Sports

Friday, Jun. 19, 2009

College Football: Cal Poly may add receiver from UCLA

Dominique Johnson, a 6-foot-3 junior, was fourth on the Bruins with 34 catches last year

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The Cal Poly football team could be getting a replacement for departed senior receiver Ramses Barden, and he could come from UCLA.

Former Bruins receiver Dominique Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt junior, told a UCLA beat reporter that he was leaving for Cal Poly in the fall.

News broke in May that Johnson was going to transfer after ranking fourth on the Bruins with 34 catches and third with 373 receiving yards in 2008.

Los Angeles Daily News reporter Brian Dohn at the time predicted a possible move to Portland State on his blog.

Instead, Johnson appears headed to the Mustangs, who hired former longtime Vikings coach Tim Walsh in December to replace departed Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson, now with Army.

Walsh could not comment on the situation, but did give an assessment of his current crop of receivers, none of which caught a single pass last season.

“We have some youthful talent,” Walsh said, “but we have to be able to make plays at wide receiver. So it’s a position that we think maybe is going to be extremely solid in the future. How quick that happens in the future is the question.”

Barden, who just wrapped up mini-camp with the New York Giants, and graduated senior Tre’dale Tolver were the primary targets during their four-year careers as starters for the Mustangs.

So there is a shortage of experience.

Of the current crop of receivers, only one — junior Eric Gardley — has caught a collegiate pass. Gardley caught one ball for 12 yards in 2007 before converting to cornerback for 2008 and then back to receiver this spring.

The projected starters going into the fall are 6-2 junior Mike Anderson and 5-11 sophomore Jarred Houston.

Houston was mostly seen on kick coverage last year but was having a promising track season as a sprinter before being derailed by a lower leg injury. Houston sat out all of spring practice tending to his leg.

Also in the mix are Gardley (5-11) and redshirt freshmen Ryan Taylor (6-4) and Josh Swaney (6-5). Incoming freshman Cougar Williams (5-8), who caught 59 passes for 891 yards and 12 touchdowns his senior season at Hanford High, could also push for time early.

Walsh said the unit has shown improvement, specifically in blocking and route running, since he’s taken over. None, however, separated themselves in front of the new coach during spring practice.

“I’m excited about the receiving corps,” Walsh said. “It’s just, we need somebody during two-a-days to step up and say, ‘I’m ready to play.’ ”

Johnson could step right into a starting role when training camp starts Aug. 17.

“I wanted a good situation, athletically and academically, that would suit me,” the transfer told Dohn. “They were after me and I was considering them, and they pursued me harder than any other places. I figured Cal Poly was the right spot.

“They were in need of a guy. They lost their top two (receivers). They didn’t have a standout after spring practice.”

Johnson said he was transferring to an FCS school so he could play right away. NCAA Division I transfer rules would require him to sit out a year if he went to another FBS school, leaving him with only one season of eligibility.

Johnson would have two years of eligibility for the Mustangs, but according to Dohn, would have to sit out the first two games of his junior season as mandated by the NCAA for playing in the season opener during his redshirt year at UCLA.