Posted by bambi2godzilla on 1/10/2008, 10:34 pm
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On the hunting trail with SJSU football
Jim Seimas
Santa Cruz Sentinel
January 10th, 2008
Obviously, very few college football players reach the pro ranks. But San Jose State kicker Waylon Prather wanted to illustrate his point about the amount of football talent that resides in Santa Cruz County.
“[SJSU] had two players from our county this year and they’re also two of the team’s better pro prospects,” Prather said of himself and repeat All-American cornerback Dwight Lowery.
Prather, a senior punter who walked on to the team, will compete in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii on Saturday. Lowery, who didn’t sign with SJSU until having competed two years at Cabrillo College, will play in the East-West Shrine Game in Texas next week.
Since his hiring a few years back, Spartans coach Dick Tomey has said he and his staff will put their recruting emphasis on the Bay Area. According to scout.com, SJSU has just two verbal recruits for its next signing class, well behind several other areas colleges. And the county has plenty of players uncommited.
Worse yet for Spratans fans is the recent speculation that Tomey will return to Hawaii and fill a void left by June Jones, who took the head coach position at Southern Methodist. Tomey issued a release Thursday saying that he has been in communication with Spartans brass and noted that Hawaii is the only school that could pull him from SJSU, but he noted he has been given a ton of support fro SJSU and it would take a big deal to lure him away. [Tomey and his wife own a home in Hawaii, where he previously coached.]
SJSU cornerbacks and special teams coach Keith Burns said the Spartans staff isn’t letting down on its recruiting efforts, including Santa Cruz County.
“We have Ken Margerum and Brian McGinnis assigned to that area,” Burns said. “And we’re still going full force.”
Prather said the Spartans are interested in his younger brother Harlan to come in and punt, but Harlan, who threw six touchdown passes in Cabrillo’s bowl win over Mendocino last season, wants to play quarterback too. Harlan is looking into Cal Poly, where he could also possibly play for the golf team too, Waylon said.
Cabrillo has a plenty of talent that could help the Spartans. They best fit appears to be linebacker Justin Woodlief, who mother e-mailed me and said he would love to play for SJSU.
Receiver Matty Kiel, who had four TDs in his final game, is trying to get on with San Diego State, but he hasn’t committed as of our last conversation.
The best prep player in the area — SCCAL defensive player of the year Quinn Garner — is still unsigned. The hard-hitting linebacker has already taken visits to Sacramento State and San Diego State and Portland State is allegedly trying to secure a visit.
Soquel’s lineman of the year Travis Perryman [6-5, 330] is also available.
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