Boise State Bronco’s Class of 2017 Recruiting Guide
The Broncos currently have fifteen verbal commitments (counting players who signed in December) and remain in contention for many other quality players. Coaches will be able to resume in-home visits with players early in January and there will be three key weekends where recruits can go to Boise on official visits. Though new offers at this point are much less likely, they could still occur depending on how the process starts to play out for the top recruits on their board.
Keep in mind that numbers in a class are always fluid and it’s hard to tell how many they will take in a class each year. There are a few things to keep in mind though. 1) In the Harsin era, Boise State always takes more incoming freshmen than they have departing seniors. This is to account for the inevitable attrition that usually takes place as players transfer or retire from the team. 2) Any grayshirt commits will not count towards this class, but Riley Whimpey will be returning from his LDS mission and count towards this class. 3) Unlike last year, none of the recruits who signed in December and are joining the team for the spring semester are expected to “green-shirt” or count towards the previous year’s class.
All that being said, the Broncos began the year with 84 scholarship players. Numbers are fluid and not exact but here is an estimate. With the players transferring out, being dismissed from the team, leaving for the NFL or graduating, plus the five players signed in December, Boise State has 65 scholarship players. That would leave 20 scholarships remaining for this class. With 10 players already committed verbally in the 2017 class (adding Whimpey, not counting Birch or Moore), the Broncos can take around 10 more players this cycle. Out of those, the Broncos will probably be targeting: 2 RB, 1 WR, 1 OL, 2 DE, 1 LB, 2 S and maybe a DT.
This guide is current as of 12/29 (Players committed to other schools are not listed under offers)
Quarterback:
- Departing: Thomas Stuart
- Number of players they will take: 2
- Commits: Chase Cord, Rathen Ricedorff
- Offers:
- Note: This position was the biggest area of need for the Broncos in this class and they were able to fill it was a great prospect in Chase Cord. He also has the potential to start for the Broncos in a few years. He had a dominant senior high school season and is a playmaker with his arm and his legs. Ricedoff will provide immediate depth and will bring another dual-threat player to the position.
- Insider: Ricedorff’s offer/commit could offsets the departure of Stuart. Also, keep in mind they have taken a walk-on QB every year under Harsin. Expect that trend to continue, maybe with a local player.
Running Back:
- Departing: Devan Demas, Cory Young Jeremy McNichols
- Number of players they will take: 2
- Still in play: Cyrus Habibi-Likio, Dom Williams, Tariq Hollandsworth
- Note: Boise State is showing they can develop productive running backs with Ajayi and now McNichols putting up huge seasons in the Broncos’ system. This makes Boise State an attractive place for running back recruits and the Broncos are targeting quality backs in Habibi-Likio and Williams.
- Insider: The Broncos are taking two in this class. Boise State is competing with USC, Oregon and others for Habibi-Likio so it may be quite the uphill battle for them. Kansas commit Dom Williams is their second option, or really their 1A option and recently became a 4 star. He would be a great pick up for Boise State. UNLV commit Tariq Hollandsworth is also being looked at and is scheduled to visit in January. He is the most likely to commit at this point. Davion Ford may be another name who enters the mix.
Wide Receiver:
- Departing: Thomas Sperbeck, Chaz Anderson, Taylor Pope
- Number of players they will take: 3
- Commits: Cartrell Thomas, Bryan Thompson
- Still in play: Nolan McDonald, JC Angulo
- Note: The coaching staff did a great job landing their first four-star WR commit in Thompson,. Commit Thomas is a versatile pass-catcher and will add a dynamic presence to their offense, playing in a style similar to Shane Williams-Rhodes. McDonald possesses great athleticism (he plays quarterback in high school) and Angulo is a big deep threat who makes good adjustments to the ball on his routes. Either of these two players would be add quality WRs to their roster.
- Insider: McDonald is the top target here, with the coaches having moved on from Angulo or at least until McDonald decides. It is rumored McDonald will be doing a signing day decision. It is possible Michael Owusu is being offered here, but more signs are pointing to DE as of now.
Tight End:
- Departing: None
- Number of players they will take: 0-1
- Offers: Kade Greeley
- Note: With no tight end graduating, it’s possible the staff doesn’t take one in this class. While it would make sense, it’s also possible they take one and try to get into a routine of having at least one in each class. Greeley is a tall receiving recruit and would add another dimension to the passing game.
- Insider: Tyler Eiguren is a local player, out of the Fruitland pipeline. He grew up cheering for the Broncos and an offer would be big for him. The staff is also considering him as a DE and he would be a great bet for a late offer or a preferred walk-on candidate.
Offensive Linemen:
- Departing: Steve Baggett, Travis Averill, Mario Yakoo, Will Adams, Kellen Buhr
- Number of players they will take: 4
- Commits: Mike Young, John Ojukwu, Zach Troughton (JC)
- Still in play: Onesimus Lutu-Clarke, Sean Seaward, Isiah Moore (JC)
- Note: Due to the past two recruiting classes, depth at this position is young but plentiful. However, they will need to keep recruiting solid linemen in order to sustain the depth. Again they will be losing a number of starters and are looking for one more player here, most likely an interior lineman. Young is a massive young man who may need time to work on technique but should develop into a solid guard. Troughton gives them experience at the JUCO level, which will be needed at losing four rotation linemen after the 2016 season. Ojukwu is an extremely hard worker who was under-recruited and continues to the streak of local linemen getting to the blue. The 4th spot is going to an interior lineman with some promising offers out.
Insider: There are a few names here for the last spot. Seaward comes from powerhouse AZ program in Saguaro, is high on Boise State, and will be visiting in January. Onesimus is leaning Oregon State currently but is giving the Broncos a fair shot as he is also scheduling a visit. Keep an eye out for Jason Moore, Tyler Stevens, Jonathan Nathaniel, Creston Cooledge.
The Broncos currently have fifteen verbal commitments (counting players who signed in December) and remain in contention for many other quality players. Coaches will be able to resume in-home visits with players early in January and there will be three key weekends where recruits can go to Boise on official visits. Though new offers at this point are much less likely, they could still occur depending on how the process starts to play out for the top recruits on their board.
Keep in mind that numbers in a class are always fluid and it’s hard to tell how many they will take in a class each year. There are a few things to keep in mind though. 1) In the Harsin era, Boise State always takes more incoming freshmen than they have departing seniors. This is to account for the inevitable attrition that usually takes place as players transfer or retire from the team. 2) Any grayshirt commits will not count towards this class, but Riley Whimpey will be returning from his LDS mission and count towards this class. 3) Unlike last year, none of the recruits who signed in December and are joining the team for the spring semester are expected to “green-shirt” or count towards the previous year’s class.
All that being said, the Broncos began the year with 84 scholarship players. Numbers are fluid and not exact but here is an estimate. With the players transferring out, being dismissed from the team, leaving for the NFL or graduating, plus the five players signed in December, Boise State has 65 scholarship players. That would leave 20 scholarships remaining for this class. With 10 players already committed verbally in the 2017 class (adding Whimpey, not counting Birch or Moore), the Broncos can take around 10 more players this cycle. Out of those, the Broncos will probably be targeting: 2 RB, 1 WR, 1 OL, 2 DE, 1 LB, 2 S and maybe a DT.
This guide is current as of 12/29 (Players committed to other schools are not listed under offers)
Quarterback:
- Departing: Thomas Stuart
- Number of players they will take: 2
- Commits: Chase Cord, Rathen Ricedorff
- Offers:
- Note: This position was the biggest area of need for the Broncos in this class and they were able to fill it was a great prospect in Chase Cord. He also has the potential to start for the Broncos in a few years. He had a dominant senior high school season and is a playmaker with his arm and his legs. Ricedoff will provide immediate depth and will bring another dual-threat player to the position.
- Insider: Ricedorff’s offer/commit could offsets the departure of Stuart. Also, keep in mind they have taken a walk-on QB every year under Harsin. Expect that trend to continue, maybe with a local player.
Running Back:
- Departing: Devan Demas, Cory Young Jeremy McNichols
- Number of players they will take: 2
- Still in play: Cyrus Habibi-Likio, Dom Williams, Tariq Hollandsworth
- Note: Boise State is showing they can develop productive running backs with Ajayi and now McNichols putting up huge seasons in the Broncos’ system. This makes Boise State an attractive place for running back recruits and the Broncos are targeting quality backs in Habibi-Likio and Williams.
- Insider: The Broncos are taking two in this class. Boise State is competing with USC, Oregon and others for Habibi-Likio so it may be quite the uphill battle for them. Kansas commit Dom Williams is their second option, or really their 1A option and recently became a 4 star. He would be a great pick up for Boise State. UNLV commit Tariq Hollandsworth is also being looked at and is scheduled to visit in January. He is the most likely to commit at this point. Davion Ford may be another name who enters the mix.
Wide Receiver:
- Departing: Thomas Sperbeck, Chaz Anderson, Taylor Pope
- Number of players they will take: 3
- Commits: Cartrell Thomas, Bryan Thompson
- Still in play: Nolan McDonald, JC Angulo
- Note: The coaching staff did a great job landing their first four-star WR commit in Thompson,. Commit Thomas is a versatile pass-catcher and will add a dynamic presence to their offense, playing in a style similar to Shane Williams-Rhodes. McDonald possesses great athleticism (he plays quarterback in high school) and Angulo is a big deep threat who makes good adjustments to the ball on his routes. Either of these two players would be add quality WRs to their roster.
- Insider: McDonald is the top target here, with the coaches having moved on from Angulo or at least until McDonald decides. It is rumored McDonald will be doing a signing day decision. It is possible Michael Owusu is being offered here, but more signs are pointing to DE as of now.
Tight End:
- Departing: None
- Number of players they will take: 0-1
- Offers: Kade Greeley
- Note: With no tight end graduating, it’s possible the staff doesn’t take one in this class. While it would make sense, it’s also possible they take one and try to get into a routine of having at least one in each class. Greeley is a tall receiving recruit and would add another dimension to the passing game.
- Insider: Tyler Eiguren is a local player, out of the Fruitland pipeline. He grew up cheering for the Broncos and an offer would be big for him. The staff is also considering him as a DE and he would be a great bet for a late offer or a preferred walk-on candidate.
Offensive Linemen:
- Departing: Steve Baggett, Travis Averill, Mario Yakoo, Will Adams, Kellen Buhr
- Number of players they will take: 4
- Commits: Mike Young, John Ojukwu, Zach Troughton (JC)
- Still in play: Onesimus Lutu-Clarke, Sean Seaward, Isiah Moore (JC)
- Note: Due to the past two recruiting classes, depth at this position is young but plentiful. However, they will need to keep recruiting solid linemen in order to sustain the depth. Again they will be losing a number of starters and are looking for one more player here, most likely an interior lineman. Young is a massive young man who may need time to work on technique but should develop into a solid guard. Troughton gives them experience at the JUCO level, which will be needed at losing four rotation linemen after the 2016 season. Ojukwu is an extremely hard worker who was under-recruited and continues to the streak of local linemen getting to the blue. The 4th spot is going to an interior lineman with some promising offers out.
Insider: There are a few names here for the last spot. Seaward comes from powerhouse AZ program in Saguaro, is high on Boise State, and will be visiting in January. Onesimus is leaning Oregon State currently but is giving the Broncos a fair shot as he is also scheduling a visit. Keep an eye out for Jason Moore, Tyler Stevens, Jonathan Nathaniel, Creston Cooledge.
Last edited:
