Jan. 22, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State football head coach Rocky Long has announced the addition of eight athletes to the 2015 team. The eight transfers have either accepted offers of grant-in-aid or are already enrolled at SDSU, and will practice with the Aztecs in the spring.
The group of eight includes five Division I transfers - punter Tanner Blain (Kentucky/El Camino College), offensive lineman Ryan Krum (UAB), defensive lineman Sean O'Grady (Arizona State), quarterback Maxwell Smith (Kentucky) and kicker/punter Jon Weilbacher (Washington State) - and three junior college transfers - wide receiver Curtis Anderson (Antelope Valley CC), offensive lineman Ryan Pope (Long Beach CC) and quarterback Adam Wood (Diablo Valley CC).
Every incoming player except Pope can play in the fall.
Blain (Lindenhurst, Ill.) was with the Wildcats for two years, redshirting the 2012 season and practicing in 2013. He then transferred to ECC, where he punted 53 times for 1,968 yards (37.1 avg.) in 2014. Eighteen of his 53 punts landed inside the 20, while 11 were fair caught and just one went for a touchback. Blain's long punt was 63 yards.
Krum (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla HS) comes to The Mesa after redshirting last season with the Blazers. Prior to joining UAB, which no longer has a football program, Krum played two seasons with local Grossmont College.
O'Grady (Las Flores, Calif.) spent four seasons with Arizona State, logging playing time in four games over his career. O'Grady recorded two tackles against Sacramento State in 2013 as a redshirt sophomore.
Smith (Granada Hills, Calif.) joins Blain as former players from Kentucky. Over his three-year career with UK, Smith was 292-of-486 (60.0 pct.) for 3,070 yards and 21 touchdowns against nine interceptions over 21 games and 11 starts. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors as a true freshman in 2011, completing 84-of-153 (54.9 pct.) passes for 819 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2012, Smith was 103-for-150 (68.7 pct.) for 975 yards and eight touchdowns before an ankle injury sidelined him for the season. He had been averaging 322 yards per game over the three full contests he had played before the injury. In 2013, Smith led UK with 1,276 passing yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception, going 105-for-183 (57.4 pct.).
Weilbacher (Encino, Calif.) grayshirted at Washington State in 2014, but averaged 37.2 yards per punt as a senior with Crespi High School in 2013.
Over his two-year career at AVC, Anderson totaled 34 catches for 387 yards (11.4 avg.) and four touchdowns. Anderson had 16 receptions for 218 yards (13.6 avg.) and two touchdowns in 2013 and 18 catches for 169 yards (9.4 avg.) and two scores in 2012.
Pope (Long Beach, Calif.), meanwhile, spent one season at LBCC and will have four years to play three seasons here with the Aztecs.
Wood passed for 4,732 yards over his two seasons at DVC, completing 370 of his 600 attempts (61.2 pct.) with 37 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Last year, Wood was 235-for-390 (60.3 pct.) for 3,054 yards and 28 touchdowns. In 2013, he was 135-for-210 (64.3 pct.) for 1,678 yards and nine touchdowns. Wood follows in the footsteps of fellow DVC transfer Quinn Kaehler, who went 14-8 as the starting quarterback at San Diego State over the past two seasons. Kaehler finishing among SDSU's all-time top 10 in winning percentage (5th, .636), quarterback wins (T-6th, 14), passing yards (10th, 5,164) and completions (10th, 401).
The Aztecs, who were one of 27 schools to play in a bowl game each of the last five seasons and one of just three from the "Group of 5" conferences, finished 2014 with a 7-6 record and 5-3 in MW play.