CEDAR CITY, Utah, Dec. 16 - Southern Utah University has received commitments  from four transfer athletes to play football for the Thunderbirds next year. Three of the four are junior college transfers, while the fourth will join the team after spending a season at Brigham Young University.

            Quarterback Brad Sorensen will join the team after spending last season as a redshirt at BYU. Joining Sorensen will be junior offensive linemen Devin Tavana and Brandon Beddes from Snow College, as well as wide receiver Justin Brown, who spent last season at Mesa Community College in Arizona.

            Sorensen, a 6-foot-4, 224-pound sophomore from Grand Terrace, Calif., spent one season at San Bernardino Valley College prior to transferring to BYU. At SBVC Sorensen earned first-team all-conference honors after passing for over 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns as a true freshman. He was also a two-time first-team all-league and all-county selection at Colton (Calif.) High School, where he passed for 2,200 yards and 25 TDs as a senior when he completed 75 percent of his passes.

            Tavana, a 6-3, 330-pound center from Kalaheo, Hawai'i, earned first-team NCJAA All-American honors as well as first-team all-Western States Football League recognition last season. Along the way Tavana helped the Badgers to a 10-2 record and a Top of the Mountains Bowl win last season. Tavana also earned first-team all-WSFL recognition his junior season when he helped the Badgers to a perfect 11-0 regular season mark.

            Beddes, a 6-4, 300-pound tackle from American Fork, Utah (American Fork HS), was a two year teammate of Tavana who also had a big hand in the Badgers' success the last two seasons.

            Brown is a 6-3, 205-pounder from Ogden, Utah, who prepped at Layton Hills Christian High School. Last year as a true freshman he appeared in six games, catching 21 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns.   He also excelled on special teams, returning one kickoff for a touchdown.

            "We feel really good about signing four players on the first day of the signing period," SUU Coach Ed Lamb said. "The intent, obviously, was to shore up our offense. We feel like we've got some good offensive linemen and some good quarterbacks in the program but we wanted to try to get some transfers with game experience to come in and compete for positions and we feel like they'll compete right away. We also wanted to get some experience and size at receiver. Our two top receivers, Tysson Poots and Fesi Sitake, will both be seniors next year, and that's where we think Justin will fit in."

            Lamb indicated the Thunderbirds are still planning on signing at least one more player before the signing period ends.

-- SUU --