Jan. 10, 2008

SAN DIEGO - San Diego State football head coach Chuck Long announced the signing Thursday of quarterback Drew Westling (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and offensive tackle Taylor Wallace (Encino, Calif.) to National Letters of Intent. Westling is a transfer from nearby Southwestern Junior College in Chula Vista, Calif., while Wallace comes to SDSU from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif. The pair will join the Aztecs for the 2008 spring semester and have two years of eligibility remaining.

Westling spent the last season at Southwestern College under first-year head coach Ed Carberry. The 6-2, 220-pound quarterback completed over 53 percent of his passes for 2,087 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named the Pacific Coast Conference athlete of the week on Nov. 11, after leading his team with 306 yards passing to a 20-17 victory over previously unbeaten Antelope Valley.

"We're excited about what Drew can bring to the table as a junior college quarterback," Long said. "He's a tough, hard-working young man, who is very mature and was well coached under Ed Carberry at Southwestern. He's going to fight for (playing time) at quarterback, which is going to be a wide-open position this spring."

A 2005 graduate of Aliso Niguel High School, Westling originally signed with the University of Tulsa, redshirting as a true freshman, before seeing action in three games and completing his only pass attempt in 2006. As a prep, Westling was a three-year letterwinner at Aliso Niguel, helping the Wolverines to a 10-2 record and a CIF quarterfinal appearance in 2004. He completed 216 of his 350 passes for 2,988 yards and 28 touchdowns to earn conference MVP honors his senior season.

This is the second straight year in which SDSU has signed a player from Southwestern College, as Westling joins current Aztec safety Travis Crawford, who earned second team All-America honors while with the Jaguars.

Wallace is a 6-5, 290-pound offensive tackle, who along with Westling, is rated a three-star recruit by rivals.com. Wallace garnered second team all-league honors this past season at El Camino under head coach and former Aztec John Featherstone. El Camino won the Mission Conference's American Division title, finishing with an 8-2 record and earning a trip to the American Bowl in 2007. The Warriors also led the league in both rushing offense (217.3 ypg.) and were second in total offense (452.9 ypg.).

"Taylor fills a need for us at tackle," Long said. "He played last season under former Aztec John Featherstone, who runs a great program up at El Camino. We beat some schools to the punch (by signing Wallace), and we're excited to have him."

Wallace attended Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, Calif., where he was an all-conference and all-CIF selection, while also competing in track and field. He redshirted as a freshman at Utah State in 2005, before starting three games at right tackle in 2006.

SDSU Football Signees

Name         Position       Height   Weight   Hometown (Junior College/College/High School)

Drew Westling   Quarterback       6-2      220   Mission Viejo, Calif. (Southwestern JC/Tulsa/Aliso Niguel HS)

Taylor Wallace  Offensive Tackle  6-5      290   Encino, Calif. (El Camino JC/Utah St./Crespi Carmelite HS)