Spartans seek ‘ right fit’ from new recruits
Caragher to reveal his first San Jose State signing class
SAN JOSE— Ron Caragher is set to reveal his first signing class at San Jose State on Wednesday, and he is confident in the group his staff has put together despite several notable players who have de- committed in recent weeks.
“With some guys, it just wasn’t a fit,” Caragher said. “Some guys went other places, and that opened up the opportunity for us to bring in guys that we were familiar with.”
The class is ranked in the bottom three in the country by both Scout. com and Rivals. com, but those rankings list roughly half the names the Spartans expect to sign.
“They are stuck in reverse,” FOX Sports/ Scout national recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman said. “They had some jewels in the class, and Colorado has taken them.”
SJSU’s class was nearly complete when former coach Mike MacIntyre left Dec. 10 to accept the job at Colorado. Six assistants eventually joined MacIntyre in Boulder and helped persuade two former Spartan commits— Valley Christian High running back Ryan Severson and Bellarmine College Prep linebacker Kenneth Olugbode— to follow.
The Spartans also lost quarterback Darell Garretson ( Chandler, Ariz.) to Utah State, wide receiver Delvon Hardaway ( Los Angeles) to Fresno State and wide receiver/ safety Phillip Carter ( Folsom) to Duke.
Caragher said he planned to honor any oral commitments made to the previous staff, but he wasn’t necessarily upset to lose some players.
“They had a lot of commitments when we came on board,” Caragher said. “Just because they had the commitments doesn’t mean they’re the right fit for our new staff.”
SJSU expects to announce a signing class of 19 players, including five midyear signees. That leaves 14 players the Spartans expect to receive letters of intent from when the signing period begins tomorrow. The class is a relatively small one because San Jose State lost only 16 seniors .
The list is led by 6- foot3, 177- pound safety Tyler Winston ( Antelope), rated a three- star recruit by Scout. Brandon Monroe, a 6- 1, 195pound running back from Loomis, should be another strong pickup.
The Spartans have two local players in 6- 6, 285pound defensive tackle Nate Velichko ( The King’s Academy) and 6- 5, 255- pound defensive end Nico Aimonetti (Los Gatos).
SJSU remains a finalist, along with Colorado and Washington State, for Oak Grove defensive back Chidobe Awuzie, who will announce his decision Wednesday. The Spartans also are in the mix for Long Beach- Poly safety David Price, although Scout. com reported he plans to take an official visit to Arizona .
The defensive line is one of SJSU’s immediate areas of concern, particularly defensive end where the Spartans lost three seniors, including Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Travis Johnson.
Helping to fill that void is Garrett Guanella, a junior college transfer from Santa Rosa JC. The 6- 5, 235pounder is already enrolled at the school and could make an immediate impact.
“When you have an immediate pressing need, you like an immediate pressing answer. A junior college guy at 20 years old is probably better to step right in,” Caragher said.
Caragher said tight end and offensive line were other major focus areas.
Other midyear signees include linebacker Jared Leaf, a transfer from Hawaii who must sit out a year, running back Alvin Jelks, offensive lineman Jeremiah Kolone and wide receiver Jourdan Soares. Jelks and Kolone originally signed last February but served grayshirt years.
The grayshirting process, in which a player delays admission until the spring semester, is one Caragher plans to utilize.
“We like guys so much that we’ll over sign a few with the intent of them being gray shirts,” Caragher said. “Particularly with developmental positions like lineman, you’re better at 22 or 23 than you are at 17 or 18.”