Feb. 7, 2007

SAN DIEGO -

SDSU Football
National Signing Day
Press Conference Quotes
Aztec Athletics Center

SDSU head coach Chuck Long

On his second recruiting class at San Diego State:
"We addressed two very big needs for us, offensive line and defensive backs. It was very important that we did that this year. Those were our two highest priorities in this recruiting class. We signed not only good quality depth, but a number of them. That's the most pleasing thing for us this year. I (also) alluded to high character. There's a certain character that we want on and off the field here. Our (coaches) did a tremendous job of (recruiting) that.

"One of the things that stands out in this class is that (these players) are winners. They come from winning programs. That was also important for us. All of them, except for a couple, were from winning programs. Some of them came from championship programs. We also went after some multiple-sport athletes. I've always liked that as a coach, going after those guys who have played a variety of sports. We have that in this recruiting class.

"We felt like we recruited well locally, as well as nationally. We're not afraid to go far and wide to put together a class as long as they fit with our program. We've gone to Hawaii, and this year, we went all the way to Virginia to get Leo Gassillli, who is a great fit for us. We'll do that if we have to in order to find the right fit.

"We've been very selective. We want to be very selective with the prospects we're going after. They had to have a certain fit for us, as well as our coaching staff. We had a great process. It went from the geographical coach to the position coach, to the coordinator and then through me. That was our process. It can seem like a very slow one when you go through that, but we do it very quickly and know how to do it.

"We also have the player of the year in San Diego County in (quarterback) Ryan Lindley. He's an exciting student-athlete for us to get. He's going to be a great leader for us in the future, and he headlines this class of superior guys and student-athletes.

"We also felt like we needed some balance in this class. It is heavy on offensive linemen and defensive backs, but we needed some balance throughout, and we achieved that. We are strong in some positions on our football team as far as depth. When those young men graduate from our program, we're going to have to shift our attention to those units and those positions. We're really excited to have some good balance as well - that was also important.

"We had up to 22 initials to sign, and we signed 21. We always like to keep one out there just in case someone comes up through the recruiting process this spring or if a current walk-on in our program can earn a scholarship. It all played out very well for us."

On his local recruits:
"We're very excited about the guys we got, four all-CIF players. They're winners. There are always guys who you'd like to get. We believe in time we're going to close that gap a little bit more. But again, they still have to fit with our program. If they're in San Diego County, we're certainly going to recruit the county very, very hard and very well. But they still have to fit with us. We're extremely excited about the four that we did get."

On how he would grade himself on this year's class:
"I thought we graded out very well, and time will tell that. I'm a believer in putting together a recruiting class, and I'm not really sure where we're ranked, nor do I care. We had certain needs and went after those (players)."

On whether last year's record had an adverse effect on recruiting?:
"Winning does help; it's the ultimate goal. But you can also sell it in such a way that you can tell people they have a chance to play. Oftentimes young men will say, `I can go help that team.' Then it really all boils down to the relationships that have been built, starting with the high school coach and then the student-athlete and their families. If you could watch our (coaches) work, it's really a neat thing to see over time, just developing good relationships where they trust you. Our guys did that and had a whole year to do it and it's paid off."

On which of the new recruits have a chance to make an immediate impact:
"You never know that until you get into training camp. We had a good idea last year that (offensive lineman) Whitley Fehoko was going to be the guy, but this year the only thing I've said and will say is that there will probably be more freshmen playing than last year. Whether it is a special teams situation and/or a regular position, you'll probably see more freshmen in a game than last year.

"(Linebacker) Miles Burris could come in and be an impact player right away at linebacker. We have really a wide-open secondary situation, so there could be a number of guys there. It's our job to sift them out whether they're a safety or corner. You always want to see if they can come in and play corner first. That's one of the more difficult positions to play, and then go to safety from there. There could be a number of guys in that position. (Defensive end) Mike Snead is a guy who could be one of those players if he keeps getting bigger over the spring and summer. You just never know. You never know how fast they learn something or how quickly they adapt to college football."

On getting El Capitan High School teammates Tommie Draheim and Ryan Lindley to commit:
"It's very rare that you have the center and quarterback go on to the next level (together), and we're excited to have them both. They're two all-CIF players, and I know they're both excited to continue as teammates at this level. We see both of them doing very, very well. They will add stability to our program and just watching those two grow will be fun to watch."