Four Pirate Football Players Sign NLI

Head coach Steve Mooshagian is excited to announce that four members of the 2015 Ventura College football team have signed National Letters of Intent to transfer at mid-year. Three members of the Pirates prolific offense were highly courted recruits by several NCAA D1 schools prior to selecting and signing their NLI's in December and one member of the Pirates special team force earned his way to the NCAA D1 level.

2015 Mid-Year Transfers:

Offensive Tackle Tyson Rising to Arizona State University (NCAA D1 PAC 12 Conference): Rising is a two-year member for the Ventura College football team who was honored as an All-Conference, All-Region and All-American in 2015 and was hotly recruited by several West Coast powers at the NCAA D1 level before selecting Arizona State University

Quarterback Ty Gangi to University of Nevada Reno (NCAA D1 Mountain West Conference): Gangi joined the Pirate football team in the summer of 2015 after redshirting at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2014. Gangi was not the original starting quarterback for the Pirates in 2015, but earned his was into the starting spot and went on to help the Pirate offense throw a school record 30 touchdown passes and was recruited heavily by the Wolf Pack at Nevada Reno wher he will compete for a starting job.

TE Austin Blake-Smith to University of Texas San Antonio (NCAA D1 Conference USA): Blake was a target of Gangi during the 2015 season pulling down 18 catches for a total of 197 yard with two touchdown receptions. The physical and athletic Blake Smith will look to earn time in the rotation at UTSA next fall.

K Jake Lanski to San Jose State University (NCAA D1 Mountain West Conference): Lanski was an All-Conference selection and All-American selection following his prolific season as the Pirate place kicker. A Ventura High School graduate, Lanksi is a three-year member of the Pirate program having redshirted and earned the starting role for the past two seasons. He is expected to take over the Spartans placekicking and kick off duties.

The Pirate football program has transfered over 100+ players under the tenure of head coach Steve Mooshagian. These four are the first members of what will be another large transfer class of Pirate football players on to four-year universities to continue their football and academic pursuits.