June 25, 2008

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis head men's soccer coach Dan Donigan today announced that former UCLA midfielder James Jaramillo (Orem, Utah/Mountain View HS) will transfer to the University and compete for the Billikens. The junior begins his two years of eligibility this fall.

"James is another extremely versatile player who has the ability to fill a void on our team," Donigan said. "Because of that versatility, I am not sure where he will fit in positionally."

A 2005 high school All-American, the 6-foot Jaramillo played in 32 matches (11 starts) over a two-year span at UCLA. In 2006, he played 19 games for a Bruins squad that advanced to the championship match of the College Cup played in St. Louis at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. He scored his first and only goal that season with 18 seconds remaining in double overtime against Washington. Last season, Jaramillo saw action in 13 games, including two starts.

"James brings maturity and extensive experience to our program having already played in a College Cup at UCLA," Donigan said. "Therefore, I expect a quick transition being that he has already experienced competition against high-quality opponents."

Jaramillo played three years at Mountain View High School, a career punctuated by him earning NSCAA/adidas All-America honors following his junior season in 2005. He was an All-State first-team selection his sophomore and junior seasons, and he was named his region's MVP and an adidas Boys' All-American following his junior season. Jaramillo decided to forgo his senior year after graduating early and enrolling at UCLA in the spring of 2006.

In addition to his standout prep career, Jaramillo was an adidas ESP participant in 2005. He played with the Pateadores Soccer Club in 2005-06 and won a California National Cup in 2006. Jaramillo also played club ball with Inter FC (2002-05) and Sparta (2000-02).

Jaramillo joins a recruiting class that already includes defender Brent Hellesen (Orange, Calif./Pateadores/Orange Lutheran), defender Tyler McNabb (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Metro United/Cape Central), forward Jonas Reiter (Redondo, Calif./Pateadores/South Torrence) and defender/midfielder Keegan Smith (Dallas, Texas/Solar SC/J.J. Pearce).