LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head football coach Gary Andersen announced portions of his second signing class on Wednesday, as part of the NCAA early signing period. The class, which includes seven players, is comprised of five high school and two junior college athletes. Of those seven signees, five will enroll at USU for the 2020 spring semester, while one will serve a two-year LDS Church Mission before beginning his collegiate career.
 
"It was a good day," said Andersen, "everybody that we expected to sign signed. We are excited about everyone that's going to be joining our program whether it be in January or next fall. This class has always been about quality not quantity, and we will continue to work to finish this class through the February signing day."
 
The state of California produced the most signees with three, followed by one each from Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Australia.
 
The greatest emphasis thus far in Andersen's second recruiting class is on the defensive side of the ball with three defensive linemen and two defensive backs. USU also added a running back and punter to this group.
 
Utah State will announce its complete 2020 signing class on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
 

High School Signees (5)

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	Exp.	Hometown (High School)
Stephen Kotsanlee^	P	6-2	205	Fr.	HS	Melbourne, Australia (Box Hill HS)
Luke Marion	S	6-0	185	Fr.	HS	Tualatin, Ore. (Tualatin HS)
Dahlin Mesake^	DE	6-3	230	Fr.	HS	Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman HS)
Elelyon Noa^	RB	5-9	200	Fr.	HS	La Mesa, Calif. (Helix HS)
Poukesi Vakauta*	DT	6-0	255	Fr.	HS	Euless, Texas (Trinity HS)

Junior College Signees (2)

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	Exp.	Hometown (High School)
James Hansen^	DT	6-4	275	So.	JC	Fontana, Calif. (Kaiser HS/Riverside CC)
Xavion Steele^	CB	5-10	185	Jr.	JC	Hemet, Calif. (Orange Lutheran HS/Fullerton JC)

^ - Will enroll at Utah State for the 2020 spring semester.
* - Will serve a two-year LDS Church Mission before enrolling at Utah State.
 

Pronunciation Guide
Stephen Kotsanlee ................................................................................................................................................................  Kot-sun-lee
Luke Marion .............................................................................................................................................................................  Mar-e-un
Dahlin Mesake .....................................................................................................................................................  Dah-lynn May-saw-kay
Elelyon Noa  ...................................................................................................................................................................  L-L-E-On No-uh
Xavion Steele .........................................................................................................................................................................  Za-vee-on
Poukesi Vakauta ...................................................................................................................................................  Poe-kes-E Va-ka-oo-ta

JAMES HANSEN                                                                                                        DT • 6-4 • 275 • SO • JC • Fontana, Calif. (Kaiser HS/Riverside CC)
Junior College: Earned first-team all-Southern California Football Association (SCFA) Southern Regional honors as a defensive lineman during his freshman season at Riverside (Calif.) Community College... Helped the Tigers to a perfect 12-0 record and an appearance in the 2019 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championship game... Recorded 23.0 tackles, which included 2.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss, while adding one forced fumble on the year... Had a season-high nine tackles against El Camino JC.
 
High School: Earned California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) first-team all-league and all-division honors at right tackle along the offensive line as a prep senior at Kaiser High School in Fontana, Calif... Registered a cumulative 3.8 grade-point average during his high school career.
 
Personal: Son of Eddie and Ruby Hansen... Has four brothers and four sisters... Brother Aisea played football at Nevada... Served a two-year LDS Church Mission in Tallahassee, Fla... Will enroll at Utah State for the 2020 spring semester and plans on majoring in business and finance.    
 
STEPHEN KOTSANLEE                                                                                                        P • 6-2 • 205 • FR • HS • Melbourne, Australia (Box Hill HS)
High School: Played Australian Rules Football for most of his life… From 2012-15, played several seasons with the Surrey Park Panthers Football Club in the Yarra Football League, winning a premiership (championship) in 2013… Played soccer for the Blackburn Football Club in the VCFA between 2015-16… Returned to Aussie Rules football in 2017 and played with the Balwyn Football Club in the Eastern Football League… In 2018, he was introduced to Prokick Australia, an academy in Melbourne that teaches Australians how to punt an American football with the hope of earning a scholarship to play football and study in the United States… Trained with coaches Nathan Chapman and Johnny Smith from 2018-19… Graduated in 2017 from Box Hill High School in Victoria, Australia… Was the 2016 House Captain, 2017 Sports Captain and 2017 Captain of the Year as a senior… Earned the 2017 Academic Excellence Award.
 
Personal: Son of Ian Hughes and Ratchadar Kotsanlee… Has one brother, Ennis… Originally born in Thani, Thailand… Also lived in Singapore... Will enroll at Utah State for the 2020 spring semester and plans on majoring in accounting…. Last name is pronounced Kot-sun-lee. 
       
LUKE MARION                                                                                                                                     S • 6-0 • 185 • FR • HS • Tualatin, Ore. (Tualatin HS)
High School: A three-star defensive back that is rated as a top-10 player in the state of Oregon by 247sports.com… Earned first-team all-Three Rivers League honors at defensive back as a prep senior at Tualatin (Ore.) High School… Also scored 11 touchdowns on offense with six receiving touchdowns and five rushing scores… Helped the Timberwolves to a 10-3 record this past season and to the quarterfinals of the 2019 state playoffs… Earned second-team all-league honors at defensive back as a junior in 2018 after leading his team in interceptions.
 
Personal: Son of Brock and Keri Marion… Has three brothers and four sisters… Father played collegiately at Nevada and then for 12 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion... Plans on majoring in exercise science… Last name is pronounced Mar-e-un.
 
DAHLIN MESAKE                                                                                                            DE • 6-3 • 230 • FR • HS • Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman HS)
High School: A three-star outside linebacker that is rated as the ninth-best prospect in the state of Nevada by 247sports.com… Suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of his senior campaign at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev… Recorded seven tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss, in Bishop Gorman's 40-7 season-opening home win against Orem (Utah) HS… Made one tackle against St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii) before being injured against the Crusaders… Held offers from nine other schools, including BYU, LSU, Florida, Oregon and Mississippi State… Did not play during his junior season after transferring from Liberty High School in Henderson, Nev… Named the Defensive MVP at Liberty HS as a sophomore, after helping lead the Patriots to an 11-2 season... Was also named Liberty HS Student of the Month during his sophomore academic year... Along with football, he also played volleyball in high school.
       
Personal: Son of Wayne and Angela Mesake... Has two brothers and two sisters... Has a cousin that plays volleyball at UCLA... Will enroll at Utah State for the 2020 spring semester and plans on majoring in accounting... Name is pronounced Dah-lynn May-saw-kay.  

ELELYON NOA                                                                                                                                    RB • 5-9 • 200 • FR • HS • La Mesa, Calif. (Helix HS)

High School: A three-star recruit that is rated as the 146th-best high school running back in the nation according to 247sports.com… Earned all-San Diego area first-team honors during his senior season despite playing in just six games due to injury... Rushed for 1,085 yards and 11 touchdowns on 126 carries as a prep senior at Helix High School in La Mesa, Calif… Was named the East County Sports Player of the Year following his junior campaign in 2018, and was named to the California large schools all-state second-team, as he lead the Highlanders to an 8-5 record and the championship game of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Section playoffs… Rushed for 2,326 yards and 25 touchdowns (11.5 ypc) during his junior season… Totaled 5,830 total rushing yards during his four-year career at Helix HS to break the school record, previously held by Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush… Also caught 30 passes for 391 yards (13.0 ypc) and three touchdowns during his career… Ran for a career-best 340 yards and five touchdowns as a junior against Grossmont HS… Had 27 100-plus yard rushing games during his prep career and scored at least one touchdown in each of his final 16 games… Had a career-best receiving game during his senior season, as he caught five passes for 80 yards and one touchdown against Cathedral Catholic HS... Also competed in track & field during his freshman year.

Personal: Son of Elias and Terina Noa... Has seven brothers and two sisters... Brother Ezekiel Noa plays middle linebacker at Boise State... Another brother played football at Eastern Oregon, while one of his sisters played softball at Hawai'i... Will enroll at Utah State for the 2020 spring semester and plans on majoring in accounting... Name is pronounced L-L-E-On No-uh.

 
XAVION STEELE                                                                                         CB • 5-10 • 185 • JR • JC • Hemet, Calif. (Orange Lutheran HS/Fullerton JC)
Junior College: A three-star recruit according to 247sports.com… Earned first-team all-Southern California Football Association (SCFA) honors following his sophomore year at Fullerton College… Led the Hornets with 15 passes broken up… Recorded 59 tackles, which ranked second on the team, 2.0 sacks and two interceptions, including one he returned 85 yards for a touchdown against Palomar College… Also blocked one field goal… Garnered first-team all-SCFA honors as a freshman in 2018 after tallying 48 tackles, seven pass breakups and four interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns… Selected the SCFA National Division Defensive Player of the Week after returning two interceptions for touchdowns in a 45-14 win against San Diego Mesa College… His first pick-six was a 49-yard return and the second was an 86-yard return… Spent a semester at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he grey shirted before transferring to Fullerton College…. Also competed in track & field at Fullerton JC and placed ninth at regionals in the 100m.  
       
High School: Recorded 22 tackles to go along with two passes defended at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif., while playing in the final five games for the Lancers… Returned eight kickoffs for 199 yards and one touchdown, as well... Also played basketball and competed on the track & field team as he ran the 100m, 200m and 400m.
 
Personal: Son of Miesha Roquemore and Edward Steele… Has a twin brother and one sister… His twin, Xavier, plays football at Massachusetts… Dad played football at Humboldt State… Grandmother went to the Olympic Trails in the 100m, 200m and 400m… Plans on majoring in sociology… First name is pronounced Za-vee-on.
 
POUKESI VAKAUTA                                                                                                                           DT • 6-0 • 255 • FR • HS • Euless, Texas (Trinity HS)
High School: A three-star recruit and the 97th-best defensive tackle in the nation according to 247sports.com… Prepped at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, where he helped the Trojans to a 9-2 record and an appearance in the Texas 6A D1 Football State Championship game during his senior season… Was a first-team all-district player his sophomore, junior and senior seasons as a starter on the defensive line... Recorded 98 total tackles, which included 5.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss, to go along with 14 quarterback pressures and one forced fumble during his senior season... Earned first-team Dallas-area all-district honors from The Dallas Morning News following his junior season in 2018… Also earned Big Country all-district first-team honors… Participated in track and field at Trinity HS, as well, and was a Texas 6A regional qualifier in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 49-4.
       
Personal: Son of Fusi and Telusila Vakauta... Has one sister... Cousins with current USU football player Tipa Galeai and former USU football player Salanoa Galeai... Will serve a two-year LDS Church Mission before enrolling at Utah State... Plans on majoring in communications... Name is pronounced Poe-kes-e Va-ka-oo-ta.