Cal Poly Adds 4 More Football Recruits to National Letter of Intent
12/22/2022 7:24:00 PM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Day two of the National Letter of Intent's Early Signing Period for football produced four more signings by Cal Poly prospects on Thursday.
Offensive lineman Thomas Cole of San Luis Obispo High School and UCLA, quarterback Dieter Barr of St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy, wide receiver Jordan Garrison of Westlake High School and safety Chris Snyder of Mater Dei Catholic High School joined Wednesday's eight Mustang signees.
Cole is expected to participate in spring drills next April while the other three will enroll at Cal Poly in the Fall of 2023.
Wednesday was the opening day of the National Letter of Intent's Early Signing Period for football. The period for high school student-athletes ends Friday while community college transfers who will enroll midyear have until Jan. 15 to sign during the Midyear JC Transfer Period. The Regular Signing Period for football runs from Feb. 1 through April 1 in Division I.
The dozen newcomers include three safeties, two offensive linemen, a pair of cornerbacks, one defensive lineman, one running back, a quarterback, one wide receiver and one linebacker. Two of the recruits led his prep team to a state championship last week, another powered his team to the state semifinals and several others played in the finals or semifinals of their section playoffs.
The signings were announced by first-year Cal Poly head football coach Paul Wulff and Mustang director of athletics Don Oberhelman.
The quartet of players who signed Thursday, listed alphabetically:
Dieter Barr, Quarterback, 6-3, 175, Long Beach, Calif. (St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy)Under head coach Devah Thomas at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy, Barr passed for 1,016 yards and 12 touchdowns during his senior season, leading the Warriors to an 8-2 overall mark, first-place finish in the Del Rey League and a berth in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs. The Del Rey League offensive MVP completed 72 percent of his passes (50 of 69) and his career high for passing yards in a game was 299 versus St. Paul. Barr missed three games due to injury. The 3-star (247 Sports) dual-threat quarterback played all 14 games as a junior, completing 207 of 336 passes for 3,353 yards and 55 touchdowns while also rushing for 429 yards and three more scores. In his prep career, Barr produced 11 games of 200 or more yards passing, including 320 yards against St. Genevieve, 318 versus Mira Costa and 300 against St. Anthony. He threw six touchdown passes against Bishop Montgomery in the last game of the 2021 regular season and added five passing touchdowns in a playoff game against Heritage of Menifee. St. Francis' 2021 squad finished 11-3, reaching the championship game of the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 playoffs. Barr was named co-offensive MVP of the Del Rey League as a junior and earned first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Division 7 honors in 2021. Also recruited by UCLA, Lindenwood, Rice, Cornell and U. of San Diego, Barr chose Cal Poly to further his academic and athletic careers "because of the environment, opportunities and the relationships I built with the coaching staff, especially Coach Meyer, the quarterbacks coach." Head coach Paul Wulff -- "Dieter comes to us having really played football in just his junior and senior years in high school. He is a late bloomer who shows a number of quality skill sets in playing the quarterback position at a high level. He's athletic, he is quick, has a strong arm and has shown a high level of accuracy. We're anxious to watch his development this fall and into the next year. We're also very excited to see what he could bring to the program. Dieter is an excellent student who brings great maturity and physical talent to our program." |
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Thomas Cole, Offensive Tackle, 6-7, 300, San Luis Obispo, Calif. (San Luis Obispo HS/UCLA)Cole, who signed a Financial Aid Agreement with Cal Poly this week, graduated early from San Luis Obispo High School and enrolled at UCLA in January 2021, taking part in spring practice with the Bruins. He did not see any game action in his first season with the Bruins in the fall of 2021 and retired from football earlier this year. At San Luis Obispo High School, Cole played two varsity seasons, earning All-Pac-4 first-team honors in 2019 as a junior offensive lineman under head coach Pat Johnston. Cole led the Tigers to a 10-2 overall record and their first league championship in 17 years. He also was named to Cal-Hi Sports' all-state juniors team. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cole was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports and a three-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. He was listed as the No. 34 offensive tackle by 247Sports and the No. 69 prospect in the West by ESPN. Cole also was a top-40 prospect in the state of California by 247Sports (No. 32) and ESPN (No. 40). He also played defense for the Tigers and earned 99 tackles (65 solo), including 31.0 tackles for lost yardage and 17.0 sacks in 2019. Cole also notched 34 tackles (15 solo) along with making four catches, one for a touchdown, as a tight end during his sophomore season in 2018. Cole also played basketball for the Tigers. Cole's father, David Cole, also played football at San Luis Obispo High School as an offensive and defensive lineman and was an offensive lineman at San Diego State in the early 1990s. He currently owns Cole Chrysler Dodge Jeep Head coach Paul Wulff -- "We are very fortunate to have Thomas come back home and be part of our program. Thomas has all the tools and physical attributes that you want in an offensive lineman. He's extremely athletic for his size and has the natural strength to dominate in the trenches. He adds ever-growing size and physicality to our offensive front. We expect him to come in and be a contributor right away. We really look forward to get going with him in spring practice." |
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Jordan Garrison, Wide Receiver, 6-2, 180, Santa Clarita, Calif. (Westlake HS)Under head coach Mark Serve at Westlake High School, Garrison made 48 catches for 433 yards and eight touchdowns during his senior season. He also was credited with 47 tackles, including one for lost yardage, as a free safety on defense with a pair of interceptions, and returned one punt 35 yards for a touchdown against Thousand Oaks. Garrison caught a career-high seven passes three times. His postseason honors include first-team All-Marmonte League and All-Ventura County. Garrison also was team MVP and earned Ventura County All-Academic honors. Westlake was 2-8 this fall. As a junior at Viewpoint High School in Calabasas, Garrison caught 53 passes for 824 yards and nine touchdowns and, on defense, made 18 tackles, intercepted a pair of passes and recovered two fumbles en route to first-team All-Gold Coast League accolades. He also scored twice via punt return (82 versus Bishop Montgomery and 44 yards against Carpinteria) and two more on kickoff returns (85 yards versus Sylmar and 90 against Rio Hondo Prep). Garrison, who averaged 26.1 yards on 10 punt returns and 26.7 yards on 18 kickoff returns, also visited Sacramento State, Eastern Washington, Davidson and Georgetown before choosing Cal Poly because it "offers a great balance between sports and academics; I also love the area and the coaches." Head coach Paul Wulff -- "Jordan gives us a longer, taller, athletic outside receiver. He's a very competitive athlete who also plays basketball at a high-level. Jordan is just scratching the surface as a football player. As he develops in our system, he's got a chance to be a very explosive player for our offense and our football team. We're looking forward to having him get on campus with his teammates." |
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Chris Snyder Jr., Safety, 6-0, 180, Chula Vista, Calif. (Mater Dei Catholic HS)Used at several positions in his varsity career, Snyder made 48 tackles on defense as a senior, caught 27 passes as a junior and earned 36 tackles with two interceptions as a freshman at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista. Under head coach John Joyner, Snyder's 48 tackles in his senior season included three for lost yardage and two sacks. He also rushed for 133 yards and five touchdowns and caught three passes as the Crusaders compiled an 11-4 overall record, winning the Metro Mesa League title as well as the CIF-San Diego Section Division I crown, defeating Mission Hills 34-29, and capturing the state Division 2-AA championship with a 26-18 win over McClymonds of Oakland at Saddleback College. Snyder's late interception preserved Mater Di Catholic's victory over McClymonds. In addition to his 27 receptions for 338 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior (career-high six catches versus Santa Fe Christian), Snyder also made 22 tackles (16 solo). Head coach Paul Wulff -- "Chris is extremely fast, quick and physical. We really like his ability to attack the football from the safety position. He will also have an early impact in the secondary. As he grows and learns the system, we believe Chris will be one of those young men you notice on the football field every game." |
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