Southern Oregon head football coach Steve Helminiak announced today the signing of 25 new players that will suit up for the Raiders in 2010 as either freshmen or college transfers.

The announcement comes as a kickoff to Spring Football that is slated to start April 5 and continue until the annual Spring Football game set from April 30. The team will practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:15 p.m. and Saturday's at 9:30 a.m.

“We are excited about the crop of talent we've been able to bring in, especially from Oregon,” Helminiak said. “We continued to pound away at the Rogue Valley high schools and again brought in some high quality kids to our program. That's our No. 1 priority. We also addressed a huge need at quarterback and offensive line.”

The group of incoming freshmen is split between 13 offensive players and five defensive players.

In the offensive mix are quarterbacks Chris Kammell, Jeremy Powers, Quentis Clark and Trevor Hurn.

Kammell is coming off an impressive senior season at Phoenix (Ore.) High School, where he led the Pirates to the Skyline Conference Championship and a run through the state playoffs. Kammell was named the Conference's Player of the Year after throwing for over 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Powers threw for 1,416 yards and 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions as a senior at Capital (Idaho) High School. Powers also rushed for 10 touchdowns.

Clark led his Oceanside (Calif.) High School team to a State Championship and Hurn was selected League Offensive Player of the Year at Woodland (Wash.) High School.

Both Kammell and Hurn will bring a wide receiver with them to SOU.

Skyler Reagan (Phoenix, Ore./Phoenix), a teammate of Kammell at Phoenix High, earned All-Conference honors as both a wide receiver and defensive back and also earned All-State honors as a defensive back. As a receiver, Reagan caught 74 passes for 1,080 yards and nine touchdowns.

Shane Brady (Woodland, Wash./Woodland), a teammate of Hurn at Woodland High, is a two-time All-Conference selection at wide receiver.

The Raiders also signed four offensive linemen. Cole Richardson (Eugene, Ore./Marist) (Marist High School), John Florey (Phoenix High School), Adam Evers (Beaverton, Ore./Southridge) (Southridge High School) and Andrew Valli (Redding, Calif./Shasta) (Shasta (Calif.) High School) will all suit up for the Raiders next year.

Richardson is a two-time All-Conference and helped Marist win a State Championship this past year. Florey earned Second Team All-Conference honors, while Evers was First Team All-Metro and Valli earned both All-Section and All-Conference honors.

Tight end Colton Kelsey will come to the Raiders from Crescent Valley High School, where he was a two-way All-Conference performer and helped lead Crescent Valley to the playoffs.

Southern Oregon also added running backs Dylan Carlson (Klamath Falls, Ore./Mazama) (Mazama High School) and Brandon Grissom (Medford, Ore./Eagle Point) (Cascade Christian High School). Carlson was named the Southern Sky Conference's Offensive Player of the Year this past Fall and Grissom was also vote conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Defensively from the freshman class, the Raiders added two defensive linemen, two defensive backs, a defensive end and a linebacker.

Brian Keathley (Fernley, Nev./Fernley) (Fernley (Nev.) High School) and Daniel Marcel (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) (Freedom (Calif.) High School) will help shore up the SOU defensive line. Keathley earned All-State honors as a senior and junior and Marcel earned All-Conference honors and we voted team captain.

Julian Faciane (Parkrose High School) and Zack Schwabauer (Red Bluff, Calif./Red Bluff) (Red Bluff (Calif.) High School) will give the Raiders depth at defensive back. Faciane was voted his team's Offensive MVP and Schwabauer earned All-Section and All-Conference honors this past Fall.

Adam Carroll (Silverton High School) will see time as linebacker for the Raiders after earned All-Conference honors as a senior. Carroll also finished second in the State Wrestling Championships.

Included in the group of 25 are seven transfers.

“We lost so many starters on defense to graduation that it was important to bring in a stellar transfer class,” Helminiak said. “We feel this group addresses that and they call can come in a play a role for us immediately.”

Defensively, the Raiders will welcome defensive linemen Kyle Kellough (Windsor, Calif./Windsor) and Nate Langi, defensive backs Randy Fesser (Portland, Ore./Heritage) and James Wheeler (Los Angeles, Calif./William Hart) and defensive end R.J. Orozco

Kellough had 12 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one sack in 2009 at Santa Rosa Junior College. Langi was a two-time All-Conference selection at Golden West College.

Fesser earned All-Conference honors at Mendocino Junior College before going to Sacramento State this past year. Wheeler helped El Camino Junior College win a National Championship before going to Southern Illinois.

Orozco was a two-time All-Conference performer at Golden West College and led the squad this past year with 54 tackles and seven sacks.

Quarterback Mike McDonald (Burbank, Calif./Burbank) and running back Marshawn Friloux (Bellflower, Calif./Bellflower) are the two offensive players out of that group.

McDonald still holds 13 passing records at Burbank High School and spent two years at UNLV out of high school. McDonald, who has one year left, spent last Spring at Tennessee-Chattanooga. McDonald is expected to battle with the Raiders' lone returning quarterback Paul Sweeney (South San Francisco, Calif./Sared Heart Cathedral) during camp.

Friloux is a transfer from Cerriots Junior College and averaged 8.9 yards per carry last year before getting injured in the fifth game of the season.

2010 Class
Julian Faciane - DB - 6'1 190 - Parkrose H.S. OR
Zack Schwabauer (Red Bluff, Calif./Red Bluff) - DB - 6'0 185 - Red Bluff H.S. CA
R.J. Orozco - DE - 5'11 225 - Golden West College
Daniel Marcel (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) - DL - 6'2 265 - Freedom H.S. CA
Brian Keathley (Fernley, Nev./Fernley) - DL - 6'0 250 - Fernley H.S. NV
Adam Carroll - LB - 5'10 205 - Silverton H.S. OR
Adam Evers (Beaverton, Ore./Southridge) - OL - 6'5 255 - Southridge H.S. OR
Cole Richardson (Eugene, Ore./Marist) - OL - 6'3 265 - Marist H.S. OR
John Florey - OL - 6'3 295 - Phoenix H.S. OR
Andrew Valli (Redding, Calif./Shasta) - OL - 6'4 300 - Shasta H.S. CA
Chris Kammell - QB - 6'3 185 - Phoenix H.S. OR
Trevor Hurn - QB - 6'0 185 - Woodland H.S. WA
Jeremy Powers - QB - 6'3 210 - Capital H.S. ID
Quentis Clark - QB - 5'9 175 - Oceanside H.S. CA
Brandon Grissom (Medford, Ore./Eagle Point) - RB - 5'10 180 - Cascade Christian H.S. OR
Dylan Carlson (Klamath Falls, Ore./Mazama) - RB - 6'0 180 - Mazama H.S. OR
Colton Kelsey - TE - 6'4 215 - Crescent Valley H.S. OR
Skyler Reagan (Phoenix, Ore./Phoenix) - WR - 6'3 195 - Phoenix H.S. OR
Shane Brady (Woodland, Wash./Woodland) - WR - 6'3 190 - Woodland H.S. WA 
Randy Fesser (Portland, Ore./Heritage) - DB - 5'8 170 - Sacramento State Univ.
James Wheeler (Los Angeles, Calif./William Hart) - DB - 5'10 180 - S. Illinois Univ.
Kyle Kellough (Windsor, Calif./Windsor) - DL - 5'11 275 - Santa Rosa J.C.
Nate Langi - DL - 6'3 285 - Golden West College
Mike McDonald (Burbank, Calif./Burbank) - QB - 6'1 205 - U-Tenn. Chattanooga
Marshawn Friloux (Bellflower, Calif./Bellflower) - RB - 5'10 210 - Cerritos J.C.