Merced College’s Tongamoa, Chambers, Toussaint realize signing-day dreams

Kamilo Tongamoa had no shortage of suitors.

Even after the Merced College defensive tackle verbally committed to Iowa State early in the fall, offers and opportunities continued to pour in as the sophomore turned in an All-America campaign with the Blue Devils.

Tongamoa also took visits to Colorado State, Cincinnati and Oregon. There were plenty of hard sells, but in the end, the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder opted to go with his initial instincts and stick with the Cyclones. It became official Wednesday when he signed his national letter of intent and faxed it off in the morning.

Tongamoa returned for an afternoon ceremony with fellow Division I signees Earl Chambers (Fresno State) and John Toussaint (San Jose State) at Merced College. Coaches, faculty and family members, and friends gathered outside Don Reid Court to celebrate the trio’s accomplishments.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Tongamoa, who led the Blue Devils with nine sacks, 25 tackles for a loss and was second on the team with 80 tackles. “I’m blessed to be in this situation. What ultimately made me stick with (Iowa State) is they’ve been there since the summer. They’ve been loyal to me, and they’ve been checking up on me in school.”

Chambers is no stranger to signing day, as many of his teammates pointed out in good-natured ribbing.

The redshirt sophomore signed to depart the school a year ago but needed to finish things in the classroom before he could go. Chambers helped the Merced coaching staff on the sideline last fall while getting his schooling in order. The hard work paid off as Fresno State was happy to scoop him up.

The 6-2, 200-pound safety had 52 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble for Merced in 2015.

“(Being on the sideline) showed me a lot of stuff,” Chambers said. “I can see different perspectives in football, and it really opened my eyes. It was pretty tough, watching every game and not being able to play.

“It’s crazy to me. I had to get in the classroom before anything. I’m just proud I’ve made it this far.”

Toussaint is in the growing number of players who came to the Merced campus under the radar but forced his way into the Division I spotlight with exceptional play. The sophomore defensive back was fourth on the team with 50 tackles. He had two interceptions, a forced fumble and led the Blue Devils with 11 pass breakups.

“It means a lot, particularly coming from a junior college,” Toussaint said. “A lot of junior college guys never get this opportunity. There were a few schools out there. San Jose State came out and reached out to me, and New Mexico, too. But San Jose had been real loyal, so that’s when I was like, ‘San Jose is my spot.’ ”

The trio brings Merced College’s total four-year departures to seven and its DI signings to five. Wide receiver Nih-jer Jackson (Southeastern Louisiana University) and offensive lineman Nyquel Alexander (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) signed in the winter and are already on their new campuses.

“The last few years have been great,” Merced coach Bob Casey said. “We’ve had a steady run of really good football players and schools have taken notice. I was hoping that today would be bigger, but a handful of guys are still figuring things out. We’ve had seven already sign, and I believe it’ll be as many as 14 when it’s all said and done.

“Now is the time when things really pick up for most JC guys. Teams get through signing day and see what they have and where they still might have holes. My phone’s already been blowing up this morning asking about guys like Troy Lowe, Jacques Buchannon, Brandon Williams and Noah Croninger, so hopefully, we have at least one more of these.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Merced College’s Tongamoa, Chambers, Toussaint realize signing-day dreams."