“The major thing we tried to do was improve our defense,” Sacramento State head coach John Volek said. “All of these players will bring immediate help to the team. Cummings, Osterhout, McNamara, Kroeker and Fox all bring a lot of experience to defense and Sherlock will help reestablish our running game.”

Cummings comes to the team after three years at Iowa State. The defensive back redshirted during the 1999 season and saw limited action the past two years. Iowa State played in the Insight.com Bowl in 2000 and the Independence Bowl in 2001. Prior to attending ISU, Cummings prepped at Bishop Amat HS in La Puenta, Calif. While with the Lancers, Cummings competed in both football and track and field. He was a two-time all-Del Rey League selection in football and helped guide the team to a 22-3-1 record in his final two years. As a senior he recorded 49 tackles, 32 pass breakups and a fumble recovery en route to earning all-Southern Section honors.

A native of Roseville, Calif., Osterhout returns to Northern California after four years at UNLV. Osterhout will be reunited with his brother, Jon, who serves as the Hornets’ tight ends coach. Although he played tight end for the Rebels, Osterhout will likely switch to defensive end for Sacramento State. After redshirting in 1998, Osterhout played in all 11 UNLV games in 1999. He then missed the entire 2000 season due to a hamstring injury before participating in eight games with the team this past year. Osterhout graduated from Oakmont HS in 1988 and was a two-time all-Capital Athletic League selection. He was also named second team all-Metro by the Sacramento Bee following his senior season.

Another local product, Sherlock will join the team after spending the past two seasons at Sacramento City College. An offensive lineman, Sherlock helped lead the team to a pair of appearances in the Capital Shrine Bowl. He was also named all-Northern California. A 6-4, 300-pound guard, Sherlock will battle for a starting spot on the Hornet line during 2002. Sherlock graduated from Mesa Verde HS in 1999 and was teammates with current Hornet Justin Llorente on a team which won the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II title. He was also a two-time all-league selection.

McNamara comes to Sacramento State from Gavilan College in Gilroy, Calif. At 6-5, 255 pounds, McNamara will add depth to the Hornets’ defensive line. While at Gavilan he was an all-conference selection and was named the team’s top defensive player.

After playing the past two seasons at Bakersfield College, Kroeker comes to Sacramento State with an impressive list of accolades. He was a two-time all-league selection as a linebacker, including first team honors last season. As a sophomore, he earned third team All-America honors while helping lead the team to a 9-2 overall record and a Potato Bowl title. That same season, he recorded 133 tackles (15 for loss) and forced six fumbles. He also had a pair of games with 22 tackles. His brother, Dustin, played collegiately at Cal Poly before being signed by the Detroit Lions.

Fox joins Cummings and Osterhout as Division I transfers. The defensive lineman was a member of the Arizona State team for the past three seasons. A native of Clovis, Calif., Fox redshirted with the Sun Devils in 1999. He then tallied four tackles in 2000 while serving as the backup to PAC-10 Freshman of the Year Terrell Suggs. Fox (6-2, 260), missed all of the 2001 season after injuring his knee. He will enter the 2002 season as a junior.

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