SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly has signed a total of 17 high school football players and one community college transfer to either the National Letter of Intent or Grant-in-Aid offer. The announcement was made Wednesday by eighth-year Mustang football coach Tim Walsh and Cal Poly director of athletics Don Oberhelman in the President’s Suite at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo.
The class of recruits includes five defensive backs, four linebackers, three defensive linemen, two offensive linemen, one wide receiver, three running backs and one quarterback.
“We want to improve our overall defense and we wanted to recruit the best available athletes we can,” said Walsh. “Five defensive backs sounds like a lot, but some of them can play multiple positions. What is tough for us to recruit are big cornerbacks, but we feel good about Cameron Crump and his size (6-1, 180).
Also on the list of recruits are Sean Davitt, who recorded 23 sacks and 36 quarterback hurries last fall at St. Francis High School in La Canada, and Ben Parker, who had eight sacks at Buchanan High School last season.
“At running back, we wanted to get one of everything we needed,” Walsh added. “from Tre Green, a good all-around player, to Chuby Dunu, who is big and strong, to a small guy like Elijah Preston. All three are different, but all have the ability to run with the football.”
Michael Austin from Helix High School in San Diego County is the lone quarterback on the recruiting list, passing for over 4,000 yards and 46 touchdowns in his prep career. “Austin is a guy we identified early in the process,” said Walsh. “What separated him from the rest is that he is extremely fast, probably faster than Chris Brown, and he is a great student with good character.”
The Regular Signing Period opened today and ends April 1.
Cal Poly football, presented by French Hospital Medical Center, posted a 4-7 mark in 2015, including a 3-5 record for an eighth-place tie in the 13-team Big Sky Conference. The Mustangs, who captured the championship in their first season in the league (2012), are 20-12 in their first four years in the Big Sky.
The Mustangs, conference champions five times in the last 12 years, including four titles in the eight-year existence of the Great West Conference, earned their third NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth in 2012.
The signees (listed by position):
Saia Fonongaloa, C/DT, 6-3, 275, Pittsburg, Calif. (Pittsburg High School)
A team captain and starter under head coach Victor Galli on both the offensive and defensive lines, Fonongaloa helped Pittsburg High School to a 10-3 record in 2015, second-place finish in the Bay Valley League and a semifinal-round berth in the CIF-North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs. Fonongaloa earned first-team All-Bay Valley League honors and also landed on the All-East Bay Second Team (San Jose Mercury News) and honorable mention praise on the All-Metro Team (San Francisco Chronicle). Fonongaloa also was his team’s scholar-athlete.
Junior Gaitan, OL, 6-4, 265, Santa Ana, Calif. (Foothill High School)
Gaitan was a guard and tackle on the offensive line as a senior under head coach Doug Case at Foothill High School in Santa Ana. Gaitan, who helped the Knights to a 6-4 record in 2015, twice has been named the team’s scholar-athlete of the year. Also recruited by San Diego, College of Idaho, Portland State and UC Davis, Gaitan chose Cal Poly because “the rigorous education and competitive football couldn’t be offered anywhere else. Nothing could compare to the college-town vibe Cal Poly radiated and the people in it showed me why San Luis Obispo is the Happiest City in America. Mustang football is a family, we work together for one goal, to win the championship at a high productive level and I know my personal position coach will only demand the best from me to make me not just a better person, but a better player.” Gaitan is a first-generation college-bound student in his family.
Tre Green, RB/LB, 5-10, 190, Folsom, Calif. (Folsom High School)
Green is another Mustang from Folsom High School, which produced Stephen Sippel, Dano Graves, Burton De Koning and Carson McMurtrey, among others. As a senior under head coach Kris Richardson, Green rushed 84 times for 707 yards and 17 touchdowns, caught 33 passes for 421 yards and four scores, accounted for 1,186 all-purpose yards and made 58 tackles (37 solo) on defense with two interceptions, returning one 34 yards for a score. Folsom was 14-1 in 2015, capturing another Sierra Foothill League title and the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship. The Bulldogs lost in the state Division I-AA semifinals. Green earned first-team All-Sierra Foothill League and second-team Sacramento Bee All-Metro Team honors as a running back. He also was a team captain and earned the team’s academic/athlete award for the second time. As a junior, Green rushed for 524 yards and seven scores and caught 19 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, earning second-team All-Sierra Foothill League honors as a running back and helping Folsom to the state Division I championship. His sophomore statistics included 381 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and 11 catches for 79 yards and a score through the air. Also recruited by Army, San Diego, Sacramento State and UC Davis, Green chose to become a Mustang because “I love the football program and family feeling. I love the great academics and opportunity for success that Cal Poly offers. I have had great experiences every time I came to visit and loved my official visit. Cal Poly utilizes a run-heavy offense, which is much different from the spread offense in Folsom. I am excited to be a Mustang.”
Chibuikem (Chuby) Dunu, RB, 5-11, 185, Clovis, Calif. (Buchanan High School)
As a senior under head coach Mike Jacot at Buchanan High School, Dunu rushed for 1,049 yards and 14 touchdowns on 157 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He rushed a season-high 24 carries for 215 yards and one score against Central. He also caught 47 passes, six for touchdowns, and earned second-team All-Tri-River League honors. The Bears were 7-4 overall, finished tied for first place in the Tri-River League and reached the quarterfinal round of the CIF-Central Section Division I playoffs. Dunn chose Cal Poly “because the environment for me felt just right, from the coaching staff and the players to the education and amazing weather. I believe it’s a great opportunity to do what I love and get a great education while doing it. All in all, I didn’t feel like I chose Cal Poly after I visited. I feel like it chose me.”
Elijah Preston, RB, 5-5, 185, San Diego, Calif. (St. Augustine High School)
Preston rushed for nearly 7,200 yards, second all-time in CIF-San Diego Section history, and 83 touchdowns in his four-year varsity career under head coach Richard Sanchez at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, producing 35 games of 100 or more yards, including 13 over the 200-yard mark. The 5-5, 185-pound running back netted 7,196 yards and averaged 8.5 yards over 842 career carries and 153.1 yards a game. Preston led the Saints to a 10-3 mark, Eastern League title and a runner-up finish in the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division playoffs. Preston earned first-team All-Eastern League, All-CIF-San Diego Section and all-state small schools division honors as well as the 2015 Silver Pigskin Player of the Year Award. As a senior, Preston rushed for 2,244 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per carry, and also caught 14 passes for 174 yards and three scores en route to Eastern League Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row. He rushed for over 100 yards in 12 of his team’s 13 games, including three 200-yard performances. His lone non-100-yard game was a 99-yard effort against Vista Murrieta and his season high was 273 yards on 28 carries versus Madison. He also had 264 yards against Mission Hills and 228 against Otay Ranch. Preston also returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against Morse. His junior-year statistics include 254 carries for 1,937 yards (7.6 yards per carry) and 23 touchdowns along with 17 catches for 245 yards and two scores. He produced 10 100-yard games, including four over the 200-yard mark, including a career-high 295 yards and four touchdowns against Loyola. Postseason awards include first-team all-league and all-county, second-team all-CIF-San Diego Section and second-team all-state. In his sophomore season, he scored five touchdowns against Mater Dei Catholic, had six 100-yard games, including three 200-yard contests, and finished with 1,481 yards (9.3 average per carry) and 17 touchdowns along with six catches for 45 yards. He played varsity as a freshman as well, netting 1,534 yards and 14 touchdowns (7.9 yards per carry) and caught 10 passes for 75 yards with seven 100-yard games (three over 200 yards). He was named to the 2015 San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic Team with a 3.50 grade-point average. Preston comes from a family of biology technicians and plans to study biology at Cal Poly with aspirations of becoming a zoologist. Recruited by San Diego State, BYU, UCLA, Northern Arizona and Appalachian State, Preston said Cal Poly “was my first choice. It has a great education, great coaching staff and I felt like I was a great fit for the offense.”
Quentin Harrison, WR, 6-2, 190, Chula Vista, CA (Bonita Vista High School)
Under head coach Chris Thompson at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista, Harrison averaged 26.2 yards per catch in his senior season. He caught 34 passes for 891 yards and eight touchdowns, leading the Barons to a 12-3 overall mark, a Metro-Mesa League title and CIF-San Diego Section Division III championship. Bonita Vista qualified for the state Division IV-AA playoffs, losing to Hanford 33-21 in the title game. Harrison was selected to play in the Spanos All-Star Classic and led Barons to first CIF title in football in the school’s 50-year history. Harrison, who also plays basketball at Bonita Vista, transferred to Bonita Vista after two varsity seasons at Calvary Christian Academy, also in Chula Vista. He caught 22 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns as a junior, also averaging 11.3 yards rushing (26 carries, 295 yards) and completing 11 of 22 passes for 180 yards and two scores. As a sophomore at Calvary Christian, Harrison rushed 79 times for 643 yards (8.1 average per carry), completed 12 of 35 passes for 315 yards and four scores and caught a pair of passes.
Michael Austin, QB, 6-1, 185, El Cajon, Calif. (Helix High School)
Under head coach Troy Starr at Helix High School, Austin quarterbacked the Highlanders to an 11-2 record, Grossmont-Hills League title and the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division championship. Helix lost to Mission Viejo in the state I-AA regionals. In 27 career games, Austin completed 259 of 436 passes for 4,006 yards and 46 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,022 yards and 17 scores in his three-year varsity career. As a senior, Austin connected on 107 of 187 passes for 1,725 yards and 18 scores while rushing for 397 yards and eight more touchdowns, earning first-team All-CIF-San Diego Section honors and a spot on the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic Team with a 3.64 grade-point average. His statistics as a junior include 114 completions in 188 attempts for 1,665 yards and 20 touchdowns with 424 rushing yards and six more scores. He played baseball as a freshman, hitting .304.
Joey Ruiz, RB/LB, 6-1, 225, Selma, Calif. (San Joaquin Memorial High School)
Under head coach Anthony Gaston at San Joaquin Memorial High School, Ruiz rushed for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns, caught 21 passes for 279 yards and two scores, made 111 tackles (74 solo), including seven sacks, and returned two interceptions for touchdowns as a senior. He produced six 100-yard games, including 273 yards and four touchdowns against Madera, 204 yards and three scores against Tulare Western and 192 yards and five touchdowns against Hoover. He led the Panthers to a 9-4 overall mark and a runner-up finish in the CIF-Central Section Division III playoffs. Ruiz earned first-team All-County-Metro League honors, was team MVP, a scholar-athlete and team captain. His numbers as a junior include 32 catches for 531 yards and four touchdowns, 85 tackles (69 solo), four sacks and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Ruiz was a second-team all-league selection in 2014 and named his team’s defensive player of the year. He caught 12 passes as a sophomore. Ruiz also was recruited by Nevada, Air Force and UTEP, choosing Cal Poly “to receive a great degree, be a part of the family atmosphere and play Division I football.”
Matthew Shotwell, FB/OLB, 6-0, 210, Goleta, Calif. (Bishop Diego High School)
In 13 games as a senior under head coach Tom Crawford at Bishop Diego High School, Shotwell made 176 tackles (124 solo), including a career-high 20 stops against Righetti. His dozen double-digit tackle games also included 17 against Cabrillo and View Park. The fourth Shotwell to play football at Cal Poly, Matthew also notched two sacks, one pass breakup and recovered three fumbles, one for a touchdown against Palmdale. Shotwell also threw a touchdown pass in the Palmdale game. As a fullback on offense, he rushed for 158 yards and four touchdowns while also catching 27 passes for 412 yards and six scores. Bishop Diego was 12-1 last fall, winning the Tri-Valley League title and reaching the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoffs. Shotwell was named Tri-Valley League Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Northern Division and first-team all-state small schools (CalHiSports) honors. He also was named all-city and Presidio Sports City Defensive Player of the Year. Shotwell also is a career .265 hitter on the Cardinals’ baseball team, knocking in 31 runs in 66 games. His oldest brother, Kyle, won the Buck Buchanan Award as the defensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision. Ryan (defensive end) and Troy (defensive line) also played at Cal Poly.
Jayson Lee, RB/LB, 6-0, 195, Oakhurst, Calif. (Clovis North High School)
Under head coach Tim Simons at Clovis North High School, Lee rushed for 1,600 and 23 touchdowns and made 81 tackles, including six sacks, during his senior season, helping the Broncos to a 7-5 overall mark and a semifinal-round berth in the CIF-Central Section Division I playoffs. Lee earned a spot on the Fresno Bee’s Fab 50 Football All-Star Team and was named Tri-River Athletic Conference co-defensive player of the year. He was selected to play in the North/South All-Star Game as well as the City-County All-Star Game. Lee also helped Clovis North to a 7-4 record and the Tri-River Athletic Conference championship as a junior in 2014, earning first-team All-TRAC honors. Lee also competes in track and field with best marks of 12.23 in the 100, 16.63 in the high hurdles, 5-8 in the high jump, 19-2 in the long jump and 33-11 in the triple jump. He has made the school’s Honor Roll. In addition to Cal Poly, Lee was recruited by Sacramento State, Nevada and UC Davis, choosing to be a Mustang “because I want to be an engineer and Cal Poly has one of the best engineering schools in the nation. My recruiting process was special, too.”
Lance Vecchio, WR/OLB/SS, 6-3, 210, Bellflower, Calif. (Villa Park High School)
Vecchio made 107 tackles and intercepted three passes as a senior safety and outside linebacker under head coach Dusan Ancich at Villa Park High School. He earned first-team All-Crestview League and first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Southwest Division honors. Vecchio also was a wide receiver on offense, collecting 616 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also completed six passes for 120 yards, three for scores. Villa Park was 12-1 last fall, capturing the Crestview League title and reaching the semifinal round of the CIF-Southern Section Southwest Division playoffs. As a junior, Vecchio earned team MVP honors as he garnered 878 receiving yards and eight touchdowns and, on defense, made 94 tackles and intercepted four passes. He also returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown against Yorba Linda. Vecchio was a first-team All-Crestview League honoree and league MVP, also earning all-CIF-Southern Section Southwest Division and All-Orange County awards. In addition to Cal Poly, Vecchio also was recruited by Azusa Pacific, Western New Mexico, Montana and Southern Utah.
Ben Parker, TE/DE, 6-3, 230, Clovis, Calif. (Buchanan High School)
Under head coach Mike Jacot at Buchanan High School in Clovis, Parker earned 61 tackles, including eight sacks, and nine pass breakups as an end on defense during his senior season, earning first-team All-Tri-River Athletic Conference and TRAC lineman of the year honors. The Bears were 7-4 overall (their first winning season in five years), finished tied for first place in the Tri-River League and reached the quarterfinal round of the CIF-Central Section Division I playoffs. As a junior, Parker made 67 tackles, including six sacks and 23 tackles for lost yardage, en route to second-team All-TRAC honors. Also recruited by Sacramento State, UC Davis and Nevada, Parker chose Cal Poly “because of its academic and athletic successes and also its location.”
Sean Davitt, TE/DE, 6-5, 220, La Canada, Calif. (St. Francis High School)
Davitt recorded 78 tackles (65 solo) and made 23 sacks among his 34 tackles for lost yardage as a senior defensive end under head coach Jim Bonds at St. Francis High School. He notched 12 tackles (six sacks) against Burroughs, 11 more against Canyon and earned four sacks against West Covina. Davitt, who notched a sack in 12 of St. Francis’ 13 games, also hurried the quarterback 36 times, intercepted a pass and blocked a punt for the Golden Knights, who were 9-4 overall, finished third in the Angelus League and reached the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division playoffs. As a tight end on offense, Davitt made five catches for 60 yards and one touchdown. Among the honors earned by Davitt are team MVP, first-team All-Angelus League, Angelus League Co-Most Valuable Lineman, first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division, first-team all-state medium schools (CalHiSports), Pasadena Star-News Defensive Player of the Year, Los Angeles Daily News All-Area First Team and All-Area (Glendale-Burbank-La Canada) Player of the Year. Davitt made official visits to UCLA and Georgetown before deciding on Cal Poly.
Dominic Frasch, DB, 5-11, 180, Bakersfield, Calif. (Garces Memorial High School/Bakersfield College)
Frasch, grandson of former Cal Poly standout and Hall of Famer Carl Bowser, played two seasons at Bakersfield College. As a sophomore, he made 47 tackles (31 solo), including 3.5 for lost yardage, and intercepted two passes, broke up seven other passes, blocked a kick and returned nine kickoffs. In his freshman season, the Renegades were 7-4 and won the Western State Bowl as Frasch compiled 42 total tackles (36 solo), including four for lost yardage, intercepted five passes, broke up eight others and again blocked a kick. Frasch is a 2014 graduate of Garces Memorial High School, where he rushed for 1,310 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 75 passes for 1,329 yards and 14 scores in his three-year varsity career. Under head coach Jim Maples, Frasch caught 46 passes as a senior and 24 more as a junior. He rushed for 455 yards as a junior and 663 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore. His career at Garces Memorial also includes two kickoff returns and a punt return for touchdowns. In his senior season (2013), Frasch helped the Rams to a 10-3 record, Southeast Yosemite League title and a runner-up finish in the CIF-Central Section Division II playoffs. Frasch’s grandfather, Carl Bowser, played football at Bakersfield College and Cal Poly in the late 1950s before becoming a coach and athletics director at Bakersfield College.
Kelepi Lataimua, RB/CB, 5-8, 200, San Bruno, Calif. (Serra High School)
Lataimua earned Max Preps All-NorCal first-team honors after rushing for 953 yards, catching 16 passes and making 33 tackles (23 solo) as a senior under head coach Patrick Walsh at Serra High School in San Mateo. Lataimua averaged 7.4 yards per carry, scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground, and also added four receiving scores. On defense, he added three fumble recoveries, four pass breakups and one sack. Crump produced five 100-yard games rushing, including a season-high 183 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against Bellarmine Prep. He earned West Catholic Athletic League co-MVP honors as a running back and first-team All-Peninsula Daily News honors as a utility player. He was named San Mateo County Prep Athlete of the Week after rushing for 134 yards and three touchdowns, catching a touchdown pass and making six tackles in a win over Valley Christian. The Padres were 6-4 last fall. As a junior, Lataimua rushed for 354 yards and nine touchdowns, caught 10 passes and made 29 tackles (23 solo) on defense along with two interceptions, eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He recorded 344 yards and five touchdowns on the ground and caught nine passes, one for a score, as a sophomore along with 46 tackles (32 solo). Crump’s career totals at Serra over three varsity seasons include 1,651 yards and 26 touchdowns rushing (7.1 average per carry), 35 catches (five touchdowns) and 108 tackles (78 solo).
Bradley Mickey, WR/FS, 5-11, 175, Nipomo, Calif. (Arroyo Grande High School)
Mickey intercepted 21 passes, caught 82 passes, rushed for 1,244 yards and made 205 tackles in three varsity seasons under head coach Tom Goossen at Arroyo Grande High School. As a senior, he led the Eagles to an 11-2 overall record, Pac 5 League championship and a spot in the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoffs. A team captain, Mickey rushed for 908 yards on 87 carries (10.4 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns, caught 28 passes for 520 yards and three scores, made 69 tackles (45 solo), intercepted six passes (returning three for touchdowns), broke up five other passes, forced three fumbles and averaged 31.6 yards per punt. He was named All-Area MVP by Lee Central Coast Newspapers and San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year by the San Luis Obispo Tribune and earned Pac 5 League MVP, first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Northern Division and third-team CalHiSports all-state honors. Expected to be a safety at Cal Poly, Mickey produced 3,484 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns on offense in his career and scored six times on defense (five interceptions and a fumble recovery). As a junior he rushed 45 times for 336 yards and two scores, caught 53 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns, made 83 tackles (51 solo), intercepted 10 passes for 196 yards and two scores and recovered a fumble for a score. Honors as a junior include first-team All-San Luis Obispo County, All-Area Defensive Player of the Year, Pac 5 defensive back of the year, first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Northern Division, second-team all-state Division 3, second-team all-state medium schools and all-state junior third team. His sophomore statistics include 53 tackles and five interceptions. Arroyo Grande was 29-9 in Mickey’s three varsity seasons, all while compiling a 3.92 grade-point average. Also recruited by San Diego State, Mickey chose Cal Poly “because it is close to home, is known for its academic excellence and its great coaching staff.”
Daniel Fox, DB, 5-11, 170, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Westlake High School)
Fox played on both sides of the line as a senior under head coach Tony Henney at Westlake High School. In his senior season, he made 41 tackles (32 solo) on defense with one sack, one interception, seven pass breakups and a pair of tackles for lost yardage. On offense, he rushed for 219 yards and scored five touchdowns, also catching three passes and returning three kickoffs 82 yards, including a 43-yarder. Fox helped the Warriors to a 7-4 record and a first-round CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 League playoff berth. Postseason honors include All-Ventura County and first-team All-Marmonte League, All-Area and All-Acorn. He was named his team’s defensive back of the year last fall. As a junior under head coach Jim Benkert, Fox made 31 tackles and also notched 28 pass breakups, one interception, one blocked kick, forced one fumble and recovered one. Also recruited by Nevada, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawai’i, Wyoming, Portland State, Montana and San Diego, Fox has decided to be a Mustang “because of Cal Poly’s proximity to home, the meaning of a Cal Poly degree and the opportunity to compete for a ring.”
Cameron Crump, WR/DB, 6-1, 180, Stockton, Calif. (Lincoln High School)
Under head coach Brian Gray at Lincoln High School in Stockton, Crump played in six games as a senior and caught 20 passes for 150 yards, four for touchdowns. On defense he recorded 25 tackles (16 solo), intercepted four passes and broke up four other passes. Despite his limited playing time, Crump earned All-Tri-County Athletic League honorable mention praise and second-team All-Area honors. The Trojans were 6-5 in 2015, finishing second in the TCAL and qualifying for the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. As a junior, Crump caught 40 passes for 379 yards and four scores while making 15 tackles and intercepting five passes on defense, earning first-team All-Tri-County Athletic League honors. Crump also was recruited by UC Davis, choosing to be a Mustang “because of the education the school offers as well as the amazing environment. Also, the players and coaches were very welcoming and made it feel like the best fit for me.”
Press release courtesy of Eric Burdick – Cal Poly Athletics. All Rights Reserved.
