The Saddleback football program announced on Wednesday that nine players from the 2019 team have signed letters-of-intent to four-year programs as part of the early signing day.  Many more are expected to sign during the spring semester.

Chance Nolan was the headliner of the class, signing with Oregon State on Wednesday.  Nolan was the National Division Southern League Offensive MVP after breaking numerous programs records.  He had other offers from UCLA, Oklahoma State, Utah, Temple, Troy, South Alabama, UMass and New Mexico State.  Nolan was given a 4-star ranking by Rivals.com and is the No. 1 ranked dual threat quarterback in the nation according to JCGridiron.com.

Nolan passed for 3,315 yards and 38 touchdowns while rushing for 1,069 and six more scores.  He broke program records for passing touchdowns in a season (38), total offense in a season (4,384), completion percentage in a season (.659) and rushing yards by a quarterback in a season (1,069). 

Joining Nolan in committing on Wednesday were wide receivers Cole Harrity and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, defensive lineman Connor Smith, defensive back Abrae Booker-Currin, quarterback Robbie Patterson, offensive lineman Gabriel Martinez, long-snapper Jacob Raab and linebacker Turner Tonkovich.

Harrity and Garcia-Castaneda were part of a dominating wide receiver corps at Saddleback in 2019 and both committed to New Mexico State.  In addition, both were named to the National Division Southern League First Team following the season. 

Harrity finished with 49 receptions for 808 yards and six scores in nine games for the Gauchos.  He had the longest play from scrimmage on the year when he took a Nolan pass and went 90 yards for a score against Mt. San Antonio College.  Harrity's 49 catches ranks 26^th all-time in program history for receptions in a season.

Garcia-Castaneda led Saddleback in a number of categories, finishing with 56 catches, 963 yards and 13 touchdowns.  At one point during the season, he had caught a touchdown pass in 10 straight games.  Garcia-Castaneda's 78 total points ranks fifth all-time for a single-season by a wide receiver.  His 56 catches was the 15^th best total in program history for a season.

Smith was named to the National Division Southern League Second Team following the season and will play at Indiana State after signing with the Sycamores on Wednesday.  He finished with 18 total tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks, with a season-high of five total tackles against Southwestern College. 

Booker-Currin will continue his football career at West Texas A&M after signing with the Buffaloes on Wednesday.  In addition to being one of the leaders in the secondary, he also helped out on special teams as a return man during the course of the season.  Booker-Currin finished seventh on the team with 30 tackles, leading the team with two interceptions and finishing third on the team with four pass break-ups.  His biggest game of the season came against Southwestern College when he had five tackles and returned an interception 40 yards for a score.

Patterson was the Saddleback starting quarterback in 2018 and signed with Montana on Wednesday.  Patterson had a huge season for the Gauchos in 2018, making the National Division Southern League First Team.  He finished with 2,575 yards passing and 20 touchdowns in 2018 while rushing for 354 yards and five scores on the ground.  Patterson's biggest game in 2018 came against Golden West College when he threw for 417 yards and five touchdowns against the Rustlers.

Martinez, who anchored an offensive line that helped the offense break a number of records, signed with Houston Baptist on Wednesday.  He was a National Division Southern League First Team selection following the season and was ranked the No. 28 junior college offensive tackle in the nation by JCGridiron.com last week.  Martinez was part of an offense that set program records for points scored (509), net yards (5,990), first downs (314) and touchdowns (65) in 2019.

Raab was part of one the more prolific kicking games in the state this season and will continue his football career at San Diego State as a long-snapper.  Saddleback finished 10^th in the state on extra points in 2019, making 50-of-51 during the course of the season (98%).  In addition, they were sixth in the state in punting average (38.6).  Raab participated in the Chris Sailer Kicking and Rubio Long-Snapping Camps during the course of the year, and also held offers from Utah State and Robert Morris.

Tonkovich was a two-year standout at linebacker for the Gauchos and signed at Chadron State on Wednesday.  He finished sixth on the team in tackles in 2019, totaling 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack and one pass break-up.  In his two seasons at Saddleback, Tonkovich had 86 tackles in 20 games.  His biggest game of the 2019 campaign came at College of the Canyons when he totaled six tackles. 

Saddleback finished 9-2 in 2019 and made it to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional semi-finals.  The Gauchos finished the season ranked No. 7 in the nation in the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 Rankings. 

COMMITMENTS:

Signing Day