Brandon Huffman is a national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. Here are his thoughts on the Boise State class -- and the top story lines nationally.
Question: What are your general thoughts on Boise State’s class?
Answer: I love it. I think this is one of the strongest classes they’ve had in a long time. There may not be a four-star guy, but they did a good job of spreading out across the country. If there’s a weakness I’d say they have in this class, it’s on the offensive line. They filled needs at just about every position. That’s what distinguishes a good class from a great class — how well you fill your needs and how well you brought balance to that class.
Q: Who are the two or three guys you really like?
A: I really like Aaron Baltazar a lot. He's a fantastic running back. It’s a pretty deep year for running backs out West. He’s a top 10 running back in the region. … Probably my favorite player in this class is (Fruitland linebacker) Joe Martarano. He’s one of the best pure football players in the West. … Boise State got him so early in the process that nobody else really had a chance. He's the type of kid Pac-12 schools would come into Idaho and recruit their tails off to try to get.
Q: Boise State loaded up at cornerback — what else stands out by position?
A: They did a good job of hitting the receivers. Even though they lost Jack Austin (to Cal), they picked it up with Tanner Shipley. Kendal Keys is a good football player. Kendal Keys’ commitment is big because San Diego State offered him first — they not only strengthened their own team but crippled their top competition in the Mountain West. There’s a very good chance they're going to get A.J. Richardson (Wednesday).
Q: What do you know about Richardson's situation?
A: He’s leaning heavily toward Boise State (and will announce Wednesday). … He’s such a big, physical receiver. He’s not an explosive receiver, but he’s not slow. … He’s kind of fallen into Boise State’s lap. Essentially they’re trading him for Jack Austin. We had him ranked higher than Jack Austin.
Q: Is there a sleeper you like in the class?
A: It’s kind of hard to call (safety) Thomas Sperbeck a sleeper. He is kind of an unknown quantity on one hand just because he was mostly known as a quarterback. … That’s a lot for a kid to give up that dream of playing quarterback. He had offers to play quarterback but wanted to play at the highest level and he is a good enough athlete to move to safety. … He’s the kind of guy if he continues to develop physically and puts it together with his football IQ, he can be a pretty high-reward type guy.
Q: What are the top national story lines?
A: The big story is going to be what (defensive tackle) Eddie Vanderdoes does. He’s from Northern California. He is really the only elite prospect on the West Coast that’s yet to make his decision. The other is (defensive end) Robert Nkemdiche, the No. 1 player in the country. The No. 1 player in the country doesn’t usually sign with Ole Miss, but his brother is a (sophomore) there.
Q: BSU has marquee games coming up against Washington (2013, 2015) and Ole Miss (2014). How are their classes looking?
A: Ole Miss is having a class that Ole Miss doesn’t usually get. To sound like a teenager, their class is pretty sick. They’ve got the potential to get the No. 1 player in the country overall. They’ve got a top-five receiver. They have a good chance to land the No. 3 safety in the country and a very good chance to land the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country. They are really stocking up on elite talent. Washington, they’re (11th) in the overall rankings. They’re putting together a good class. Washington has recruited well under (Steve) Sarkisian. It’s getting it to translate on the field.
