Boise State has re-stocked its roster with the addition of 24 new athletes to its football program. National Letter of Intent Signing Day is here and the Broncos welcome one of the most decorated classes in program history. Six players enrolled in school in January and will be with the team for spring practices. Eighteen other athletes signed on Wednesday with virtually every position group covered.
The highest rated players in the class include Texas linebacker Ben Weaver, California offensive linemen Travis Averill and Florida quarterback Nick Patti as well as junior college defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. The class is diverse in its background but like all good Boise State recruiting classes, have one general ingredient in common: a chip on their shoulder.
The Broncos were able to secure commitments from some talented players who turned down opportunities to play in the Big 12, Pac-12, Big Ten and SEC. The class withstood a barrage of coaching defections just weeks ago and did not lose a single member of the group despite the upheaval.
The foundation of the class was laid last spring as nine players committed to the Broncos before the end of June. Surprisingly, six of those commitments came from Texas, shortly after Floridian Patti became the Broncos’ first long-distance recruit of the year. A pair of California cornerbacks rounded out the early group.
Fall moved slowly on the recruiting front as only local prospect D.J. Dean from Eagle High School committed to Boise State during the 2011 football season. Business certainly picked up following the season, however, as seven new commitments came in during December and January.
The Broncos were able to address several need areas, including defensive line and the secondary, after graduation hit those position groups especially hard. With the exception of a relatively small offensive line group, the Broncos were able to add nearly an entire team of prospects covering every position on the field. They loaded up on linebackers, perhaps signaling a philosophical change on defense, and gave their running game a jolt with a pair of highly regarded commitments at tailback and a trio of tight ends to help up front.
Here is a position by position look at how Boise State fared during the 2011-2012 recruiting season. Click the link to get more inside information on each of the new recruits:
Quarterback-
The Broncos addressed the position early and held on to their under-the-radar commitment all season as they looked to add to the competition to replace Kellen Moore. Nick Patti was the first Bronco commitment to stick and brings an exciting dual-threat capability that the Broncos have not had at the position since the graduation of Jared Zabransky following the 2006 season. Patti withstood increased recruiting interest as he remained firm in his commitment and he enrolled in January to join the spring quarterback competition.
Running back-
Jack Fields and Devan Demas are a dynamic pair of runners that hail from the state of Texas. Following the graduation of Doug Martin, the knee injuries suffered by Malcolm Johnson and Jay Ajayi and the retirement of Matt Kaiserman, the running back position has thinned out for the Broncos in the last 15 months. D.J. Harper returns, hopefully with a healthy Johnson and Ajayi in tow, and the additions of Fields and Demas should give Boise State some solid depth and the ability to redshirt at least one, if not both.
Fullback-
The Broncos added one fullback this year and they welcome back senior Dan Paul, sophomore walk-on Jamal Wilson. Armand Nance is a classic Bronco hybrid fullback/tight end but is expected to start his career in the backfield. Boise State has also used some interesting packages in the past with linebacker Tommy Smith, defensive end Tyrone Crawford and defensive tackle Mike Atkinson lining up in the backfield. Crawford has moved on but the diverse group that remains should give the Broncos the ability to keep defenses guessing with their various formations.
Wide receiver-
Boise State has a deep, and now very experienced, group of wide receivers returning. Only record-setting Tyler Shoemaker moves on. With such an impressive depth chart remaining, this was not an area of significant concern for the Broncos and they added only two potential receivers in this class. Diminutive Shane Williams-Rhodes, checking in at just 5’7”, brings a multi-threat look to the Bronco offense. He figures to eventually work his way into the rotation in a multitude of formations and could contribute early as a returner. Local standout D.J. Dean played all over the field in high school and projects to play either receiver or safety at Boise State.
Tight end-
The Broncos started last season a little light on the depth chart and ended it in much the same way. Chandler Koch missed the early part of the season with an injury, compounded by Dan Paul’s season-long battle with a hip injury of his own, and Gabe Linehan was held out of the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas after injuring his arm. All three return this year along with Kyle Sosnowski but they will need to make up for the loss of dependable starter Kyle Efaw. Hayden Plinke grayshirted last season and joined the program in February. He is joined by junior college transfer Connor Peters who is also enrolled.
Offensive line-
Nate Potter, Thomas Byrd and Chuck Hayes move on but the line is not in bad shape. Only Potter started every game of the departing trio and experienced players are ready to step in at each position. Even still, it is important for the Broncos to replenish their line depth annually and this year was no exception. They beat out some big-name programs for Travis Averill and Steven Baggett is a diamond in the rough signing for the Broncos. A late addition to the class is former UCLA commit Mario Yakoo. All three project to the interior of the line but there is versatility there with Averill, in particular, a candidate to eventually wind up at tackle.
Defensive line-
Early in the recruiting season it looked like the Broncos may have trouble re-stocking their defensive line following the losses of five impact seniors. Instead, the coaches closed the recruiting cycle with a flurry of defensive line commitments. While the new recruits will not be expected to step into starting roles immediately, there is cause for optimism. Junior college transfer Demarcus Lawrence figures to have the best shot at early playing time as he was an early enrollee. An exciting project from England, Elliot Hoyte, joined the team in January as well. Additionally, the Broncos closed strong with commitments from Darien Barrett and Sam McCaskill, a pair of pass-rushing specialists. They didn’t add a true interior presence although Hoyte is expected to begin his career playing tackle.
Linebackers-
The Broncos lost a pair of senior starters and the projected starters in 2012 will be seniors. This position group was obviously an area of emphasis for the coaches. They came away with some solid prospects in Ben Weaver and Andrew Pint before adding Christopher Santini in August. Santini may get a look at the nickelback position but Weaver, in particular, could challenge for early playing time at middle linebacker. Tyler Gray was set to join Hawaii after a grayshirt season in 2011 but switched to the Broncos after an 11th hour scholarship offer. The team also brought in outside linebacker prospect Chris Collins, who is expected to grayshirt and join the program in January 2013.
Safeties-
George Iloka and Cedric Febis graduated along with top backup Travis Stanaway. There is returning depth at the position but the group needed to be addressed in recruiting. Yakoo’s high school teammate Chanceller James committed just days before the big Georgia game while D.J. Dean joined up in October. Along with Santini, the versatility of the group should allow the depth chart to shake out in time with James a potential candidate for playing time in the fall.
Cornerback-
Early commitment Marcus Rios parted ways with the program after choosing to take additional visits following his commitment. He eventually ended up at UCLA. The position still looks like it received a major upgrade, however, in the form of Chaz Anderson and Donte Deayon. The southern California duo both committed in June and stuck with the Broncos even after the departure of Marcel Yates to Texas A&M. The Broncos really targeted the position after injuries depleted the group last fall and forced Iloka into cornerback spot during the latter stages of the season.
Special Teams-
After a full season of struggles from a pair of walk-on kickers, the Broncos added a second scholarship kicker in two years when they brought in Sean Wale of La Habra, California. Jake Van Ginkel redshirted last fall and hopes to win a competition at placekicker but he will get a test from Sean Wale in the fall along with the returning Dan Goodale and Michael Frisina. Brad Elkin graduated, leaving the punting position wide open. Wale may be more likely to step into that role in the fall with only kickoff specialist Trevor Harman currently in his way.
In all, the group has outstanding talent across the board and looks like another stable of under-recruited, hungry athletes. In a testament to Coach Chris Petersen, armed with a new five-year contract, as well as the overall stability of the program, there was not a single loss in the recruiting class following the departures of Brent Pease, Jeff Choate and Marcel Yates despite the trio being major cogs in the recruiting machine.
Join me in welcoming the newest Broncos to Boise! This may turn out to be a watershed moment in the history of the program as many of these athletes will be key components following the move to the Big East in 2013.
Comments