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College football’s bowl season is underway, and the new and expanded playoffs are only a few days away.
There are 58 players with San Diego ties on 30 bowl teams. Thanks to the NCAA transfer portal, the local standouts are scattered to all corners of the country.
Perhaps the team with the biggest contributions from San Diego players is Boise State, which boasts three starters from the area.
The Broncos, who play the winner of Saturday’s SMU-Penn State game on Dec. 31 in the Fiesta Bowl, start two San Diego players on defense and one on offense.
Linebacker Marco Notarainni (Torrey Pines), has 55 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, three sacks and three pass breakups for Boise State (12-1). The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Notarainni had nine tackles against San Jose State and a pair of sacks against UNLV. The redshirt junior has 110 career tackles, 11 TFLs and six sacks.
Jayden Virgin (Mt. Carmel), a redshirt sophomore edge rusher, has 39 tackles and 16 TFLs and leads the team with 10 sacks. Both Notarainni and the 6-3, 255-pound Virgin are first-team All-Mountain West selections.
Matt Lauer (Torrey Pines) is a 6-3, 240-pound redshirt junior tight end. He has 43 catches for 523 yards and six touchdowns this season. He has 56 career catches for 720 yards and nine scores.
The Broncos’ coach, Spencer Danielson, is no stranger to those in San Diego football circles. He is a Solana Beach native who played at Horizon Christian and started his college career at USD. From there, he moved on to Azusa Pacific, where he played for former Rancho Buena Vista star Victor Santa Cruz.
Home for the Holiday Bowl
There are five players local players taking part in the Holiday Bowl between Washington State and Syracuse.
Senior Dean Janikowski (Cathedral Catholic) will do the majority of the kicking in the Dec. 27 game at Snapdragon Stadium. He is averaging 42.7 yards on 26 punts, with six boots of 50 yards or more. He has made 51 of 53 PATs and 8 of 11 field goals, with a long of 50 yards. He has 55 kickoffs with 28 touchbacks.
Janikowski’s brother, Jack, a freshman edge rusher who also played at Cathedral Catholic, has appeared in all 12 games for the Cougars. Senior edge Quinn Roff (San Marcos) has 17 tackles, three TFLs and 1 1/2 sacks. Josh Meredith, a junior receiver who prepped at Mater Dei Catholic, has 34 catches for 442 yards and two scores.
Olympian graduate Berry Buxton is a junior defensive back at Syracuse. He has missed this season with an injury.
Close to home
Cal and UNLV meet in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Bowl in SoFi Stadium.
Byron Cardwell (St. Augustine) has 24 carries for 74 yards and a pair of receptions for 31 yards for Cal. A sophomore,. Cardwell transferred to Cal from Oregon. Linebackers Luke Ferrelli (Carlsbad) and Jude McLellan (Carlsbad) are redshirting at Cal, as is offensive lineman Sam Bjerke (Cathedral Catholic). All three are freshmen.
Sophomore receiver Corey Thompson (Lincoln) has played in all 12 games for UNLV; he has four catches for 60 yards.
Injury takedown
Asa Turner (Carlsbad) had 149 tackles in 44 career games at Washington, then transferred to Florida for his senior season. He started in the defensive backfield in the first game against Miami, but suffered a left leg injury and was lost for the season. The Gators play Tulane on Friday in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa.
SDSU transfers
Josh Simmons (Helix), a 6-5, 310-pound offensive tackle who played at San Dego State, was starting at Ohio State when he injured his left knee in the ninth game of the season. He’ll miss the Buckeyes’ Saturday playoff game against Tennessee and has declared for the NFL Draft. Freshman Julian Sayin (Carlsbad) is the third-string quarterback on Ohio State’s depth chart. He has played in three games, completing 5 of 11 passes for 45 yards and a TD.
Marcus Ratcliffe (Mater Dei Catholic) has started all 12 games with 47 tackles and three interceptions at Texas A&M. A transfer from San Diego State, he’s a sophomore defensive back. He had a season-high eight tackles vs. rival Texas. Donovan Saunders (Cathedral Catholic), a transfer from Cal Poly, has played in two games for the Aggies, who play USC in the Dec. 27 Las Vegas Bowl.
San Jose State = San Diego north?
Emmett Brown (San Marcos) is the starting quarterback at San Jose State, which plays South Florida on Tuesday in the Hawaii Bowl.
A transfer from Washington State, Brown has played in eight games, completing 125 of 217 passes for 1,621 yards and 16 TDs with five interceptions. He had 375 passing yards against Washington State and 355 vs. Kennesaw State.
Senior tight end Grant Norberg (Scripps Ranch), a transfer from UCLA, has played in all 12 games for the Spartans. Junior cornerback Jalen Bainer (San Marcos) has 19 tackles and an interception; fellow junior DB Zavion Reese (San Marcos) has played in 10 games. Sophomore defensive lineman Justin Stearns (St. Augustine) has 24 tackles, four TFLs and two sacks.
Fresno full of San Diegans
Kameron Beacham (Oceanside) has nine catches for 90 yards and is listed as the No. 1 tight end at Fresno State. Sophomore receiver Nathan Acevedo (Lincoln) has nine catches for 65 yards.
Freshman defensive back Makei Thompson (Mira Mesa) has played in 10 games with two tackles. Freshman defensive lineman Damarrion White (Granite Hills) and senior defensive lineman Ezra Christensen (Poway/Mesa College) are redshirting for the Bulldogs, who play Northern Illinois on Monday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Lots of time
Misael Sandoval (St. Augustine), who stands 6-6 and 335 pounds, is the second-string left tackle at Vanderbilt, which plays Georgia Tech on Dec. 27 in the Birmingham Bowl.
• Sebastian Valdez (Monte Vista), a 6-4, 305-pound senior defensive lineman, has 43 tackles, five TFLs and two sacks for Washington, which plays Louisville in the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl.
• James Wagenseller (Poway) is the sophomore punter for Army, which plays Louisiana Tech on Dec. 18 in the Independence Bowl. Wagenseller is averaging 41,67 yards on 24 punts. Chris Williams (Francis Parker), a sophomore defensive back, has played in 11 games for the Black Knights. Sophomore offensive lineman Jonah Zimmerman (Oceanside) hasn’t played this season.
• Former walk-on receiver Dane Olson (San Marcos) has 13 catches for 270 yards and a touchdown for Colorado State, which plays Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 28 in the Arizona Bowl. Olson has also completed two passes, one for a TD, returned a punt 31 yards and has three special teams tackles. Defensive back Chris Jackson (Madison/San Diego Mesa) has played two games for the Rams, while defensive back Dante Scott (Bonita Vista) has played in one.
• Freshman linebacker Martell Hughes (Madison) has 15 tackles and has blocked a kick for Arizona State, which will play in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl against the winner of the Clemson-Texas playoff game.
Finding the transfers
Devin Bale (La Jolla) is the junior punter and kickoff man at Arkansas. A transfer from Northern Colorado, he has 68 kickoffs with 42 touchbacks. He’s averaging 44.9 yards on 37 punts, with nine inside the 20 and 12 of 50 or more yards. The Razorbacks play Texas Tech on Dec. 27 in the Liberty Bowl.
• Receiver Key’Shawn Smith (Lincoln) transferred to SMU from Miami. He has 31 catches for 512 yards and five touchdowns for the Mustangs, who play Penn State on Saturday in the playoffs.
• Tyler Buchner (Bishop’s), who started his college career at Notre Dame as a QB, then transferred to Alabama, is back at Notre Dame as a grad student … and playing receiver. Playing mostly special teams, Buchner had a 4-yard run for a first down on a fake punt and completed a pass for 23 yards and a first down. Notre Dame plays Indiana on Friday in the playoffs. Buckner played lacrosse last season for the Irish, who won the NCAA championship.
• Ozzie Nicholas (La Costa Canyon), who had an outstanding career at Princeton, is finishing his college career as a graduate student at Duke. A linebacker, he has 89 tackles for the Blue Devils who play Ole Miss on Jan. 2 in the Gator Bowl.
• Domani Jackson (Mater Dei Catholic) is a junior cornerback at Alabama, which plays Michigan in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. Jackson, who transferred to Alabama from USC, has 48 tackles, two interceptions and seven passs breakups this season.
• Herman Smith (Lincoln) has played in 12 games for Colorado after transferring from Idaho State. Running back Christian Sarem (Carlsbad) hasn’t played for the Buffs, who meet BYU on Dec. 28 in the Alamo Bowl.
• Christian Washington (Helix) has 102 carries for 537 yards and five scores for Coastal Carolina, which plays UTSA on Monday in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. He had a 68-yard run against Old Dominion and rushed for 124 yards vs. Georgia State and 100 vs. William & Mary. He’s a transfer from New Mexico.
Redshirts
After playing 21 games his first two seasons at Oklahoma, defensive lineman Gracen Halton (St. Augustine) sat out this season. The Sooners play in the Dec. 27 Armed Forces Bowl.
• Gunnar Gray (University City/Mesa College) played in three games at quarterback for Buffalo this season, going 4 of 11 for 41 yards.
• Marquis Bell (El Camino/Palomar College) played in two games as a DB at Liberty. Offensive lineman Andrew Johnson (Poway/San Diego Mesa) played in one game. The Flames play in the Jan. 4 Bahamas Bowl.
• Receiver Colton Westbrook (Poway/San Diego Mesa) is on the roster at Missouri. The Tigers play Iowa in the Dec. 30 Music City Bowl.
• Jack Tuttle (Mission Hills) played in two games at Michigan as a graduate student, completing 30 of 50 passes for 306 yards. After his fifth concussion, he announced he was retiring from the game. Tuttle also played at Utah and Indiana.
• Offensive lineman Isaiah Jatta (Helix) played in three games for BYU, which plays Colorado in the Dec. 28 Alamo Bowl.
• Jahlil Florence (Lincoln) , a junior DB at Oregon, sat out after injuring his right knee last season. Xavier Barksdale (Steele Canyon) didn’t play this season for the Ducks, who open their playoff run in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl.
• Roderick Robinson (Lincoln), a sophomore running back at Georgia, had four carries in two games then underwent surgery for turf toe. The Bulldogs will play either Notre Dame or Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
• Kicker Tyler Robles (La Costa Canyon) and defensive DJ Peevy (Lincoln) didn’t see action for USC, which plays Texas A&M in the Dec. 27 Las Vegas Bowl.
John Maffei’s Alumni Report appears during the college season. Readers are encouraged to send items to joihn.maffei@sduniontribune.com.
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