The Sacramento State football team signed 17 high school players during National Signing Day on Wednesday. They also picked up five midseason signees.

A signing day party was held in the Broad Fieldhouse. All players signed will be eligible for the 2010 football season.

The class of recruits, all from California high schools, has a mixture of talent.

The team signed 10 players on offense, including wide receiver David Black (Piedmont, Calif., Piedmont High School) and offensive linemen Devonte Martin (Fresno High School) and Derek Stickney (Placentia, Calif., El Dorado High School). They also grabbed 11 players on defense, including defensive end Ben Cowger (Madera, Calif., Liberty High School) and defensive back Eddie Gillies (Oakland Tech High School). They also signed one athlete, Kyle Brooks (Palmdale, Calif., Quartz Hill High School), who can play on both sides of the ball, but played the majority of his prep-football career as on offense.

“Offensive and defense line we felt, were important area’s we needed to address” said head coach, Marshall Sperbeck.

Sac State lost a total of 17 seniors to graduation and a few other underclassmen.

The coaches recruited a total of eight players on both the offense and defensive lines, in addition a quarterback and two wide receivers for the offense, two linebackers and a defensive back for the defensive positions.

With the acquisition of these young players, the Hornets coaching staff is itching to begin the new season.

Sergio Saldana can be reached at [email protected]