Sacramento State signed 17 players to National Letters of Intent last Wednesday for the upcoming football season in the fall. Of those 17, 10 are on defense, a unit that lost nine starters from last season.

“We’ve had a good recruiting year. We knew coming in we needed to recruit better,” said Marshall Sperbeck, head football coach. “This year we recruited for the future, but for our short-term needs as well. I’m sure we will have players step up and play big for us this fall.”

One of the biggest-name athletes to sign was UCLA transfer quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Bethel-Thompson, standing at 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 235 pounds, started five games for the Bruins last season, one in a loss against Notre Dame and in UCLA’s bowl-game loss against BYU.

Bethel-Thompson is originally from San Francisco, where he attended Balboa High School and was selected all-city and Player of the Year after his senior season in 2005. Bethel-Thompson redshirted his next season at UCLA, making him a sophomore enrolled this semester at Sac State.

“This is something we’re very excited about for Hornet football,” said Athletic Director Dr. Terry Wanless. “We have 17 outstanding young men that are good students and good football players. They don’t just have talent, these are the type of players that win championships.”

Other mid-year signings included University of Washington sophomore defensive line transfer Derek Kosub, standing at 6 feet 3 inches, 300 pounds. At Hug High School in Reno, Nev., Kosub was named northern Nevada Defensive Player of the Year. Defensive end Ryan Shinar, 6 feet 7 inches and 270 pounds, is from Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach and should bring some help to a defensive line that was dominant last year.

Two big mid-year signings were offensive linemen Peter Lenz and Clint Lessard. Lenz, standing 6 feet 2 inches, 300 pounds, started for City College of San Francisco at guard last season on the way to the state championship. Lessard, standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, 295 pounds, started for Sierra College the past two seasons and will have a starting spot with the Hornets at the weak tackle position. Lessard impressively runs a 4.9 40-yard dash.

“We took care of our needs on the defensive line and in the secondary. We got immediate help now, and for the future,” said Wanless. “(Sperbeck) is committed to recruiting in northern California, and he delivered on that commitment. His reputation is well-chronicled, and high school coaches trust him.”

That was proven by Sperbeck, signing 12 of the 17 players within a 90-mile radius from Sacramento.

Those players include: local Jesuit High School quarterback Dominic Carmazzi, 6 feet 2 inches, 205 pounds; defensive back Michael Casper (Valley High School/Mendocino Junior College), 5 feet 10 inches, 155 pounds; offensive lineman Nate Doverspike (Del Campo High School), 6 feet 5 inches, 225 pounds; defensive back Johnny Feaster (Vacaville High School), 5 feet 10 inches , 180 pounds; defensive lineman Maika Maumau (Franklin High School of Elk Grove), 6 feet 2 inches, 290 pounds; offensive lineman Clay DePauw (Central Catholic High School of Modesto), 6 feet 4 inches, 270 pounds; defensive lineman Brian McKeon (Archbishop Mitty), 6 feet 3 inches, 225 pounds.

Other key additions to the Hornet roster were tight end Kevin Galindo, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall, 230 pounds, out of Concord High School. Sperbeck believes that Galindo has great ability and has the potential to fill out to between 260 and 280 pounds.

Key defensive backs signed by the Hornets include Deionte Gordon, standing 6 feet 1 inch tall, 190 pounds, possibly the best athlete in this class. Gordon attended Seaside High School and was chosen as an all-Monterey County first team receiver and defensive back. He was the Monterey Bay League MVP.

Jeff Johnson, standing 5 feet 8 inches, 165 pounds, went to Long Beach Polytechnic High School and was chosen to the all-Moore league team. Johnson had 65 tackles and helped Long Beach go 13-1. Every defensive back on Long Beach Poly received a scholarship to a Division I school. Even though Johnson isn’t the biggest guy, Sperbeck said his talent and effort more than make up for it.

The last two new recruits to the Hornets for the fall are defensive lineman Brent Turner and defensive back Michael “Tank” Peters, both coming from McClymonds High School in Oakland. Turner, standing 6 feet 3 inches, 270 pounds, will be a force and according to Sperbeck is “explosive” getting off the ball on the defensive line. Peters isn’t the biggest defensive back, but has great speed and plays with heart. Together these two will enter the college level as Hornets.

“When the recruting process started back in May, I tried to have a good understanding and what was available,” said Sperbeck. “The plan was to recruit student-athletes for their character and who wanted to be here. We recruit the person as a person, as a student, and to make Sac State proud.”

It looks like these recruits will make Sac State proud, but we won’t really know until the Hornets hit the field again in late August.

“It’s a lot more than just signing that goes into this,” Sperbeck said. “I give credit to my assistant coaches. They are out there in the trenches gathering information, the whole process. Before I meet the kid, my coaches find guys that I’m looking for.”

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected]