LAS VEGAS — Tyler Shoemaker converted disappointment into opportunity.

And opportunity into a legacy.

The Boise State senior wide receiver considered turning his back on the Broncos when coaches declined to offer him a scholarship out of Mountain View High in Meridian.

Nearly five years later, he holds the school record with 15 touchdown catches this season going into his career finale in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas on Thursday against Arizona State.

“I hope it just gives (other local players) hope and lets them know that it’s possible — that a guy from here, kind of underrated, didn’t get a lot of looks out of high school, can really come to a program like this and make a difference,” Shoemaker said. “… It’s just that opportunity is all you need to make something happen. Chase your dreams and go for it.”

Shoemaker once made that decision himself.

Boise State considered giving him a scholarship throughout the recruiting process but informed him shortly before Signing Day that he would need to walk on.

He had to decide between pride and his dream.

“I wanted to get a scholarship,” he said. “I wanted school to be paid for, and so I was looking for other options.”

Those options included Eastern Oregon, Western Oregon, Eastern Washington, Western Washington and Carroll College.

Idaho offered him a scholarship, but not until after he committed to walk on at Boise State.

“When I stepped back and looked at the whole situation, this was the best place that offered me to play football — no matter scholarship or not,” Shoemaker said. “I wanted to play at a level I felt like would challenge myself.”

He used the scholarship slight as motivation — setting out every day to prove himself. He transformed his body, learned the intricacies of his position, contributed on special teams and graduated early. He has grown to 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, with sneaky speed.

“He definitely puts the work in and it definitely shows on Saturdays,” freshman wide receiver Matt Miller said.

Coach Chris Petersen awarded Shoemaker a scholarship a year after he arrived, about two weeks before he caught two touchdown passes in his college debut against Idaho State.

“The coaches here thought he could play,” said offensive coordinator Brent Pease, who was the wide receivers coach at the time. “It was not a matter of he wasn’t good enough. Sometimes, it’s (roster) numbers.”

That 2007 recruiting class already included scholarship wide receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis — two future stars who played as true freshmen, set a host of school records and were selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft in April.

Like the scholarship snub, Shoemaker’s first reaction to sharing a position with those two was disappointment.

Quickly, though, he embraced them as friends and mentors.

“It was kind of hard to see those guys and their success and, not be jealous of it, but kind of wish it was you,” he said. “Actually it was a blessing in disguise. I’ve learned so much from those guys.”

And in some ways, topped them.

Shoemaker needs 41 yards to produce the 10th 1,000-yard receiving season in school history, a milestone Pettis never reached.

His 15 TDs broke the single-season record of 14 set by Pettis in 2009.

“I’m glad that he got it because he’s definitely deserving,” said Pettis, a third-round pick who is a rookie with the St. Louis Rams. “He’s a real good receiver and it’s finally his time to shine and get the love he deserves.”

The record clearly was meaningful to Shoemaker, who convinced the game official to let him keep the ball. He teased Pettis as he approached the mark and texted him right after the game.

“It’s mine, buddy, sorry,” Shoemaker said he texted.

But, in a role reversal from his days playing behind Pettis and Young, Shoemaker tried to use the record to inspire those behind him.

He wants to possess the record, not own it.

His message to the other receivers, all of whom are returning next season: “I hope somebody in the room right now breaks it. There’s a lot of potential in there.”

Shoemaker knows about potential.

He also knows what it takes to fulfill it.

“Throughout the years, it’s been that continual drive to prove myself and to improve that has gotten me to where I’m at today,” he said. “… Maybe without that little chip that they gave me (by not offering a scholarship), I might not be here.”