Dec. 15, 1999
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State has signed seven junior college players, including a trio of local products, to national football letters of intent, Aztec head coach Ted Tollner announced Wednesday. All seven are expected to enroll at SDSU in January and be available for spring drills.
?We feel this is an excellent group of junior college players,? said Tollner. ?The biggest plus is the number of quality players we signed who can all come in for spring practice. We were able to address most of our areas of immediate need. This group should add tremendous competition for positions on both sides of the ball.?
The group includes linebacker Darrell Barclay (Southwestern College), defensive end Andrew Brigham (Mesa (AZ) College), tight end Brian Gelt (Glendale College), wide receiver Craig Mitchell (West Los Angeles College), safety Garrett Pavelko (Palomar College), linebacker Dylan Robles (Palomar College) and wide receiver Jason Stone (Santa Barbara City College).
SIGNEE PROFILES
Darrell Barclay
Junior
Linebacker
6-2, 235
Lemon Grove, CA (Southwestern College/Mt. Miguel HS)
An outstanding linebacker who could battle for playing time right away...Possesses good size and speed (4.6/40)...Was a two-year starter at Southwestern College where he earned J.C. Grid-Wire honorable mention All-America honors this past season...Was also a two-time first team All-Foothill Conference selection (1998-99) as well as the Apaches? ?99 defensive MVP...Finished second on the team in tackles in ?99 with 105 stops...Also recovered a pair of fumbles and picked off three passes, returning one for a touchdown...Prepped locally at Mt. Miguel High School, where he was named the Grossmont League?s ?97 defensive Player of the Year.
Andrew Brigham
Junior
Defensive End
6-4, 250
Scottsdale, AZ (Mesa (AZ) College/Saguaro HS)
Was being recruited by both Cal and Arizona prior to signing with San Diego State...Comes from strong bloodlines as brother, Jeremy, played tight end at Washington from 1993-97 and is in his second season with the Oakland Raiders and father, Donald, was an All-American at Norwich University.
Brian Gelt
Junior
Tight End
6-3, 240
Valencia, CA (Glendale Community College/Canyon HS)
One of the best tight ends ever to play at Glendale Community College, according to coaches...Is an excellent blocker who also has good hands...Was an All-State and All-Western State Conference first team selection in 1999, despite playing on a 4-6 team...Also an excellent student, he was recently named to J.C. Grid-Wire?s Academic All-American team...Served as GCC?s offensive team captain in ?99...Hauled in 35 catches for 440 yards and three touchdowns during two seasons at GCC (1997 and ?99), including 28 receptions for 331 yards in ?99...Missed the entire 1998 season with a broken wrist.
Craig Mitchell
Junior
Wide Receiver
5-9, 170
Los Angeles, CA (West L.A. College/Hamilton HS)
Originally signed with USC following a standout 1998 campaign...Ranked fifth in among all California community college receivers with 58 receptions for 922 yards (16.5 ypc) and five touchdowns in ?98...Also rushed for 96 yards and a score...Cousin of USC assistant coach and former NFL star Dennis Thurman.
Garret Pavelko
Junior
Safety
6-0, 195
Del Mar, CA (Palomar College/Torrey Pines HS)
A big-hitting safety who will challenge for playing time right away...Was a 1999 first team J.C. Grid-Wire All-American...Was also a first team coaches All-State choice as well as a first team All-Mission Conference honoree...Finished the ?99 season as Palomar?s leading tackler with 95 stops, including a tackle for loss...He also caused four fumbles, recovered two and had three interceptions...Father, Galen (1969-70), played defensive back on Don Coryell?s undefeated 1969 San Diego State team.
Dylan Robles
Junior
Linebacker
6-2, 215
Poway, CA (Palomar College/Poway HS)
A solid linebacker with skills to play right away...Named 1999 J.C. Grid-Wire honorable mention All-American, coaches first team All-State and first team All-Mission Conference despite missing three games...Finished the ?99 season with 52 tackles, six for loss, including three sacks...Also recovered a fumble and had two pass deflections.
Jason Stone
Junior
Wide Receiver
6-5, 210
Goleta, CA (Santa Barbara City College/Dos Pueblos HS)
A big receiver who also possess excellent speed...Was both a coaches All-State and an All-Western State Conference first team selection in 1999...Set the Santa Barbara City College school record for receiving in ?99 with 67 receptions for 1,061 yards and five touchdowns...Also registered the school?s single-game receiving record with 15 catches against Ventura CC.