McBride signs 19 new players

Weber State University football coaches, students, alumni and fans gathered at Stewart Stadium Wednesday night for the Wildcats’ signing party as part of National Football Signing Day.
Meeting on the third floor of the stadium, supporters of WSU football were given a preview of the players that have sent letters of intent to play for the Wildcats in upcoming seasons.
“It’s a great time to be a Wildcat,” said WSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jerry Bovee. “We’re excited about the year. We have a goal to double our season ticket take for next year. We’re excited about our program and where we’re going to go.”
WSU Head Coach Ron McBride explained the goals of this year’s recruiting class, telling those in attendance the program is looking to build upon its offensive line.
“In this particular recruiting class, we wanted to stabilize the whole program, so this was primarily an offensive recruiting class,” McBride said. “Particularly, the number one thing was the offensive line. We build that from a young standpoint so that those offensive linemen would be around here for a long time. We signed six offensive linemen, and they’re all the guys we targeted at the beginning of the recruiting. Those were the guys we wanted, and those were the guys we got. Hopefully when we go to camp this year we’ll have 14 offensive linemen and 14 defensive linemen, and that’s where it all starts.”
With a projector showing highlight reels of the recent signees, football coaches introduced players preparing to join the Wildcats.
Of the 19 new players to sign with WSU, only one is a transfer from a junior college. Joel Turrubiates, from Bakersfield Junior College in Bakersfield, Cali., will bring considerable size to the Wildcats’ offensive line.
“He’s a big offensive left tackle,” said Assistant Coach Colton Swan. “He’s got great size. When this kid walks into a room, he barely fits through the door. He is 6’6”, every bit of it, and about 340 pounds. When you see this kid out there next year, you’re going to know that it’s him, because he’s absolutely enormous. I’ve been watching Joel since he was in high school. He’s got a great mindset. He’s very smart. I can’t say enough good things about this kid.”
WSU was successful in local recruiting as well, signing 10 players from Utah high schools. Among the Utah players coming to WSU is running back Tanner Hinds from Davis High School, the 2009 5A Utah High School MVP.
“Tanner ran for a little over 1,900 yards as a senior,” said Assistant Coach Matt Hammer. “He’s a very explosive kid. He’s kind of a no-nonsense, hard-working kid that just wants to come and play football. He’s a very talented football player. He has a lot of toughness in him, and I’m very excited to coach this kid. I think he’s going to have a great career here at Weber State.”
Another top prospect for WSU’s recruiting class is wide receiver Shaydon Kehano out of Keneohe, Hawaii.
“You can tell by the way he plays he’s really elusive, and he’s got great hands,” said Assistant Coach Jason Kaufusi. “I think he’s going to come in and make an impact right away this season, so get used to seeing his name being called. He’s just a real great kid. He is Hawaii’s two-time Offensive Player of the year. I don’t know how we got him, but we got him.”
The Wildcats will begin their regular season on Sept. 4, 2010, when they visit Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.