As National Signing Day came and went, there was a surprising name that didn’t sign: Sacred Heart Prep senior Mason Randall.
Randall, who for the third straight year helped lead the Gators football team to a Central Coast Section title, needed to make one last visit just to be sure. Two days after visiting, Randall committed to the University of San Diego last week.
“I fell in love with the place and the campus,” Randall said. “Got to get a better relationship with the coaches so after two days I decided to commit. I’m just really excited to get going.
“Learn the offense, get to know some of the other commits and stuff like that.”
Randall, who was named the Prep2Prep CCS Senior of the Year, will bring a winning pedigree to the Toreros, who went 9-2 and captured the Pioneer Football League (Division I-AA) title.
During his three years as the starting quarterback, Randall led the the Gators to a CCS D-IV, Open and most recently an Open D-III title including two state title game appearances.
It was the latter part of his sophomore year that Randall felt he could possible play at the next level.
“It all started my sophomore year where I thought I could possibly play football in college,” Randall said. “During my senior season I would talk with the coaches (at San Diego) weekly until I went down and visited two weeks ago before signing.”
San Diego has been quite the successful football subdivision championship in recent years and has been coached by the likes of Jim Harbaugh — former San Francisco 49ers head coach and current coach of the University of Michigan — and Ron Caragher — head coach at San Jose State — before current coach Dale Lindsey who has maintained the winning tradition.
At the same time Randall, who plans to major in business, had a backup plan for choosing San Diego.
“Signing there was a lot more than football,” Randall said. “It’s where you are going to be the next four years so I just wanted to make sure in case I got hurt and had to stop playing football that I would still be happy there.”
Randall has been extremely durable not missing a start in compiling a 36-6 record in his three years at the helm of SHP.
Randall threw for 6,394 yards 53 touchdowns and only 16 interceptions during his time as quarterback in Pete Lavorato’s run-first system making Randall’s numbers all that more impressive.
“The offense they run is a West Coast offense and something I feel I can have a lot of success in,” Randall said of San Diego. “They are big a competitor in the (PFL) so I’m excited to compete in that.”
Staying relatively close to home was a deciding factor for Randall choosing the Toreros along with the great academics and being a short plane ride home.
“It’s really great that I get to stay in California,” Randall said. “It’s a lot easier for my parents to come and see games or come and visit me for various weekends. San Diego is a great area and two hours from Los Angeles so it’s going to be a lot of fun and at the same time it’s a one-hour flight away from home.”
Randall is currently playing on the basketball team where he has been on varsity since his sophomore and leads the Gators in scoring this season.
Much like the football team winning a CCS title Randall eyeing another CCS title on the basketball court.
“I want to keep winning at basketball and hopefully win another CCS championship and maybe a NorCal championship,” Randall said. “As for baseball, the program is on the way up especially after last season and I just want to contribute to the winning ways.”
Yes, you read that right - baseball.
Randall will lace up a pair of baseball cleats for the first time since Little League and is excited to be playing with his friends - namely Andrew Daschbach.
Daschbach — a three-sport athlete at SHP — has already signed to play baseball at Stanford next year has been a good friend of Randall’s since second grade.
The Gators baseball team captured the programs first CCS title last year and Randall wants to leave no regrets during his senior year.
It’s Randall’s calmness and demeanor to go along with a strong work ethic that has taken him from a kid competing for the starting quarterback position his sophomore year to - three years and three CCS titles later - a recruited athlete.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have so much success at Sacred Heart,” Randall said.
Ryan Silapan can be reached at rsilapan@prep2prep.com and followed on Twitter @RyanSilapan
