM John Lynch, a former quarterback-turned-safety as a Cardinal who became a nine-time Pro Bowl selection in the NFL.
“He’s physical, strong, athletic, has some name recognition for the people around here, which is great,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “But he’s his own man and he earned his way here.”
The top-rated signees include quarterback Jack West (6-4, 210) out of Alabama and wide receiver Michael Wilson (62, 190) out of Simi Valley, along with defensive ends Thomas Booker (6-4, 270) out of Maryland and Tobe Umerah (6-4, 240) out of Georgia.
The rest are three-star recruits, with a trio of cornerbacks — Ethan Bonner, Donjae Logan and Kendall Williamson — on top of fullback Jay Symonds, offensive lineman Trey Stratford and running back Justus Woods.
“A lot of guys left to come in February, but excited about these guys today,” Shaw said. “This class is starting to take shape.”
Also coming to The Farm are outside linebacker Tangaloa Kaufusi and wide receiver Simi Fehoko, who signed NLIs again after being away on two-year LDS missions in Taiwan and South Korea, respectively.
Cal
Cal received signatures from 18 players, a class that ranks in the upper half of the Pac-12, at least for now.
The class is heavier on Bay Area recruits than what Cal fans got used to under Sonny Dykes. Seven of the 18 players are from areas Cal would call its backyard, and that includes top recruits such as offensive linemen Will Craig from Granite Bay and Brandon Mello from Clayton Valley Charter.
“Local guys are really important,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “There is no reason local guys shouldn’t come here. We are a national brand, but you want to build your team from the inside out, from the Bay Area first.”
The offensive line is the strength of the class with Craig, Mello, Jasper Frills and Bishop O’Dowd’s Miles Owens.
Other marquee recruits include running back Christopher Brown Jr. from Oceanside, tight end McCallan Castles from South Lake Tahoe and wide receiver Nikko Remiglio from Mater Dei.
Wilcox admitted the defensive front could use some reinforcements. He added that Cal could sign up to five more players on the traditional signing date, which is the first Wednesday in February.
The Bears did a nice job of fortifying their linebacker unit with Nick Alftin from Archbishop Mitty and JH Tevis from Menlo School. Alftin’s sister attends Cal and is on the volleyball team. Tevis is listed as a Piedmont resident. His father went to Stanford.
San Jose State
San Jose State signed 13 players, including four offensive linemen and four defensive backs. The Spartans hope they will make up for the seven seniors they are losing from those positions.
The linemen are Korey Mariboho (6-5, 290), a two-time second-team AllSouthern League player from Saddleback College, Jaime Navarro (6-3, 275) from Great Oak High in Temecula, Tyler Ostrom (63, 280) from St. Bonaventure High in Ventura and Anthony Pardue (6-4, 300) from Murrieta Valley High in Murrieta.
Transfers Jalen Nelson (6-2, 178) from Southwestern College in Chula Vista and Nehemiah Shelton (61, 160) from Long Beach City College come to SJSU off first-team all-conference selections as freshmen cornerbacks. College of the Canyons safety Bobby Brown (6-1, 177) is another transfer defensive back. Incoming freshman cornerback Charlie Bostic (5-11, 170) is a first-team All-West Catholic Athletic League selection from Valley Christian High in San Jose.
One linebacker the Spartans signed is Kyle Harmon (6-1, 230) of Freedom High in Oakley.
“We got a mix of junior college and high school players we think can all have a great impact on the program,” coach Brent Brennan said.
Of the 13 signees, six can enroll for the 2018 spring semester and participate in spring practice.
Frisco Bowl
J’mar Smith threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, Louisiana Tech’s defense scored twice, and the Bulldogs rolled to a 51-10 victory over sloppy SMU.
Smith completed 15 of 23 passes for 216 yards, and Teddy Veal caught four passes for 84 yards for Louisiana Tech (7-6). The Bulldogs led 42-10 at halftime.
SMU (7-6) fumbled on its first offensive snap and turned it over on its first three drives and six times overall.
N.D. suspends pair
Notre Dame has indefinitely suspended wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and running back C.J. Holmes from football-related activities. The school did not provide a reason for the suspensions, but WNDU-TV reported Stepherson and Holmes were caught shoplifting clothing from a department store Friday night. They have not yet been charged or booked into jail.