Andrew Williams (left), Michael Thomas (center), and UCLA bound Marcus Rios (right) sign their letters of intent at Cosumnes Oaks High School.
ELK GROVE, CA - After passing on Notre Dame and Boise State, cornerback Marcus Rios decided to sign a letter of intent to play college football at UCLA under head coach Jim Mora Jr.
Rios was one of four football players to sign letters of intent on Wednesday morning.
News10 Slideshow from Wednesday's National Signing Day at Cosumnes Oaks High School
"I worked hard for this moment - all four years of high school," Rios said, who decided to head to become a Bruin just recently. "I knew that following my official (visit) that UCLA is the place I wanted to go."
The 6-foot, 175 pound Rios wrapped up a solid senior season with 59 tackles and four interceptions.
Rios said he sees in Mora an NFL coach who can prepare him to play at the next level.
A year ago, Cosumnes Oaks teammate Robert Ash signed his letter of intent to attend Boise State. Ash was instrumental in trying to lure Rios, who originally gave a verbal commitment to the Broncos.
Rios will head to UCLA with another top Sac-Joaquin recruit - also coming from the Elk Grove area in Sheldon's Nate Iese.
Joining Rios were wide receiver Michael Thomas, who will be playing for UNLV, athletic quarterback/running back Andrew Williams - who is headed to Idaho as a safety, and linebacker LaDontrae Gooden, who will play at Southern Oregon.
Cosumnes Oaks under head coach Ryan Gomes finished with an 8-4 record overall this past season but is growing a strong record of Division I athletes.
Thomas will head to UNLV along with the imposing Charles Howard - a 6-foot-5, 320 pound defensive lineman from Stockton's Lincoln High School.
Also a return specialist, Thomas stands 6-foot-4 and finished last season 387 receiving with seven touchdowns, and averaged just over 36 yards per return.
By Sean Cunningham, SCunningham@News10.net
Twitter: @News10Sean
News10/KXTV