San Diego State 2012 Recruiting

2012 San Diego State Aztecs ... Head Coach: Rocky Long

San Diego State Aztecs

2011 Record: 8-5

Sep. 3 Cal Poly W 49-21
Sep. 10 at Army W 23-20
Sep. 17 Washington St W 42-24
Sep. 24 at Michigan L 28-7
Oct. 1 OPEN DATE
Oct. 8 TCU L 27-14
Oct. 15 at Air Force W 41-27
Oct. 22 OPEN DATE
Oct. 29 Wyoming L 30-27
Nov. 5 New Mexico W 35-7
Nov. 12 at Colorado St W 18-15
Nov. 19 Boise State L 52-35
Nov. 26 at UNLV W 31-14
Dec. 3 Fresno State W 35-28
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 17 UL Lafayette L 32-30

2010 CFN Prediction: 5-7
2010 Record: 9-4

Sept. 4 Nicholls State W 47-0
Sept. 11 at NMSU W 41-21
Sept. 18 at Missouri L 27-24
Sept. 25 Utah State W 41-7
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 9 at BYU L 24-21
Oct. 16 Air Force W 27-25
Oct. 23 at New Mexico W 30-20
Oct. 30 at Wyoming W 48-38
Nov. 6 Colorado State W 24-19
Nov. 13 at TCU L 40-35
Nov. 20 Utah L 38-34
Nov. 27 UNLV W 48-14
POINSETTIA BOWL
Dec. 23 Navy W 35-14
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 San Diego State Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. S Kenrcik Mathis
6-1, 185, Scout.com 50th ranked, three-star safety. Mathis missed five games with an ankle sprain as a junior but still finished with 500 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also had 800 yards passing and 11 touchdowns at quarterback. He’ll play safety and quarterback as a senior. He says he can bench 260-pounds, squat 345 and has a 34-inch vertical jump.

2. OT Kwayde Miller
6-8, 280, Scout.com 59th ranked, three-star tackle.

3. OG Austin Maass
6-4, 285, Scout.com 67th ranked, thre-star guard.

4. OT Nico Siragusa
6-6, 300, Scout.com 75th ranked, three-star tackle.

5. DT Alex Barrett
6-3, 245, Scout.com 85th ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... After years of loading up with skill players, now the Aztecs need to do more for the defensive side. Linebackers appears to be set for the next few years, but the line will get more bodies even though there’s a young group already ready to do more in the 3-4. Head coach Rocky Long likes big offensive linemen, and he’s bringing in some great-looking tackles; this could turn out to be the best haul of blockers in the Mountain West.

Team Concerns For 2012: Quarterback and running back. That’s what last year’s recruiting class was for with Long loading up with a ton of bodies and several options to throw into the mix, but it’s still too early to find another Ryan Lindley or Ronnie Hillman right away. The defensive line needs players from this class to be a part of the battle for jobs right away with all three starters gone along with both outside linebackers.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Can Rocky Long keep the momentum going in a good first year after taking over for head coach Brady Hoke? The top offensive stars – QB Ryan Lindley and RB Ronnie Hillman – are gone, as are three starters on the line. All the top receivers are back, and they’ll have to shine in shootouts with the defense needing three new starting linemen and losing top tackling linebacker Miles Burris in the 3-4. Leon McFadden should be among the Mountain West’s best corners.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Skill players. New head coach Rocky Long is bringing in a huge class, and while there aren’t a lot of superstars after the departure of Brady Hoke, there are enough good players on offense to start pounding the rock the way the new staff wants to. QB Chad Jeffries and RB Brandon Wright will have to wait their turn for a few years, but they’re strong talents who’ll be the future, while WR Jemond Hazely and TE Sam Meredith will be a big part of the passing game.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 72. That Class Was Heavy On ... Offensive linemen. Brady Hoke has worked on improving the skill talent over the last two seasons, and this class was built to allow all the new players to shine. This was a big class that addressed several areas, but the best players were on the offensive front led by JUCO transfer Juan Bolanos, a massive player who'll be thrown into the rotation right away. Emmanuel Beavers and Zach Dilley who'll be the cornerstones for the future. JUCO transfers Riley Gauld and Joe Unga will also be counted on early.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 87. That Class Was Heavy On ... Skill positions. New head coach Brady Hoke needs to bring in the playmakers, and he has them in bunches with a few prospects for all the skill spots. QB Jake Bernard is a good-looking option for the near future, and Osmond Nicholas should be an eventual No. 1 target. The class is also big on corners, arguably the strength of the class, with several options coming in including Nat Berhe and Marcus Andrews.

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette 32 … San Diego State 30
- CFN Thoughts on the Game 

San Diego State: QB Ryan Lindley completed 28-of-49 passes for 413 yards and three scores. … RB Ronnie Hillman ran 24 times for 55 yards. … WR Colin Lockett caught six passes for 85 yards and three scores. … Safety Nat Berhe led the team with ten tackles and a broken up pass.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Brett Baer kicked a 50-yard field goal as time ran out, lifting Louisiana-Lafayette to 32-30 victory over San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday night.

Playing in their first bowl game as a Division I FBS team, the Ragin Cajuns (9-4) led most of the way but fell behind 30-29 when Aztecs quarterback Ryan Lindley connected with Colin Lockett on a 12-yard touchdown strike with 35 seconds to go.

Louisiana-Lafayette was able to drive to the Aztecs 38 to set up what was initially a 55-yard attempt, but a pre-snap penalty on SDSU (8-5) moved the winning kick 5 yards closer.

Cajuns quarterback Blaine Gautier passed for 470 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 2,958 yards passing and 23 TDs on the season, breaking Jake Delhomme's single-season school records.

Delhomme held those records since 1996, when he passed for 2,901 yards and 20 TDs.

Gautier threw two of his touchdown passes to Javone Lawson, from 18 and 11 yards out, and had a 20-yard scoring strike to Ladarius Green

Darryl Surgent returned a punt 87 yards for a score, slicing through SDSU's punt coverage with a quick cut to his right and a sprint back to the left.

The Ragin' Cajuns had not appeared in a bowl of any kind since playing in the Grantland Rice Bowl 41 years ago.

They weren't expected to contend for a bowl bid this season, either, but earned one with a surprisingly quick turnaround under first-year coach Mark Hudspeth.

Thousands of red-clad, bowl-starved fans followed the Ragin' Cajuns to New Orleans, a drive of just more than two hours east from Lafayette, turning the Superdome into a de facto home field. They also helped set a New Orleans Bowl attendance record of 42,841.

Lawson, who grew up in suburban New Orleans, made nine catches for 193 yards, including a 52-yard catch and run that set up Green's TD. Green caught five passes for 121 yards.

Ryan Lindley was 28 of 49 for 413 yards. He found Colin Lockett for a pair of 16-yard scoring passes in the third quarter, when the Aztecs trimmed a 19-3 deficit to 19-17. Lockett's second TD capped a seven-play, 99-yard drive that was helped by a pass interference penalty that wipe out an interception.

The Ragin' Cajuns responded with a 14-play, 78-yard drive that included three third-down conversions and finished with Lawson's second touchdown catch.

Adam Muema's 5-yard touchdown run up the middle pulled SDSU back to 26-24 with 5:40 left, then Baer's 22-yard field goal set up the wild finish.

Nov. 19 Boise State 52 … at San Diego State 35

Nov. 12 San Diego State 18 … at Colorado State 15

Nov. 5 at San Diego State 35 .. New Mexico 7

Oct. 29 Wyoming 30 … at San Diego State 27  

Oct. 13 San Diego State 41 … at Air Force 27
CFN Analysis: San Diego State kept its head when Air Force was trying to come up with slew of tricks and pulled away in the second half taking advantage of turnovers and the running of Ronnie Hillman to get the win. Now the Aztecs are in a great position to own the No. 3 spot in the Mountain West, which isn’t a bad place to be behind Boise State and TCU. It was a balanced, sound effort without a slew of mistakes and with a nice, effective day from Ryan Lindley, throwing for 209 yards and two scores, along with 172 yards and two scores from Hillman. Now it’s time to go on a nice run with Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado State up next, and if the passing game can find a bit more pop and the run defense can tighten up a bit – even though the linebackers did a decent job against the Falcons – the Boise State home game in late November won’t be a given. 

Oct. 8 TCU 27 … at San Diego State 14
CFN Analysis: The game was there for the taking even though the defense didn’t do much when it wasn’t taking the ball away. Ronnie Hillman was stuffed, held to 55 yards on 20 carries, while Ryan Lindley couldn’t find a groove completing just 15-of-41 passes for 201 yards and two scores. The offense didn’t do anything in the first half, and even though TCU is struggling a bit, it was asking way too much to come up with the comeback against a strong D. Now the Air Force game become everything; 0-2 in Mountain West play would be a major disappointment. Considering the Aztecs are 117th in the nation in run defense, stopping the Falcons will be a problem. 

Sept. 24 at Michigan 28 … San Diego State 7
CFN Analysis: San Diego State got a few decent runs out of Ronnie Hillman, and Ryan Lindley did what he could, but too many key plays and drives were snuffed out by mistakes. The three turnovers were a killer, led by the Hillman fumble in the second half that would’ve put the offense in a position to make a move. In the end, Denard Robinson was just too much and too talented, and as much as this loss in the Brady Bowl might be hard, what really matters is next week’s Mountain West home opener against TCU. The turnover problem is new, and if the defense can keep forcing mistakes, this team can beat the Horned Frogs. The O line has to do a better job and the linebackers have to be better at keeping the big mistakes to a minimum.  

Sept. 17 at San Diego State 42 ... Washington State 24
CFN Analysis: The offensive line is playing at a high level and the skill players are reaping the benefits. Ronnie Hillman has been unstoppable, but he’s getting room to move and making the most of it. He got the work with 32 carries, and he tore off 191 yards and four touchdowns, while Ryan Lindley came up with an effective 273 yards and two scores. The defense came up with four takeaways, the offense took advantage, and now the Aztecs are a quiet 3-0 going into the showdown at Michigan. They’re not making mistakes, they’re playing like veterans, and they’re in a position to make some big noise in Ann Arbor if they play mistake free.  

Sept. 10 San Diego State 23 … Army 20
CFN Analysis: The Aztecs might not be dominant so far, and there’s reason to be concerned after Ryan Lindley completed just 8-of-18 passes against Army, but they came away with a nice road win and they’re getting a strong start from Ronnie Hillman. The quick back ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns, but he didn’t get enough carries because the team didn’t get the ball enough. Army’s offense rolled at will, and the SDSU defense couldn’t get off the field. The secondary hasn’t been tested yet, but now it has to face the red hot Washington State offense that’ll push the ball down the field on a regular basis.  

Sept. 3 at San Diego State 49 … Cal Poly 21
CFN Analysis: Rocky Long knows how to get running games going, and he got Ronnie Hillman rolling right away with 189 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, to show that the new San Diego State offense could be just as productive as the old one. Ryan Lindley got time to work, and while he wasn’t consistent, he threw four touchdown passes and he did a nice job of keeping the chains moving. The defensive front did a good job of getting into the backfield and pressuring the Cal Poly passing game, and it did an even better job of getting off the field. The Aztecs held on to the ball for over 36 minutes, and against Army, who’ll try to get control of the game from the start with its ground game, holding on to the ball will be a must. 
 
The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Skill players. New head coach Rocky Long is bringing in a huge class, and while there aren’t a lot of superstars after the departure of Brady Hoke, there are enough good players on offense to start pounding the rock the way the new staff wants to. QB Chad Jeffries and RB Brandon Wright will have to wait their turn for a few years, but they’re strong talents who’ll be the future, while WR Jemond Hazely and TE Sam Meredith will be a big part of the passing game.

Five San Diego State Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Chad Jeffries
Jeffries has good size for a college quarterback. He has happy feet in the pocket but his good athleticism helps him in many pressure situations. With a strong arm, Jeffries can make any necessary throw on the field. His drop back footwork needs to improve as he takes a major hitch in his 15+ yard throws. His straight line speed is good and as his running form improves, will gradually increase. His field vision is adequate for the next level.

2. RB Brandon Wright
5-11, 195, Scout.com’s 60th ranked running back

3. WR Jemond Hazely
Great speed and route-running ability along with excellent hands.

4. LB Jebron Harington
5-11, 205, Scout.com’s 151st ranked outside linebacker

5. TE Sam Meredith
6-4, 260, Scout.com’s 60th ranked tight end

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Sam Atoe LB 6-0 200 Windsor, Calif./Maria Carrillo HS
Tony Bell DB 6-1 180 Los Angeles, Calif./Locke HS
Kevin Chase DE 6-3 233 Concord, Calif./Concord HS
Larry Clark WR 6-4 200 Venice, Calif./Venice HS
Robert Craighead TE 6-4 230 Lakeside, Calif./El Capitan HS
Darrell Greene OL 6-3 270 Oakley, Calif./Freedom HS
Darius Guillory S 5-10 180 Temecula, Calif./Chaparral HS
De'Saan Hardwick RB 5-9 175 San Diego, Calif./Madison HS
Jemond Hazely WR 6-1 170 Corona, Calif./Santiago HS
Ryan Jack LB 6-1 220 Corona, Calif./Centennial HS
Chad Jeffries QB 6-2 175 Glendora, Calif./Glendora HS
Reggie Jones OL 6-5 295 San Diego, Calif./Mount Miguel HS
Sam Meredith DE 6-4 250 San Diego, Calif./Helix HS
Christian Parra LB 6-1 225 Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS
Paul Pitts WR 6-0 190 Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos HS
Chase Price RB 5-8 200 Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Ranch HS
Adam Roberts TE 6-3 210 El Paso, Texas/Coronado HS
Paul Rodriquez OL 6-7 240 San Bernardino, Calif./San Gorgonio HS
Jon Sanchez DE 6-2 245 Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta HS
Micah Seau LB 6-3 225 Spring Valley, Calif./Bishop's School)
Anthony Sheffield WR 6-3 190 Los Angeles, Calif./West Adams Prep HS
Jordan Smith OL 6-5 250 Redlands, Calif./Redlands HS
Brandon Wright RB 5-11 185 Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde HS