Football receives 26 new players on Signing Day
Sacramento State football head coach Marshall Sperbeck speaks to a small crowd during the Signing Day 2013 event held Wednesday in the Alumni Center.
February 8, 2013
Sacramento State’s football team announced its 2013 recruiting class Wednesday that features six players with Division I college football experience. These transfers were just a handful of the 26 total players that signed their letter of commitment to play for Sac State during National Signing Day.
“This was a big class with a lot of size and length,” said Hornets’ recruiting coordinator Aaron Ingram. “Our needs were addressed.”
Last season, the Hornets graduated 13 seniors, including offensive lineman Clay DePauw and linebacker Jeff Badger, who started all 11 games. Despite losing some players on both sides of the ball, Sac State has brought in new players that played for other Division I schools last season.
Junior defensive back Mike Sellers and offensive lineman John Wallace played at the University of Hawaii and the University of Massachusetts, respectively. Sellers finished last season with a total of 12 tackles while Wallace started four games for the Minutemen.
Not only did Sac State welcome in some new signees from other colleges, but it also brought in players from 16 high schools throughout California.
Head coach Marshall Sperbeck said his team should be very versatile since many of the recruits have played both offense and defense, but he will not know for sure until next season’s training camp.
Freshman quarterback Jihad Vercher from Hawthorne, Calif. was named the North Region Player of the Year. As a junior, Vercher threw for 3,281 yards and 38 touchdowns and ran for 302 yards with 11 touchdowns as a double threat in both passing and running.
With many freshmen redshirting their first college season, former quarterback and current safety Collin Burnett said he will have to mentor the new recruits on and off the field. Senior wide receiver Morris Norrise will also be a mentor for the recruits.
“This team has a lot of chemistry,” Norrise said. “I’m very excited.”
Sac State finished last season with a 6-5 record and will begin the new season on Aug. 29 at San Jose State.
Ryan can be reached on Twitter at @rskuhn
