The562’s coverage of Millikan athletics in the 2023-24 school year is sponsored by Curtis Boyer.
The Millikan Rams doubled their 2024 football signing class on Wednesday, as four Rams joined the four early signees by signing their National Letters of Intent at a ceremony on campus.
The latest foursome of Millikan football players to reach the next level are LB Matthew Robinson (San Jose State), plus offensive linemen Mason Scott (San Diego), Alex Romero (Cal Poly), and Ryder McGuire (Benedictine College).
“It’s just a testament to our families, our players, and our coaches. I get all the glory, but I don’t want any of it,” said Millikan head coach Romeo Pellum during the event. “It’s not about me, it’s about what these guys do that you guys don’t see. (The assistant coaches) bust their butts day in and day out. I’m on them just like I’m one of the players, and they do a really good job. And our players, you guys sacrificed a lot and you guys are ready for the world. And I have no doubt that you guys are all gonna be successful.”
First up was Matt Robinson, the hard-hitting middle linebacker at the heart of the Millikan defense last season, who was announcing his college choice in front of parents, coaches and classmates. Robinson had to be patient during the recruiting process, but finally got the recruiting attention he’d been hoping for and found a home in San Jose.
“I’m really excited, man. I woke up one day, and finally got that phone call,” said Robinson. “I’ve just been staying humble, still working out, just trying to see if something was gonna shake, and it did. So I’m blessed to have the opportunity to play at the next level.”
Robinson should feel right at home in Northern California, not just because he’s a Sacramento native, but because he’ll have a few familiar faces joining him on the Spartans roster, including fellow Millikan Ram, Greg McClendon, who made his commitment during the early signing period.
“Yeah, me and Greg talked about this. We knew it was a possibility, but it’s crazy that it actually came true,” Robinson said. “We’re really excited to go there with each other. And I’ve actually got another friend, Matt Coleman, who is there right now. I played with him at Serra. So I’m excited to be with the guys.”
Mason Scott was a four-year starter for the Rams holding down the center position, and he’ll also remain in-state at the next level, choosing to attend the University of San Diego.
“It’s amazing, it’s close to home. And not too long ago I didn’t even think I was going to make it out,” said Scott of the opportunity he got with USD. “I thought I would just have to tell my kids ‘Aw, I could’ve played in college.’ I didn’t want to be that uncle at the family reunion, I had to make sure I did something.”
Heading to Cal Poly is Millikan offensive tackle Alex Romero, who had an up-and-down career with the Rams due to injury. He was hurt during his sophomore campaign, then after a strong junior year he tore his ACL prior to his senior season.
“He’s probably one of, if not the best lineman that we’ve had at the tackle position since we’ve been here,” said Pellum of Romero. “When he tore his ACL, it hurt him, hurt the team and it hurt us. We felt his pain. It really, really hurt him, and you saw it in his face when he got the results. He was very emotional because his goal, as it is for many players here, is to go play college football, and he felt like his dreams were gone.”
Despite those setbacks, Romero was able to not only find a Division I roster spot, but a scholarship offer as well. He’ll be playing for head coach Paul Wulff at Cal Poly, who was actually Pellum’s head coach at Washington State back in the day.
“This has been my dream my entire life,” said Romero of signing a college scholarship. “I’ve always wanted to play Division I football and the goal was trying to get it free .. With those injuries, that really affected me and my ability to do that, so being here is just great. This is what I want, it’s what I’ve been training for all these years I’ve been playing football, so it’s great.”
Finally, offensive lineman Ryder McGuire signed with Benedictine College, an NAIA school in Atchison, Kansas. McGuire visited a number of different schools in the recruiting process, but said he liked the facilities at Benedictine and felt they were serious about football and gave him a lot of attention during his recruitment.
“I feel really good, and it helps knowing all my work paid off,” McGuire said. “I wasn’t a four-year starter and I kind of had to sit back and watch for a while. But once I got my time to shine, I know I did my thing and I got the opportunities I wanted.”
Coach Pellum said there’s still three more Rams seniors (Jayden Rapp, Ethaniah Steffany, and Riley Tuggle) who he expects to sign soon, which would give Millikan over 20 college signees over the past five years–an exceptionally high number for the Millikan program.
The latest four signees join Ryan Pellum (Oregon), Greg McClendon (San Jose State), Loyall Mouzon (Fresno State) and Kyle Parker (Utah Tech) in Millikan’s 2024 signing class.
