Bakersfield College has always been blessed with gifted football players, and the 2005 team was no exception. As of Feb. 1, eight players have received full-ride scholarships to play football and continue their educations at Division I or Division II colleges.
“When the dust settles, I think we will have around 14 guys sign letter of intents with full scholarships,” Jeff Chudy, head football coach, said. “This number is indicative of our success as a team this year.”
Corey Actis, center, has signed with the University of Mississippi. As a matter of fact, Actis is already in Mississippi getting ready for the upcoming season.
“I chose ‘Ole Miss because of the coaching staff and because the facilities are outstanding,” Actis said. “It’s a part of the SEC (including schools such as Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky), and that’s exciting.”
Actis said that playing football for BC was a good stepping-stone to Division I because there were some things he needed to work on, the coaches were outstanding and he learned a lot from them.
Keith Camp, defensive back, has signed with Jackson State but has a semester left at BC before he can leave for football training.
Camp said he chose Jackson State because it is close to home (from the Southeast)) and the opportunity to start and get some exposure at a major university.
“It’s more East Coast where I’m from,” Camp said. “It seemed more like family as far as the players and student body. I will get to play, and everything was upscale.”
The weight room is one of the top 10 weight rooms in the country, and there is a new 65,000 capacity stadium.
“Other schools didn’t know if I would start, but Jackson State said I could be their No. 1 guy,” he said.
Camp is interested in communications as a major but hopes to get a chance in the National Football League.
Larry Norton, offensive tackle, has signed with Syracuse University. He is already in New York getting ready for spring training.
Norton said he chose Syracuse because he likes the coaching staff and the players/school seem like family. Norton hopes to major in business.
“When I visited, I liked everything about the school and the education department. It has a lot of tradition,” he said. “It has a brand new weight room, and I will be starting right away. It gets cold, but we play inside a Dome in front of about 60,000.”
Norton said the coaches at BC are great. He wants to thank them for everything they did for him, and he would recommend BC for anyone who is interested in the junior college level.
Tajiddin Smith, wide receiver, has also signed with Syracuse University.
Smith said he chose Syracuse because it is close to home (New Jersey).
“It is a good opportunity to be close to family and friends at home,” Smith said. “Everybody is friendly and the coaching staff embraced me. It also presents a chance to do whatever I need to do as far as school is concerned.”
Smith’s interest in school is Child and Family studies.
Smith states the coaches are going to give him the opportunity to start, but if he doesn’t, he will redshirt. Smith also said the BC coaches helped him in making the right decisions as far as football and life itself.
Thomas Peregrin, quarterback, has signed with Western Michigan University.
Peregrin is already in Michigan and has started some training to prepare for tryouts.
“I visited Western Michigan after the Canyons game,” Peregrin said. “I chose to play here because of the coaches, and it presented a great opportunity. It’s really nice here, great facilities and the team is on the rise.”
Peregrin said he and the fifth year senior will compete for the start and if he doesn’t get it, he will redshirt.
“It is an opportunity to learn as far as the plays are concerned because it’s different verbage than BC,” he said.
Redshirting will also give me the opportunity to get bigger and stronger to play at the Division I level,” he said.
Peregrin wants to coach and teach special education when he finishes school. He said he is glad he made the decision to play for BC and he is already missing everyone.
Tyler McCann, offensive lineman, has signed with Missouri Western State University, a Division II school.
“I made the decision to play for Missouri Western because I will have the opportunity to keep on playing at the next level,” McCann said.
“The school is pretty nice and the classes aren’t crowded. There are approximately 25 to 30 people in each class, so it gives you an easier opportunity to learn.”
McCann is undecided as far as his major is concerned.
He states attending BC gave him time to develop into a bigger, faster and stronger player.
“The coaches at BC really helped in getting us looked at by Divisioni I and II coaches.”
Jose Martinez Jr., kicker, has signed to play for the University of Texas at El Paso.
Martinez said he chose UTEP because it was his first option with a three-year scholarship. Also because it is close to Mexico where he has family and friends.
“They’ve got a senior kicker coming in to do the kicking this season so I wanted the extra year as far as my scholarship goes. They are looking at me to fulfill the needs on special teams.”
Martinez attended a competition in Las Vegas and is listed as the No. 1 prospect in the country.
Martinez said the BC coaches are some of the greatest coaches. He learned a lot and got a lot of experience from great coaching.
Bryant Matthews, defensive back/strong safety, has signed with Montana State. Matthews said he chose Montana State because it is a good environment. He stated that the players he has met are “cool.”
“I also picked Montana so I could play in the snow,” Matthews said.
Bryant wants to major in sociology. He said that the coaches at BC helped to prepare him for the next level.
“The coaches at BC are really good coaches and they helped us to learn our defensive reads and the game.”
Chudy said his sophomore class was outstanding. “They have set the bar high for future Renegades,” he said. “We thank them and wish them well.
“This is the biggest recruited class in this day,” said Jan Stuebbe, BC athletic director. “This year’s class of players was a very good class.”