2018 Boise State Recruiting: So it has begun...

Our 2017 recruiting class concluded a little over a week ago after signing 19 solid recruits. It was a whirlwind of a class, as usual, but really no crazy surprises. It was a smaller class than some of the previous ones, but not terrible. We filled some major needs in the secondary and WR as well as bolstering both lines.

Now that the 2017 class is in the rear view mirror, so to speak, it’s time to look forward to the 2018 class. Yeah, they won’t sign for nearly another year, but it’s never too early to start, right?

In this article, we will merely look at the names out there right now as we have no commits. I’ll include some 5*, but we all know they will be going elsewhere. If that sentence ends up being false, I’ll gladly eat crow for that.

Rivals has a broader list of recruits, but less filters that I’m able to place on it. Scout has less recruits, but I’m able to narrow it down a little better. Ideally, I’d only look at kids with offers that are interested in Boise State. I won’t really delve into each recruit, but I’ll provide a highlight reel if it’s available on HUDL. Here we go!

Tanner McKee, QB, 6’6 220lbs, 4*, Corona Centennial HS, Corona, CA

We have an offer out to Tanner, but so do 13 other schools including Georgia, Louisville, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Utah to name a few. Needless to say, his services will end up elsewhere. I’m fine with this since we just signed Chase Cord.

Cammon Cooper, QB, 6’3 185lbs, 3*, Lehi HS, Lehi, UT

We have a better chance with Cammon than Tanner, but again, this isn’t a huge position of concern for 2018 I think. We need to get our guy, but I wouldn’t be super concerned with getting a big name. Cammon doesn’t quite have the offer list of Tanner, but he’s caught the eye of Arizona State, Washington State and Oregon State to name a few.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, 6’2 190lbs, 4*, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV

DTR most likely won’t end up at BSU either, but we offered him a while ago. He has offers from Michigan, LSU, Florida State, Florida, Michigan State and UCLA to name just a few. He’s listed as a dual threat QB. It’ll be fun to see how is recruitment plays out though.

Colson Yankoff, QB, 6’4 195lbs, 4*, Coeur d’Alene HS, Coeur d’Alene, ID

We always want to nab in-state guys, but this one might get away from us. Yankoff was once an Oregon commit, but backed off of that once they cleaned house. He has offers from Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon, Nebraska and Texas Tech to name a few.

Kirby Bennett, RB, 6’ 195lbs, 4*, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV

BSU got a solid back in Drake Beasley, but I imagine they will still want to hit a home run in this class. Bennett fits the bill, but he also has ALL OF THE OFFERS. No seriously. He’s at 42 offers right now. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Miami, Penn State, TCU, Wisconsin. You name it, he probably has an offer from them.

Chris Brown Jr., RB, 6’ 205lbs, 3*, El Camino HS, Oceanside, CA

Chris has a small, but solid offer list, including Arizona, Oregon State, Utah and UCLA. I always imagine 3*s have a better chance at coming to BSU. Might be a tall order with an offer list like that this early.

Andrew VanBuren, RB, 6’1 215lbs, 3*, Chaminade, West Hills, CA

Right now VanBuren has offers from SJSU and BSU. He will be one to watch if he remains under the radar. He has deceptive speed for his size.

Jalen Hall, WR, 6’3 182lbs, 5*, Augustus Hawkins, LA, CA

Hall also has all of the offers, including Alabama, LSU, Cal, Michigan, TAMU and Washington to name just a few. Needless to say, he won’t be coming to BSU. It’s fun to dream though, huh?

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, 6’1 187lbs, 5*, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, CA

Amon-Ra has basically the same offer list as Hall. The only way I see him ending up at BSU is if Roman Kafentzis can talk him into it, being a former teammate and all. The odds are slim though haha.

Chase Cota, WR, 6’3 185lbs, 4*, South Medford HS, Medford, OR

Cota has a small, but impressive offer list as well. Oregon, Vanderbilt, Washington State and Oregon State have all come calling along with the Broncos. Could Cota be our first 4* WR? We’ll have to see.

Trey Lowe, WR, 5’9 178lbs, 4*, Jesuit HS, Portland, OR

Trey is a pretty dynamic player. While he doesn’t have eye-popping size, his athleticism more than makes up for it. He currently only has offers from in-state Oregon and Oregon State aside from BSU. That will surely grow.

Kyle Philips, WR, 5’11 176lbs, 3*, San Marcos HS, San Marcos, CA

Philips is a kid I would LOVE to see on the Blue. He has a growing offer list, including Washington State, Vanderbilt, Oregon, Cal and Arizona. It might be a stretch even at this point for him to end up here. He is a lot of fun to watch. He could make you miss in a phone booth.

Brevin Jordan, TE, 6’3 230lbs, 4*, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV

After not taking a TE in the 2017 class, I can imagine the Broncos will be keen on getting at least one in this class. Brevin probably won’t be that guy considering his offer list, but what can you do?

Steven Jones, OT, 6’5 335lbs, 3*, Chaparral HS, Temecula, CA

Steven has an impressive offer list this early on as well, including Cal, Iowa State, Utah and Washington. He is an absolutely monster of a man. I was 125lbs when I graduated HS. He is more than two of me...

Tommy Togiai, DT, 6’3 293lbs, 4*, Highland HS, Pocatello, ID

Highland is proficient at producing high quality talent out of Idaho. He already has offers from Michigan, Oregon, USC and UCLA to name a few. He will most likely be leaving the state for school.

Palaie Gaoteote, OLB, 6’2 210lbs, 4*, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV

I think we have almost offered the entire Bishop Gorman team at this point. Much like his teammates, he will most likely not be coming to BSU with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan on the list.

Solomon Tuliaupupu, ILB, 6’3 215lbs, 4*, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, CA

Solomon has all of the offers too. I do, however, like to see players offered from schools where BSU players went. Maybe that relationship could mean something to the players. If it means more than offers from Alabama, LSU, Stanford, TAMU and USC, that would be biiiiig.

MJ Tafisi, ILB, 6’1 220lbs, 3*, Alta HS, Sandy, UT

Right now, BSU is competing with BYU and Utah for Tafisi’s services. It could be tough to get a kid from Utah out of Utah, but we will have to see. I like BSU’s chances well enough.

Desmond Talley, CB, 6’1 171lbs, 3*, Long Beach Poly HS, Long Beach, CA

BSU and BYU are his lone offers right now, but there is a long way until signing day, obvs. Poly is a big time school and he’s bound to get plenty of looks.

Aashari Crosswell, S, 5’10 185lbs, 4*, Augustus Hawkins HS, LA, CA

Crosswell has a growing list of offers, including Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, USC and Washington. For whatever reason, I feel more comfortable with our ability to land 4* DBs than anything. Maybe our coaches can start a trend?

Jevon Holland, S, 6’1 175lbs, 3*, Bishop O’Dowd HS, Oakland, CA

Jevon’s biggest offers outside of BSU are UCLA and Arizona. It wouldn’t be an easy battle, but we could certainly win his services over those two. We’ll have to wait and see!

Phillip Mills, S, 6’3 215lbs, 3*, Paloma Valley HS, Menifee, CA

BSU , SDSU and WSU have all offered Mills for his services. Mills has some impressive physical stats as well, including a 450lb squat and 500lbs deadlift. His size would make him a formidable weapon in the secondary.

That does it for now. I’m not sure yet how much I will let this list grow before I prune. 5*s will be the first to go as well as 4* out of our reach. Sometimes it’s hard to tell though. Lots of talent out there and it’s VERY early yet. Should be a fun season. GO BRONCOS!