Utah State football lands two California JC defensive stalwarts

LOGAN — Gary Andersen was introduced to 9,000 Aggie fans Monday night during Utah State's 70-61 basketball win over Idaho.

While he was getting a standing ovation from the blue-clad Spectrum faithful, he was also hosting a handful of recruits and received commitments from a pair of defensive gems from El Camino Junior College in Torrance, Calif.

Sophomore lineman Sean Enesi and freshman linebacker Reuben Willis told the Deseret News they are impressed with Andersen's defensive plans and will join Utah State and sign national letters of intent this week.

"Yes, sir," Enesi said by phone Tuesday. "After watching and witnessing one of the best bowl games ever played, I decided that was something I wanted to be a part of. Coach Andersen has some great schemes and I think we can have a lot of success here at Utah State."

Enesi, 5-foot-10 and 290 pounds, played mostly offensive line at El Camino and helped the Warriors finish the season with a 10-2 record. He said he hopes to play defensive tackle for the Aggies.

Willis was just a freshman at El Camino but is already academically eligible to transfer and will have three years to play for USU. The 5-10, 230-pound linebacker had seven sacks, 13 tackles for loss and was third on the team in tackles.

"I really like the new coaching staff," Willis, a Long Beach native, said.

"Coach Andersen has great credentials and I'm excited to play for Utah State."

As mid-year transfers, both will be eligible to participate in spring drills in a couple of months. But with a new staff and a new system in place, both said they expect some fierce competition for playing time.

"We're all going into it new," Willis said. "There's not any one person that's going to have a head start over me or the other way."

Enesi, from Carson, Calif., said he knows USU has not had a lot of success on the field in recent years, but he wants to be part of changing that.

"I think I bring that," Enesi said. "My performance on the field and my leadership will help. I'm used to winning and I think we can do that here, too."

A third junior college recruit was also in Logan Monday night and is expected to make a decision soon. John Hendershott, a 6-3, 195-pound wide receiver out of Diablo Valley CC has offers from Marshall and USU to consider. Hendershott caught 64 passes for 1,109 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Vikings. He is expected to make a decision any day now so he can enroll in time for spring football drills.

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com