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San Diego State was our highlight last week in our investigation on how Boise State recruits compare to the rest of the Mountain West. As the most recent winner of the Mountain West Conference, SDSU seemed like the logical team to start with after touching base on Boise State's top 3 recruits. Like Boise State, San Diego State does a great job of evaluating under-the-radar talent and putting them to good use on the field. They are pretty exceptional at this at the running back position. You know another team that is pretty good at it (other than the Broncos)? The Air Force Falcons. They were the other team that went to the MWC Championships, if you were not already aware. While Air Force is limited in who they can get because they are a military academy, they have had plenty of great season, especially recently.
Let's take a quick look at who Air Force's top 3 recruits of the 2016 class are.
Stephen Omorogbe, DE, Woodstock, GA (River Ridge) 6'3" 238lbs
Omorogbe is a tenacious defender. I have a feeling his numbers on MaxPreps are off (10 total tackles, 4 solo, and a sack). I'm pretty sure you see more than that just in his highlights. He has good size and moderate speed at defensive end. I expect speed and overall stamina to increase dramatically once he is at the academy. He will be a great player for the Falcons for the next 4 years.
Geraud Sanders, WR, Dallas, TX (Bishop Dunne) 6'2" 195lbs
Sanders numbers on MaxPreps are even more crazy than Omorogbe: 3 receptions for 17 yards and, get this, 15 TDs. Pretty awesome. Needless to say, his first catch in his highlights is more than 17 yards. Sanders highlights are great. He's got great speed with a 4.5 40, and solid hands, displaying numerous times during highlights. He will only get better physically too. One thing the academies do well is get their players in great physical shape.
Brandon Smyth, LB, San Antonio, TX (Brandeis) 6'3" 220lbs
Brandon's film is pretty impressive. His 4.7 40 time is evident throughout his tape. That is FAST for a linebacker. There is even a clip of him running down a running back, which is no small feat. While MaxPreps does not have stats for Brandon, I imagine he was very productive in high school and I would expect no less of him at the next level. He won't be fun to deal with, I can tell you that much.
I'm going to be honest, I don't watch film for every commit for each school. That's a terrible use of my time and my toddlers won't have it. I purely base the top 3 on comparing Scout and Rivals. Smyth is a good example of an under-the-radar kid. He plays in a competitive state (TX) and his film is solid.
Another thing to keep in mind regarding military academies is this: they're military academies. These kids aren't committing the AF to play football, they are committing to serve our country and get to play some ball while they train. Playing at the next level is no easy task, but committing yourself to the service of this country is admirable. Hats off to these kids and I look forward to seeing them on the field (sort of).
Next time, we will start running through the remainder of the Mountain Division, since that is where we are. Once we are done with the Mountain, we'll jump over to the West. Hopefully you guys are digging these articles as much as I am. GO BRONCOS!