SAMOHI — The Vikings’ number of NCAA Division 1 football commits has grown by two with the decisions this week by Kori Garcia and Chris Collins.
Joining the list of Santa Monica High School’s prized recruits that includes Chad Wheeler, who has already started classes at USC, running back Garcia has decided to play for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo while Collins will suit up for Boise State, Head Coach Travis Clark said on Tuesday.
Both players made their decisions known over the weekend with Collins taking to Facebook to post a picture with his future head coach, Chris Petersen. Collins is expected to play linebacker, a position he dominated while at Samohi.
“At this point, the rabbit is out of the hat,” Clark said. “[Recruiters] know we have players who can play on the next level. It brings a lot of excitement and motivation to the program.”
A third Viking, defensive back Dylan Muscat, is expected to make his choice in the next few days. He too is being recruited by Cal Poly. He has narrowed his choices down to Penn and Cal Poly after receiving 17 offers.
The verbal commits come after a banner season for the Vikings. Samohi finished the season 11-2 overall and reached the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs.
The Vikings also won the Ocean League title along the way with Garcia earning Most Valuable Player honors and Collins being named Defensive Player of the Year.
“This will help us continue to keep the program in front of the masses,” said Clark, who just completed his third year as coach. “I want us to be on the map.”
Samohi’s key recruit next season is considered wide receiver Sebastian LaRue, who has drawn interest from USC, UCLA and a number of Pac-12 schools. He too is being recruited by Boise State who have extended an offer to the underclassman.