Walsh introduces first recruiting class

For college football fans, signing day is the equivalent of the NFL draft to pro fans. It is the day that could determine the success or failure of a team for several years to come.

For fans of Cal Poly football, it is a chance to see what a new coaching regime can do with just three weeks of preparation time to start rebuilding a team that lost the majority of its top-ranked offense and was young on defense.

Mustangs head coach Tim Walsh announced Wednesday the signing of 15 players to a national letter of intent, ending a whirlwind recruiting period that started the day he was hired.

“In the amount of days that we actually had to work as a staff, I thought that we handled things as professionally as we possibly could have,” Walsh said. “We jumped in and got our feet running.”

Walsh’s first recruiting class with Cal Poly is a balanced one, including three quarterbacks, five players on the offensive side of the ball, six on the defensive side and one place kicker.

He admitted though, that he was looking for a specific kind of player initially.

“The one thing that’s going to be difficult for us to recruit is defensive linemen,” he said. “So there was an emphasis to find some guys with some size who could run.”

Two players that fit Walsh’s description are Amir Tadros and Sullivan Grosz.

Hailing from San Jose, Tadros, recorded 64 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a defensive lineman for Leland High School. At 6-foot-3 and 240-pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in under five seconds.

Grosz, who signed on at Cal Poly despite a scheduled visit to UCLA, had 100 tackles and six sacks as a defensive linemen for San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno.

“Amir and Sullivan are two guys who can run and have the ability to get bigger and hopefully keep that athleticism,” Walsh added.

Walsh was just as happy with the quality of how the new personalities will fit on the team as with their football prowess.

Grosz was a team captain, academic award winner, student body vice president and homecoming king among other honors while Tadros was one of a number of recruits being looked at by Ivy League schools.

Walsh said that he was the coaching staff was excited to get the number of quality recruits to sign with Cal Poly after their initial visit.

“One thing we’re all impressed with is the amount of visits and the amount of players that we signed is very disproportionate to where I’ve been in the past. At Army we would bring three guys in for a visit to get one to stay.”

Walsh said that 18 players officially visited Cal Poly, and of those players, 14 committed. The final player was a junior college transfer who visited last year.

The secondary was another point of emphasis for Walsh’s staff, and two of his recruits may turnout to be the stars of the class down the road.

Bijon Samoodi was rated among the top 50 cornerbacks in the nation out of Anaheim’s Servite High School. He chose the Mustangs over Air Force.

Xavier Ramos was recruited by Pac-10 power Oregon, who in a move that has come under fire around the nation, pulled his scholarship offer after Ramos accepted it.

The Ducks loss appears to be Cal Poly’s gain as Ramos recorded 72 tackles, one sack, four forced fumbles, one interception and 13 pass breakups as a senior at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura.

The offense also got some much-needed young blood including running back Fred Gaines of Chowchilla High School in Chowchilla, Calif.

Gaines rushed for over 1,000 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry and scoring 13 touchdowns while leading his team to a 12-1 mark and a league championship.

“I really think (Gaines) is a guy that can play multiple positions in college,” Walsh said. “That’s one of the things we’re looking for. I think he’s as good inside as he is outside and has a real strong lower body.”

Quarterback Ken Johnston, who is the son of former Cal Poly signal-caller Craig Johnston will join his brother Phil (a junior linebacker) on the roster after passing for more than 5,400 yards during the final two years of his high school career in Carmel.

Walsh said that while he is happy with this year’s recruits he expects three or four more to join the roster eventually.

Walsh said the recruits chose Cal Poly for more than just the successful football program.

“The location, the academics, the athletic history, I think all those things played a positive role in the young men we were able to sign,” he added.