PORTLAND, OR - Tim Walsh has announced his 2006 National Letter of Intent Class, which includes 23 new players. The Vikings have signed eight freshmen, 10 junior college players and added five Division 1-A transfers who have signed scholarship agreements. Walsh also expects to add a few more players in the coming week. Portland State was looking to fill major needs at the offensive skill positions and linebacker. What Walsh and his staff were able to come up with has adequately met those needs as well as brought tremendous depth on defense. The 1-A transfers are all expected to have an impact right away, on both offense and defense.

Thirteen of the new players are on the defensive side of the ball, and 10 are offensive players. Among PSU?€™s 15 transfers, 12 will be available to compete during spring practice as some have already entered school, or will do so for spring term. And while the Vikings have already added 23 players, Walsh expects to sign another linebacker, one more player in the secondary, and possibly add another tight end in the coming days.

Five freshmen are Oregon High School stars, and two transfers also hail from the state. Among the top freshmen are Beaverton High School?€™s Jake Fetzer, a safety, and McNary High School running back Kyley McCrae, who led the state with 2,149 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

Transfers include former McNary star and brother of Kyley, linebacker KJ McCrae. Among the 1-A transfers are players who have competed at Oregon, Oregon State, Miami (FL), UNLV and New Mexico State.

FRESHMEN SIGNEES (8)
Travis Beckley, Defensive End, 6-4, 255, Eugene, OR (Thurston HS)
Jarard Davis, Cornerback, 5-9, 175, Tualatin, OR (Tualatin HS)
Michael Espinosa, Defensive End, 6-4, 220, Salem, OR (Sprague HS)
Jake Fetzer, Safety, 6-2, 220, Beaverton, OR (Beaverton HS)
Travis Gowan, Quarterback, 6-4, 195, Arcadia, CA (Arcadia HS)
Roy Holmes, Cornerback, 6-0, 180, Oakland, CA (McClymonds HS)
Kyley McCrae, Running Back, 5-10, 190, Keizer, OR (McNary HS)
Dallas Smith, Linebacker, 6-3, 215, Redding, CA (Foothill HS)

JUNIOR COLLEGE SIGNEES (10)
Chris Fultcher*, Junior, Tight End, 6-4, 245, Santa Clara, CA (Wilcox HS/Foothill JC)
Doniel Galloway, Junior, Defensive End, 6-2, 255, Sacramento, CA (Florin HS/CC of San Francisco)
Andrew Havili*, Junior, Offensive Lineman, 6-3, 280, San Bruno, CA (Burlingame HS/College of San Mateo)
Dan Kuykendall*, Junior, Defensive End, 6-4, 260, Long Beach, CA (Millikan HS/Cerritos JC)
Landan Laurusaitis, Junior, Offensive Lineman, 6-3, 280, Hillsborough, CA (San Mateo HS/College of San Mateo)
KJ McCrae, Junior, Linebacker, 6-1, 225, Keizer, OR (McNary HS/Santa Rosa JC)
Kevin McGlothen*, Junior, Tight End, 6-4, 255, Berkeley, CA (Berkeley HS/CC of San Francisco)
Danny Morales*, Junior, Quarterback, 5-11, 195, La Habra, CA (La Habra HS/Santa Ana JC)
Damion Porter*, Junior, Safety, 6-0, 195, Long Beach, CA (Lakewood HS/Long Beach CC)
Dave Ronning*, Junior, Linebacker, 6-2, 230, Woodinville, WA (Woodinville HS/Orange Coast CC)

FOUR-YEAR TRANSFERS (5)
(non-NLI student-athletes who have signed scholarship agreements)
Olaniyi Sobomehin*, Junior, Fullback, 6-1, 230, Portland, OR (Cleveland HS/Oregon State)
Tremayne Kirkland*, Senior, Wide Receiver, 5-11, 165, Sacramento, CA (Hiram Johnson HS/UNLV)
MuAmmar Ali*, Senior, Running Back, 5-8, 190, Vacaville, CA (Wood HS/New Mexico State)
Dave Howell*, Junior, Defensive Lineman, 6-4, 295, Royal Palm Beach, FL (Royal Palm Beach HS/Miami (FL))
Brian Truelove*, Freshman, Defensive Tackle, 6-2, 280, Snellville, GA (Brookwood HS/Oregon)

PORTLAND STATE SIGNING PARTY
The Portland State Football Program will host the 2006 Football Signing Party on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. The Signing Party will be held at On Deck Sports Bar and Grill, located at 910 NW 14th Avenue. Cost is $10.

Head Coach Tim Walsh will talk about each player that has been added to the PSU program, and there will be video highlights as well. For questions, or to RSVP, call (503) 725-5629.

OFFENSE
In 2006, the Vikings will have 12 returning starters, six on offense and six on defense, as well as both kicker and punter, from a team that was 6-5 overall, 4-3 in the Big Sky Conference. However, the Vikings lost four first team All-Conference selections in running back Joe Rubin, fullback Allen Kennett, wide receiver Shaun Bodiford and tight end Scott Weaver.

A group of transfers should adequately fill those roles. MuAmmar Ali, who played previously at New Mexico State and led that team in rushing in 2004, is projected to step in at running back. Ali, a senior, will add great speed and toughness to the Viking offense, replacing Rubin, an All-American, with a different type of talent.

?€œMuAmmar Ali is going to be one of the strongest and definitely be the fastest guy on the team,?€ť said Walsh. ?€œHis work ethic since he got here at the beginning of term has been second to none.?€ť

Ali rushed for 561 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games in 2004.

Stepping in at fullback may be former Cleveland High School and Oregon State player Olaniyi Sobomehin.

?€œ?€˜Nee?€™ will give us a big body who knows the position and will push (redshirt freshman) Bobby McClintock for playing time at fullback,?€ť said Walsh. Sobomehin, who has played both fullback and special teams for the Beavers, will be a junior.

Another key offensive addition is wide receiver Tremayne Kirkland from UNLV. Kirkland, who will be a senior, has shown great versatility as a receiver, runner, return specialist and quarterback.

?€œAt wide receiver, the idea was to fill the shoes of Shaun Bodiford, and Tremayne can do that. He can do great things with the ball in his hands,?€ť Walsh said. ?€œWe recruited him in high school and (PSU assistant coach) Vince Alcalde coached him one year while he was still at UNLV. We believe he can really be a star in this program.?€ť

Kirkland led the Mountain West Conference in punt returns as a freshman and earned first team All-MWC honors. Last season, he caught 28 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, rushed 20 times for 109 yards and completed 3-5 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings will need to replace Weaver and Adam Whitehead at tight end as well, and have added a pair of junior college transfers in Chris Fultcher and Kevin McGlothen.

?€œChris is extremely athletic, and Kevin is raw but also very athletic. The combination of those two and the development of (JR) Matt Nelson and (RS FR) Matt Leunen, as well as the emergence of (SR) Brent TenBruggencate will give us a strong tight end group,?€ť said Walsh.

The Vikings also landed a pair of offensive linemen from the College of San Mateo, Andrew Havili and Landan Laurusaitis, to bolster an already strong position on the team.

?€œWe have two guys from a team that led all California JCs in rushing. That will give us great depth and push the guys we already have,?€ť said Walsh.

At quarterback, PSU signed Travis Gowan, a freshman from Arcadia High School in California, and Danny Morales, a junior college transfer from Santa Ana JC. Gowan was the Pacific League Offensive Player of the Year, while Gowan earned first team All-Mission Conference.

DEFENSE
On defense, first team All-Big Sky and Academic All- American Joey King and George Quijano, both starters at linebacker, are gone, prompting Walsh and staff to work hard to fill needs at linebacker and in the secondary. However, they also came away with a stellar group of defensive linemen.

?€œDefensively, linebackers and secondary players were what we wanted to get, but we had some defensive linemen fall into our laps that were just too good to pass up.?€ť

?€œI think defensively we have a chance, with this group, to have the best depth we?€™ve had, and maybe the most talent,?€ť said Walsh.

Included in that group are Miami (FL) transfer Dave Howell and Oregon transfer Brian Truelove. Howell played one year of defensive line and one year of offensive line for the Hurricanes, while Truelove was a redshirt freshman for the Ducks last season.

PSU has also signed JC defensive ends Dan Kuykendall and Doniel Galloway, as well as freshmen defensive ends Travis Beckley (Thurston HS) and Michael Espinosa (Sprague HS).

?€œWe believe Galloway and Kuykendall will have a major impact on our defensive line?€™s productivity.?€ť

?€œAt linebacker, we lost Joey, George, Steve Shinen and Byron Woods,?€ť said Walsh. ?€œBut I think Dave Ronning will be a tremendous replacement there. We?€™ve also signed KJ McCrae and Dallas Smith, who can join (SR) DJ Robinson. That will give us the depth to be strong at linebacker the next couple of years.?€ť

?€œThese linebackers are going to have to step in, learn the system and be ready to play right away, so it really helps that the transfers will be here this spring.?€ť

?€œIt was also important for us to get some depth at safety and some young players at the corners. Jake Fetzer (Beaverton HS) will get an opportunity to play as a true freshman at safety. (Freshmen) Jarard Davis and Roy Holmes are two corners who will solidify us for the future as Odell Jackson and Dominic Dixon are seniors this fall.?€ť

Junior transfer Damion Porter has also been added at the safety position.

PLAYER BIOGRAPHIES

HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES (8)

TRAVIS BECKLEY, FR, DE, 6-4, 255, Eugene, OR (Thurston HS)
Lettered in football, track and wrestling at Thurston High School... named first team All-Midwestern League on both the offensive and defensive line... honorable mention All-State... his team reached the 4A State quarterfinals.

JARARD DAVIS, FR, CB, 5-9, 175, Tualatin, OR (Tualatin HS)
Lettered four times in football and once in track at Tualatin High School... was second team All-Three Rivers League and third team All-State as a senior... earned first team All-League and third team All-State as a junior... second team All-League as a sophomore... played on the state champion Timberwolves team as a sophomore... his team reached the semifinals in the state playoffs his senior year.

MICHAEL ESPINOSA, FR, DE, 6-4, 220, Salem, OR (Sprague HS)
Competed in football, basketball and track at Sprague High School... was named first team All-Valley League and second team All-State as a defensive lineman his senior year... his team advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

JAKE FETZER, FR, S, 6-2, 220, Beaverton, OR (Beaverton HS)
Lettered in football four times and baseball twice at Beaverton High School... named first team All-State at both defensive back and wide receiver... was a second team All-State punter... as a junior was a first team All- State defensive back and second team as a wide receiver... his team reached the state semifinals in 2004 and quarterfinals in 2005.

TRAVIS GOWAN, FR, QB, 6-4, 195, Arcadia, CA (Arcadia HS)
Lettered in football, baseball and basketball at Arcadia High School... a two-time All-Pacific League selection, he was named Offensive Player of the Year as a senior... second team All-Area... completed 108-165 passes for 1,734 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions... team captain and MVP for two years.

ROY HOLMES, FR, CB, 6-0, 180, Oakland, CA (McClymonds HS)
Played football and competed in track at McClymonds High School... earned All-City and All-Metro honors... his team was the Silver Bowl Champions.

KYLEY McCRAE, FR, RB, 5-10, 190, Keizer, OR (McNary HS)
Lettered in football four times, basketball and track twice at McNary High School... named All-League, All- Region and All-State this past year... was first team All- State as a running back and second team All-State as a defensive back... led the state with 269 carries for 2,149 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 8.0 yards per carry... gained 4,112 yards on 536 carries and scored 48 touchdowns in his three-year varsity career... his team won a share of the league title and advanced to the state playoffs in 2005.

DALLAS SMITH, FR, LB, 6-3, 215, Redding, CA (Foothill HS)
Competed in football and track at Foothill High School... named first team All-League at linebacker... as a junior, was named second team All-League at tight end... team captain... earned the Iron Cougar Award two years for his work in the weight room.

JUNIOR COLLEGE SIGNEES (10)

CHRIS FULTCHER, JR, TE, 6-4, 245, Santa Clara, CA (Wilcox HS/Foothill JC)
Competed the past two seasons at Foothill Junior College... was honorable mention All-Conference.

Lettered in football and track three times each at Wilcox High School... named All-League twice... competed in the Charlie Weedimere All-Star game... named All Mid- Peninsula.

ANDREW HAVILI, JR, OL, 6-3, 280, San Bruno, CA (Burlingame HS/College of San Mateo)
Was the offensive Most Valuable Player at College of San Mateo as a sophomore... earned All-NorCal Conference honors.

Played at Burlingame High School where he earned All-County, All-Central Coast and Lineman of the Year honors.

DONIEL GALLOWAY, JR, DE, 6-2, 255, Sacramento, CA (Florin HS/CC of San Francisco)
pronunciation: DON-el
Played the past two seasons at the City College of San Francisco... earned first team All-NorCal Conference honors... averaged 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks per game.

Lettered three times in football, four times in basketball and track at Florin High School... was an All- Conference and All-State outside linebacker.

DAN KUYKENDALL, JR, DE, 6-4, 260, Long Beach, CA (Millikan HS/Cerritos JC)
pronunciation: KIRK-en-dall
Played two seasons at Cerritos Junior College.

Lettered four times in football and twice in track at Millikan High School... earned first team All-Moore League in both sports... was the track team MVP... in the weightlifting Hall of Fame... team captain.

LANDAN LAURUSAITIS, JR, OL, 6-3, 280, San Mateo, CA (San Mateo HS/C. of San Mateo)
pronunciation: lore-uh-SITE-us
Played the past two seasons at College of San Mateo... named first team All-NorCal Conference... his team finished 10th in the the nation in the JC Gridwire poll.

Earned All-County honors in football at San Mateo High School... his team won the Division III county championship.

KJ McCRAE, JR, LB, 6-1, 225, Keizer, OR (McNary HS/ Santa Rosa JC)
Played the past two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College... was an honorable mention All-Conference linebacker as a sophomore... was first team All-League and All-Region as a punter.

Lettered in football and basketball at McNary High School... named first team All-Valley League, first team All-Region and third team All-State at safety as a senior... team captain.

PSU also signed his brother, Kyley, a senior at McNary this year.

KEVIN McGLOTHEN, JR, TE, 6-4, 255, Berkeley, CA (Berkeley HS/CC of San Francisco)
Played the past two seasons at City College of San Francisco... named All-NorCal Conference and All-State.

Lettered in football and basketball at Berkeley High School... named first team All-ACCAL in football and second team in basketball.

DANIEL MORALES, JR, QB, 5-11, 195, La Habra, CA (La Habra HS/Santa Ana CC)
Named first team All-Mission Conference as a sophomore at Santa Ana CC... was a second team choice as a freshman.

Competed in football and baseball at La Habra High School... was named All-CIF two years and All Southern Section CIF... his team won back-to-back CIF championships... also a two-time All-League choice in baseball.

DAMION PORTER, JR, S, 6-0, 195, Long Beach, CA (Lakewood HS/Long Beach CC)
His Long Beach City College team won two conference championships... earned first team All-Mission Conference honors... also a Region 4 first team All-State selection... honorable mention JC Gridwire All-American... earned scholar-athlete award at LBCC.

Lettered four seasons at Lakewood High School... first team All-Conference selection... also named School Athlete of the Year... was a first team CIF All-Conference Scholar-Athlete.

DAVE RONNING, JR, LB, 6-2, 230, Woodinville, WA (Woodinville HS/Orange Coast CC)
Played two seasons at Orange Coast College... named first team All-State and All-American as a sophomore... first team All-Mission Conference as a sophomore, second team All-Conference as a freshman... team?€™s Most Valuable Linebacker for two years.

Lettered in football three times and baseball twice at Woodinville High School... named first team All- Conference and All-Area in football.

FOUR-YEAR TRANSFERS (5)

MuAMMAR ALI, SR, RB, 5-8, 190, Vacaville, CA (Wood HS/New Mexico State)
pronunciation: MOO-uh-mar ALL-ee
Ali is a transfer for New Mexico State where he played the past three seasons... as a sophomore in 2004, he led the team in rushing with 136 carries for 561 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games... over the last six games, he went for 446 yards... Ali averaged 4.1 yards per carry and had one 100-yard game... also had six receptions for 44 yards and led the team with 605 all- purpose yards... his best game was a 27-carry, 146-yard, two-touchdown performance against Louisiana- Lafayette... had 12 carries for 94 yards against Florida International, and 22 carries for 85 yards against Middle Tennessee State... in his three seasons, Ali played in 22 games, carrying the ball 166 times for 642 yards.

Starred at Wood High School in Vacaville, CA where he lettered three years... played in the North-South Shrine Game and East/West All-Star Game... named a Super Prep All-American and Prep Star All-American... earned All- Region, All-County and All-Bay Area as a senior... also lettered twice in track.

A cousin of former Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner Joe Washington.

DAVE HOWELL, JR, DL, 6-4, 295, Royal Palm Beach, FL (Royal Palm Beach HS/Miami (FL))
Spent the last three seasons at the University of Miami... redshirted in 2003, saw some action as a backup defensive lineman in 2004, then was moved to offensive line in 2005... was also recruited by Florida, Tennessee, BYU and Florida State.

Competed in football and track for four years at Royal Palm Beach High School... was a first team All-State offensive and defensive lineman... rated as the number 19 player in the state of Florida as a senior, and the number 29 defensive lineman in the country... a Super Prep All- American.

TREMAYNE KIRKLAND, SR, WR, 5-11, 165, Sacramento, CA (Hiram Johnson HS/UNLV)
Spent four seasons at UNLV, two competing, one as an injury redshirt and one as a redshirt freshman... a true all-around player, totaling 759 all-purpose yards as a receiver, punt returner and rusher... as a sophomore in 2005, played in eight games, rushing 20 times for 109 yards, catching 28 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, and completing 3-5 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown... also returned 11 punts for 69 yards... missed the 2004 season with a shoulder separation after being named preseason first team All-Mountain West Conference as a punt returner... as a freshman in 2003, led the MWC with 25 punt returns for 314 yards, including a long of 75 yards... caught three passes for 13 yards and a touchdown... originally recruited by current PSU coach Vince Alcalde when he was at UNLV... has the possibility of petitioning for a sixth year of eligibility.

Was a first-team All-League and All-City quarterback at Hiram Johnson High School... rushed for 986 yards and 12 TDs while throwing for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior... his team was 10-2... also lettered three times in basketball, twice in baseball and track.

OLANIYI SOBOMEHIN, JR, FB, 6-1, 230, Portland, OR (Cleveland HS/Oregon)
pronunciation: Oh-la-NEE-yee shuh-BO-muh-heen
Played two seasons Oregon State as a fullback... did not have any carries... also saw a lot of action on special teams.. returned three kickoffs for 21 yards as an upback... redshirted in 2003.

Lettered in football, basketball and track at Cleveland High School... averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns as a senior... football and basketball team Most Valuable Player... placed in state in both the 100 meters and 4x100 meters... actually attended Catlin Gabel High School, but was allowed to compete at Cleveland High School.

BRIAN TRUELOVE, FR, DT, 6-2, 280, Snellville, GA (Brookwood HS/Oregon)
Spent last season at the University of Oregon as a redshirt freshman.

Lettered twice in football at Brookwood High School... was first team All-Gwinnett County two years in a row... first team 5A All-State in Georgia... named 50th best player in his state and rated 45th best defensive lineman in the country by scout.com... a team captain... had 40 tackles, eight for losses and three sacks as a senior... 46 tackles, six for losses and 3.5 sacks as a junior... also a varsity power lifter who won the Area 7 Heavyweight Division Championship in 2004... set a high school record with 430-pound bench press.