Colorado becoming fertile recruiting ground for Aztecs

By: TOM SHANAHAN - For the North County Times | Thursday, October 4, 2007 11:30 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- When San Diego State football coach Chuck Long talks about building a fence to keep local recruits home, it's a reference to Colorado State raids on San Diego talent as much as any other school.

The list of San Diegans that helped Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick rebuild the Rams into a perennially bowl-bound program from the mid-1990s and into the current decade is a long one.

Players such as Moses Moreno (Castle Park), Darren Hall (Lincoln), Rick Crowell (Hilltop), E.J. Watson (La Jolla), Anthoney Hill (University City), and Paul Turner (University City) weren't just guys in the starting lineup; they were impact players.

Funny thing is, San Diego State (1-3) opens Mountain West Conference play at Colorado State (0-4, 0-1) Saturday with more Colorado-bred talent on its two-deep chart (four) than Colorado State has San Diego products (one, guard Nick Allotta of Rancho Bernardo High).

Aztecs redshirt freshman linebackers B.J. Williams (Aurora) and Andrew Preston (Centennial) are starters and sophomore tight end Matt Kawulok (Boulder) and redshirt freshman quarterback Kelsey Sokoloski (Englewood) are backups.

NCAA rules prevent Long from talking about high school recruits, but the Aztecs' Class of 2008 already includes one Colorado oral commitment. Offensive lineman Jimmy Miller of Mullen High in Denver is a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.

"We think Colorado is a natural place for us to recruit," Long said. "They have similar weather there. When they come down here, they get a similar feeling with the weather and the mountains, but we've got the beach, which they really like. It's also a straight shot (non-stop plane trip) for parents to come here."

Williams, who started his career with seven tackles against Washington State and had five last week against No. 20 Cincinnati, said he picked the Aztecs over Colorado State among others.

"I loved Coach Long and the coaches," Wililams said. "I definitely felt that had best interests at heart for me, and my parents really liked him."

Williams has started all four games as a 6-foot-3, 230-pound "rush" linebacker in the new 3-4 scheme employed this year by defensive coordinator Bob Elliott. Williams forced an interception by Vonnie Holmes in the Portland State game by hopping over a tackle trying to block him at the knees to pressure an early throw.

"He's what you look for at that position, and he'll get better at he gets a feel for it," Elliott said. "He's got tremendous upside. He will reach his potential because he's so coachable and such a great person."