Last Saturday's results were hard to top, but Wednesday's (Dec. 19) outcome was pleasing in its own right for the Eastern Washington University football program.
 
In the second year of a new period for signing players, the national championship game-bound Eagles signed eight high school players to national letters of intent on Wednesday (Dec. 19) to attend EWU and play for the school next fall.
 
The signees included a trio from the State of Washington, including the brother of a current Eagle who will play on Jan. 5 when the Eagles take on North Dakota State in the NCAA Championship Game in Frisco, Texas. The class also includes a running back in California with 3,554 yards and 77 touchdowns rushing in his career, as well as a mobile quarterback from the Golden State.
 
"It's a great class, and I wouldn't expect anything less from our coaches and support staff," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best, whose 2018 team extended its season on Dec. 15 with a 50-19 win over Maine in the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. "Half the class is in and half the class is yet to come. We'll get back on the road in January to sign the rest of the class on the Feb. 6 signing date."
 
Signee Dawson Ingram is a tight end from Camas (Wash.) High School, and his brother, Dylan, is already an Eagle tight end who has played in all 14 games for EWU this season. The other two in-state products are defensive end Brock Harrison from Ridgefield High School, and defensive tackle Soli Paleso'o from Fife HS.
 
Running back Kyle Bryant was a stat-stuffer at San Fernando (Calif.) High School, rushing for 3,554 yards and an average of 11.0 yards per carry. He scored 44 touchdowns on the ground and four more receiving for a total of 48. Defensively he had 154 tackles with five sacks and a pair of interceptions in his 36-game career. Most importantly, his team win the Mission Valley League title three years in a row (6-0 each year) and were a collective 30-6.
 
The long list of California quarterbacks on the Eagle roster will continue with Trey Turner from Pittsburg (Calif.) High School. He follows in the footsteps of former Eastern All-American Vernon Adams Jr. (Bishop Alemany HS), and current Eagle quarterback Eric Barriere (La Habra HS), who just this week earned sophomore All-America accolades.
 
Playing in the highest level of high school football in California, Turner helped lead Pittsburg to a 16-6 record in two seasons. His father, Aaron Turner, was a two-time All-America receiver at the University of Pacific and led the NCAA Football Bowl Division (then I-A)  in receiving in 1991.
 
The remainder of the class includes offensive lineman George Becker (Gridley, Calif., HS), offensive lineman Isaac Flemmer (Banks, Ore., and Valley Catholic HS), defensive end Warren Hardin (Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly HS) and safety Jordan White (Lynwood, Calif., and Chaparral HS).
 
 "It's a little different this year because last year we weren't playing," Best said of the challenge of recruiting while still preparing for games in December. "We were able to have a lot of coaches on the road in December last year to get to the inaugural early signing period. This time we are in the playoffs with the same early signing period. Most of our work has been toward preparing for the playoff games ahead of us, so we had to juggle both ends. But we feel good about the players we've signed."

 

EWU's 2018 Early Signing Class (Dec. 19, 2018)

  

George Becker	OL	6-4	265	Gridley, Calif. / Gridley HS '19
Kyle Bryant	RB	6-0	185	San Fernando, Calif. / San Fernando HS '19
Isaac Flemmer	OL	6-7	265	Banks, Ore. / Valley Catholic HS '19
Warren Hardin	DE	6-3	225	Riverside, Calif. / Riverside Poly HS '19
Brock Harrison	DE	6-3	235	Ridgefield, Wash. / Ridgefield HS '19
Dawson Ingram	TE	6-5	240	Camas, Wash. / Camas HS '19
Soli Paleso'o	DT	6-3	270	Fife, Wash. / Fife HS '19
Trey Turner	QB	6-1	190	Pittsburg, Calif. / Pittsburg HS '19
Jordan White	S	6-0	190	Lynwood, Calif. / Chaparral HS '19

 

George Becker

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Becker: "He has versatility in what he can accomplish. He's more of an inside player for us than on the outside, but he could play all five positions. He has some good length. His parents own a rice farm and we like workers, and you can't replace work ethic. We think he'll be a good player for us, and had other schools wanting his services. He felt like this was the best place for him. He has a very good ceiling and he'll be very good for years to come."
 
Will graduate in 2019 from Gridley HS. Was a two-star recruit by 247Sports. He earned All-Butte View League honors in both 2017 and 2018. He was also his team's Offensive Lineman of the Year both seasons, and twice received a Scholar-Athlete Award. Becker earned Gridley Herald All-Area honors as a defensive lineman. He had 33 tackles as a junior and 34 as a senior for two-year totals of 67 tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Gridley finished 8-4 in his senior season and advanced to the second round (semifinals) of the CIF Northern Section Division 3 Playoffs. As a junior the Bulldogs were 9-3 and also advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Competed three years in football. His high school coach was Matt Kemmis. Was also a four-year rodeo competitor in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in business/marketing at Eastern. Born 4/9/01 in Chico, Calif. His parents are Clark and Kourtney Becker.
 
 
 

Kyle Bryant

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Bryant: "I call him L.J. – Little Juice. He has great character and is a special talent. He has some size at the running back position which we covet. He's an every-down back who can catch the ball out of the backfield, so he's versatile. He has some length, speed and vision – everything we look for at the running back position. We recruited him early and he committed early, and stayed true to that commitment. He's going to be a good running back here."
 
Will graduate from San Fernando HS in 2019. He rushed for 3,554 yards – 11.0 yards per carry -- and 44 touchdowns in 36 career games. He was a two-time Mission Valley League Player of the Year (2017 and 2018) and all-city running back. He helped his team win the Mission Valley League title three years in a row (6-0 each year) and go a collective 30-6. He also caught 18 passes for another 295 yards and four scores, finishing with 3,854 all-purpose yards in 36 career games (107.1 per game). Defensively he had 154 tackles with five sacks and a pair of interceptions.
 
In his senior season, Bryant rushed for 1,262 yards (12.0 per carry) in 10 games, with 17 touchdowns and 10 games with at least 100 yards. He added eight receptions for 191 yards and three scores, and defensively had 40 tackles. He rushed for a career-high 253 yards on just 15 carries (16.9 per rush) with three touchdowns versus Canoga Park. He helped San Fernando finish 8-3 and win the Valley Mission League championship with a 6-0 record. The Tigers advanced to the CIF Los Angeles City Section Open Division playoffs.
 
As a junior, he rushed for 1,707 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for at least 100 yards in 11 games. His season high was 172 versus Panorama when he scored twice on just six carries (28.7 per rush). He had 37 tackles and an interception in 2017, helping his team to a 12-2 record. The Tigers were league champions with a 6-0 record, and won the CIFLACS Division I title with a 28-21 victory over Dorsey in the championship game. He had 123 yards and a touchdown in that game.
 
As a sophomore in 2016, he was mainly used on defense and had 77 tackles with four sacks and an interception. He did rush for 560 yards and six scores, and had a high of 155 with a touchdown versus Canoga Park. He had a season high nine tackles in four separate games, and had six tackles and a pair of sacks versus Reseda. San Fernando was 10-0 before losing to Garfield 35-28 in the CIFLACS Division I Playoffs. He saw action in one game as a freshman. His high school coach was Robert Garcia. Also competed in track and field at San Fernando.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in business and marketing at Eastern. Born 4/19/01 in Van Nuys, Calif. His mother is Demika McLemore. Nickname is "K.B."
 
 

Isaac Flemmer

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Flemmer: "He's a project in the making – we have one or two a year on the offensive line. He's just like we like them – he's long, lean and will be able to put some weight on. He's an offensive tackle who can play on both the left and the right. He comes from a great family with great structure, and there is athleticism in his family. He's raw, but he's a hard worker and willing to be coached. He'll redshirt and get his bearings in the offensive line arena. We're excited to get him onboard."
 
Will graduate from Valley Catholic HS in 2019. Earned first team All-Cowapa League honors as a senior, and received honorable mention in his sophomore season. The Valiants won just two games in both his junior and senior seasons, but were 6-3 in his sophomore season in 2016. His high school coach was Nick Hegwood. Also competed in basketball and track and field in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in mechanical engineering at Eastern. Born 5/5/01 in Forest Grove, Ore. His parents are Rick and Kristen Flemmer. His father was a high jumper, leaping 6-feet, 11-inches in 1984 for Hillsboro High School to still rank among the top 15 in state history. He won the Northwest Athletic Conference title in 1988 for Clackamas Community College with a 6-8 jump.
 
 

Warren Hardin

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Hardin: "He was highly-coveted by a lot of schools. He's an avid outdoorsman and played both sides of the ball in high school. He did what they asked him to do, and he puts his nose down and keeps his eyes up. He plays the way the game is supposed to be played. He's capable of doing many things – he can rush the passer and stop the run. He's violent in how he plays, which is always welcome from a defensive standpoint. We're extremely excited about signing him and what he can bring to the table."
 
Will graduate from Riverside Poly in 2019. In 2017 he was selected to the Cal-Hi All-State Junior Football Team. He also earned All-Inland Valley League honors in high school, as well as all-area accolades. He finished his career as the all-time sack leader at Riverside Poly with 26, including 13 as a sophomore. The Bears finished 6-5 in his senior season, including a 4-2 record in the Inland Valley League. His high school coach was Derek DeWitt. Received a pair of academic awards in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in nutrition and physical education at Eastern. Born 12/19/2000 in Redlands, Calif. His parents are Timothy and Meredith Hardin. He also received offers from Air Force and Northern Arizona.
 
 
 

Dawson Ingram

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Ingram: "He's going to play the same position as his brother, so that could be very interesting and competitive. He comes from a highly-renown football program and won a lot of games at Camas with Coach Eagle and company. He played both sides of the ball and was hurt a little bit both his junior and senior seasons. So he hasn't really reached his full potential yet, which we like. He's not making a trek too far away from home, and he'll be on the same team and in the same meeting room as his brother. That should be fun journey – it is fun to play alongside your brother."
 
Will graduate in 2019 from Camas HS. Was a two-star recruit by 247Sports. He earned second team All-4A Greater St. Helens League honors as a tight end in his senior season. Camas was just 5-5 in 2018, but in 2017 the Papermakers were 9-2 and advanced to the WIAA 4A State Playoffs. As a sophomore, with his brother Dylan also on the team, Camas finished 14-0 and beat Richland 24-14 for the State 4A title. His high school coach was Jon Eagle, whose son Zach was a senior wide receiver for Eastern in the 2018 season.
 
Also competed in wrestling at Camas. His brother, Dylan Ingram, was a 2017 graduate of Camas and has played in all 14 games as a redshirt freshman tight end and special teams player for the Eagles in 2018. He has two catches for six yards and a touchdown for EWU this season, with his first career catch coming versus Southern Utah and his first career TD versus Northern Colorado. Eastern All-America kicker Roldan Alcobendas is a Camas graduate (2013), and EWU wide receiver Zach Eagle (2014) graduated one year later. Both were seniors on Eastern's Big Sky Conference championship team in 2018, which concludes its season on Jan. 5 in the NCAA Division I Championship Game.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in business at Eastern. Born 5/24/01 in Portland, Ore. His parents are Jason and Michele Ingram.
 
 
 

Soli Paleso'o

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Paleso'o: "He had a knee injury which turned a lot of people off, but one of those teams wasn't us. We were true to our word and stayed with him the entire way. He's a man with a smile off the field, but on the field I don't know if he smiles at all which is what we like. He's able to flip the switch. You can never have too many hand-down defensive linemen, because we play eight or nine in a game. He'll probably redshirt, but we'll see how that goes. His whole family is all-in and he's excited for the opportunity. He was committed to us because we were committed to him."
 
Will graduate in 2019 from Fife HS. Was a three-star recruit by 247Sports. Was sidelined for the 2018 season as his school finished 11-2, won the 2A South Puget Sound League Mountain Division title and advanced to the semifinals of the State 2A Playoffs. As a junior, he was the 2A SPSL Mountain Division Defensive Lineman of the Year. He helped lead his team to a 9-2 record, the first round of the 2A Playoffs and the SPSL Mountain Division title with a perfect 7-0 mark. In his sophomore year he earned first team All-SPSL honors as Fife finished 7-3 and advanced to the 2A Playoffs. Played for Kent Nevin at Fife.
 
Also competed in track and field in high school. As a junior he advanced to the State 2A Championships in the shot put and placed 14th with a personal best of 46-5 3/4.
 
Personal: Undecided on a possible major at Eastern. Born 1/24/01 in America Samoa. His parents are Sorrow and Susana Valoaga. Will be a first generation college student from his family.
 
 
 

Trey Turner

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Turner: "He came to our quarterback camp and showed his physical talents and his character. He's very humble, competitive and driven which we need at all positions, but especially at quarterback. He has playmaking ability and can elude the first, second and third rushers, which in our system you have to be able to do. He's not a statue in the pocket. He's a leader and a captain, and he makes everybody else around him better. He comes from a great, structured family, and is very good in the classroom. We're excited to sign him as our 2019 quarterback in this class."
 
Will graduate from Pittsburg HS in 2019. Coached by Victor Galli at Pittsburg. He passed for 857 yards and rushed for another 103 in seven games as a senior in 2018. He completed 53.7 percent of his passes (80-of-149) and had 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, and also rushed for a score. Pittsburg finished the season 7-4 and 4-1 to finish as the runner-up in the Bay Valley League. The Pirates advanced to the open division of the CIF Playoffs where they lost to powerhouse De La Salle 38-0 in the semifinals.
 
His junior season was wiped out with a knee injury suffered in preseason practices, but as a sophomore he passed for 957 yards and eight touchdowns while completing 52.7 percent of his passes (110-of-957). He also rushed for 200 yards and three scores. The Pirates finished 9-2 overall and 4-1 in league play, and lost to its league rival Freedom 55-35 in the semifinals of the open division of the CIF Playoffs.
 
His high school coach was Victor Galli. Turner also played baseball in high school. Had a 4.15 GPA in high school to currently rank 62nd out of 864 students.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in pre-law at Eastern. His nickname is "Six Points." Born 5/9/2000 in Vallejo, Calif. His parents are Aaron and Maria Turner. His father played college football from 1989 to 1992 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. In 11 games during the 1991 season, he caught 92 passes for 1,604 yards and 18 touchdowns to lead NCAA major colleges that year in receiving yards. He led the Big West Conference in receiving yards for three consecutive seasons from 1990 to 1992, and in his career he caught 266 passes for 4,345 yards and 43 touchdowns. Inducted into the Pacific Hall of Fame in 2007, he earned third team AP All-America honors in 1990 and second team UPI All-America accolades in 1991. He was a first team All-Big West selection in 1991 and 1992. He went on to play in the Canadian Football League and coach.
 
 

Jordan White

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on White: "In high school he was matched up against the best receiver on the other team, and he usually had his way with him. He's very physical and long, and when you are talking about a safety or corner, you can't substitute length for anything. He's another player who came to our camps. He has a lot of charisma and enjoyed learning from our players who coached him at camps. That was something he cherished, and a lot of that is how he was treated by our players at camp. He is very appreciative of the opportunity to come here, and we believe he'll make the most of the opportunity."
 
Will graduate in 2019 from Chaparral HS. Was a two-star recruit by 247Sports. Earned first team All-Southwestern League honors as a senior wide receiver, and was a second team selection as a defensive back. He caught 31 passes for 544 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. He helped Chapparal finish 7-4 and advance to the CIF Southern Section Playoffs. He was honorable mention all-league as a junior in 2017. His high school coach was Andrew Ramer. Also competed in basketball in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in criminal justice at Eastern. Born 5/14/01 in Bellflower, Calif. His parents are Dwayne White and La Tasha Burns.
 
 
 

Brock Harrison

 
Head Coach Aaron Best on Harrison: "He can play multiple positions, but we see him as a defensive end in our scheme. He just makes plays. He's a Spudder, which is the best nickname in the state. He had other opportunities to go different places, but felt like this was his home away from home. He connected well with our coaches and our players. He's one of the most well-rounded players in this class. He's also a very good catcher in baseball, so he's already working on his craft for the spring of his senior season."
 
Will graduate from Ridgefield HS in 2019. He was the 2A Greater St. Helens League Defensive Most Outstanding Player as a senior and earned all-region honors as a linebacker. He averaged 10 tackles per game in 2018. He earned all-league honors as a senior (first team), junior (second team) and sophomore (first team). He also was an academic scholar all four years, an honor given to players with a 3.5-plus grade point average. His high school coach was Chris Abrams. He also competed in basketball and baseball at Ridgefield.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in business or marketing management at Eastern. Born 6/14/2000 in Vancouver, Wash. His parents are Brent and Misty Harrison. His sister, Kylei, is also an Eastern student.