Dec. 16, 2004
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head football coach Tom Craft has announced the signing of four junior-college football players to national letters of intent. The newcomers will begin attending classes on Montezuma Mesa in January and will participate in spring football workouts.
Among the newcomers are two of California's top junior-college offensive linemen, an All-America safety and an athletic defensive lineman.
Joining the squad are offensive linemen Nick Smith and Ramsey Fiapai, defensive lineman Sean McMaster and safety Josh Gomez.
"All four of these players help us address specific needs," said Aztecs head coach Tom Craft. "We expect all of them to compete for immediate playing time and push for starting jobs in the fall."
Smith attended Diablo Valley College. He is a 6-6, 295-pound offensive lineman who selected the Aztecs over Oregon and also visited Missouri during the recruiting process. He attended Miramonte High School and hails from Orinda. In junior college, he was an all-Golden Gate League selection, an honorable mention All-America pick, as well as his team's offensive most valuable player and team captain. He also earned academic all-league accolades. He is rated as the nation's 16th best offensive-line prospect in the two-year ranks.
"We expect Nick to compete for a starting job at left tackle," Craft said. "He is strong and has an aggressive mentality that we like."
McMaster, like Smith, attended Diablo Valley College. He is a 6-2, 255-pound defensive lineman who earned all-conference honors in junior college, was a team captain and voted by his teammates as their most inspirational player. He was also an academic all-conference choice. One recruiting service listed him as the ninth best defensive tackle prospect in the country, although he also has the ability to move outside and play defensive end at the next level. He is a certified weight trainer.
"Sean is an overachiever who loves to work out and is very active," Craft said. "We are anxious to see him in spring drills."
Fiapai, who is 6-3, 285 pounds, hails from Anaheim and attended Western High School before playing two seasons at Cerritos College. He was a two-time, first-team all-conference selection and was named as a second-team California all-state selection following his sophomore season. He chose San Diego State over Mountain West rival Colorado State. At Western High School, he was an all-CIF volleyball player and also earned varsity letters in basketball. He was projected to be the top junior-college player in the state of California at left tackle after allowing just one sack during his freshman season at Cerritos.
"Ramsey is an excellent athlete," Craft said. "We look for him to compete at guard and we may also give him a look at center."
Gomez, 6-0, 190, is a heavily decorated local product. He prepped at Oceanside High School, where he was the CIF and Valley League defensive player of the year. In junior college, he was the Mission League player of the year, a California all-state selection and capped his career by being selected as a J.C. Gridwire All-American.
"Josh could fill a real need for us at safety," Craft said. "We really expect him to come in and compete for a starting job at safety, where we lost two senior starters who had been in the lineup for three seasons."