Live: Get to know each of the recruits signing with Boise State football today
The Boise State football program added 15 recruits Wednesday on the early National Signing Day. A second signing day is Feb. 5, 2020.
The class began to take shape April 29 with the first oral commitment. Defensive back Isaiah Bradford out of Redlands (Calif.) East Valley High announced his commitment to the Broncos on Twitter then — and he signed Wednesday.
[Related: Check out the commits who haven’t signed yet here; Q&A with recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman]
The Broncos added a few players who hadn’t declared their intentions, including Borah High star Austin Bolt. They also didn’t sign two players who had committed publicly: defensive lineman Nick Booker-Brown, whose brother Josh is a linebacker for the Broncos; and wide receiver Chance Luper, who tweeted that he received an offer from Missouri.
Below are the bios for the players who signed:
TE Austin Bolt, 6-4, 205, Borah High (Boise)
The Idaho Statesman’s All-Idaho 5A Player of the Year didn’t publicly commit to the Broncos until signing Wednesday. He played quarterback as a senior but dominated on the ground with 1,391 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. He also tossed 10 touchdown passes. As a safety, he made 62 tackles and four interceptions. He also returned kicks, punted and held for placekicks. He was an All-Idaho football and basketball player and two-time track state champion as a junior.
S Isaiah Bradford, 6-0, 170, Redlands (California) East Valley High
Bradford racked up 102 tackles to go with one fumble recovery and an interception as a junior, but tore an ACL early in his senior season. Bradford’s cousin is former Boise State running back Alexander Mattison. Boise State WR Billy Bowens is from the same high school as Bradford.
“Isaiah is an extremely talented player with great instincts and knowledge of the game. He is a great tackler who plays extremely physical and can always be found around the ball. On top of his athletic ability, Isaiah is a pleasure to be around. He is very polite, well-behaved and has a smile that can light up a room,” Redlands East Valley coach Rich Lunsford said.
WR LaTrell Caples, 6-0, 170, Lancaster (Texas) High
Caples was ranked as the No. 35 prospect in the Dallas area on the SportsDayHS Top 100. He made 59 catches for 1,021 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior, plus returned three punts for touchdowns. He led his team in receiving as a sophomore and junior. He goes to the same high school that produced Boise State sophomore receiver CT Thomas. He also competes on the Lancaster track and field team as a long jumper. His career-best leap is 22 feet, 4.5 inches.
OL Nathan Cardona, 6-4, 275, Yorba Linda (California) High
Cardona’s former high school teammate, freshman defensive end Michael Callahan, also plays for Boise State. He was voted a team captain and can play guard or center.
“Nathan is a great kid and will easily fit in at Boise. ... He is a good teammate and team guy, so I think he will excel in the family situation up there,” Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey said.
CB Donovan Clark, 6-3, 190, Lincoln High (Tacoma, Washington)
Clark made the All-Pierce County League first team as a senior and was ranked the No. 84 cornerback recruit in the nation by ESPN. He played for Sumner High in 2018 and moved in February. He was a 4A All-State pick in 2018 and had offers from Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State and Utah State. He made 25 tackles with six interceptions, including one he returned for a score, last season at Sumner.
“He’s very smart. He uses great technique. He can run, and he tracks the ball very well. For us, he’s been pretty much just a lock-down corner,” Lincoln High coach Masaki Matsumoto said.
DL Robert Cooper, 6-5, 250, Bethel High (Spanaway, Washington)
Cooper was named the 3A Pierce County League Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year as a senior and was rated one of the top 10 prospects in Washington by ESPN. Made 39 tackles and six sacks in first eight games this season. He also was an All-PCL first-teamer as an offensive lineman. Cooper attends the same high school as current Boise State left tackle Ezra Cleveland, who is an NFL prospect and All-Mountain West first-team pick.
“Robert is one of the best student-athletes I’ve had the privilege to be around,” Bethel Athletic Director Jason Johnson said.
TE Russell Corrigan, 6-3, 230, Hutchinson (Minnesota) High
Corrigan played quarterback, tight end and defensive end as a senior to lead his team to an 11-1 record. He was named to the Minnesota Vikings’ All-State Team. He ran for 31 touchdowns and threw for five as a senior, while making 19 catches for 536 yards and 10 scores as a junior. He holds his school’s career record for points scored in boys basketball and was ranked as the No. 49 tight end prospect by ESPN. The last Minnesotan to play for Boise State was offensive tackle Matt Slater (2007-10).
DL Herbert Gums Jr., 6-1, 284, Diboll (Texas) High
ESPN rated Gums a four-star prospect and No. 33 nationally at his position. He was the District 11-3A MVP as a senior. He played running back as a sophomore.
OL Brandon Hernandez, 6-6, 275, Yucaipa (California) High
Hernandez was named All-Citrus Belt first team as a senior and was a two-year starter. He sported an impressive offer list that included Oregon, Cal, Arizona State, Colorado, Washington State and Fresno State, among others.
DL Shane Irwin, 6-4, 252, Long Beach City College (Palos Verdes Estates, California)
Irwin began his college career at San Diego State in 2017, and he spent last season at Long Beach City College, where he posted 47 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He is the No. 18 JUCO DE in the country, according to 247Sports, and has two years of eligibility remaining. at Palos Verdes High, he racked up 221 tackles and 34.5 sacks as a four-year letter winnner and also played tight end. He was named the Bay League MVP twice. He was ranked No. 5 at his position in California coming out of high school.
CB Kaonohi Kaniho, 5-10, 160, Kahuku (Hawaii) High
Kaniho played cornerback and wide receiver at Kahuku. His brother, Kekaula, is Boise State’s starting nickel. Kaonohi was a Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State first-teamer as a sophomore and a captain as a senior.
“His awareness. His football IQ on the field. He’s probably the smartest football player that we have on the team right now. He understands being a defensive player everything he needs to do on the back end, and definitely he also plays offense,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said.
OL Riden Leong, 6-5, 320, Orange Coast College (Waimanalo, Hawaii)
Leong played only one year of high school football before appearing in all 20 games at Orange Coast over the past two seasons. He attended high school at Maryknoll School — a private school in Honolulu. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 16 offensive tackle prospect in junior college.
“He has probably grown about an inch or two and put on 20 or 30 pounds since he got here, and he might not be done growing. That’s the crazy thing about him. He has gotten so big but he hasn’t lost his athleticism. That’s one of the things Boise State loved about him,” Orange Coast football coach Joel “Bubba” Gonzalez said.
DL Divine Obichere, 6-4, 285, Long Beach City College (Los Angeles)
Obichere made 46 tackles in each of his two seasons at Long Beach, including six sacks this season and four in 2018. He had 83 tackles as a senior at Westchester High.
S Rodney Robinson, 5-10, 165, Cajon High (San Bernardino, California)
Robinson had 80 tackles, a sack and four interceptions last season to earn All-Citrus Belt first-team honors. He grabbed three interceptions and added 120 tackles as a junior.
S Semaj Verner, 6-2, 185, Mayfair High (Lakewood, California)
Verner was ranked the No. 44 safety by ESPN. He also was a sprinter and hurdler at Mayfair. He is the cousin of former UCLA safety Alterraun Verner, who also played in the NFL for the Titans and Buccaneers, and most recently for the Dolphins in 2017. Semaj Verner had scholarship offers from 10 of 12 teams in the Mountain West.
Key for the map below: 2020 class (orange footballs), 2019 class (blue footballs), 2018 class (yellow footballs), 2017 class (green footballs), 2016 class (purple footballs), 2015 class (black footballs)
HELPFUL LINKS
Class of 2019: Boise State’s highest-rated ever?
Class of 2018: Boise State inks 19 new additions
Class of 2017: Meet Boise State’s new recruits
Boise State football’s 2019 roster by position
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 6:43 AM.
