Boise State football commit Jonathan Earl is used to paying his way. ‘Hard work pays off.’
Boise State dipped back into the junior college ranks this week and picked up a verbal commitment from a dynamic playmaker who is used to paying his own way.
North Carolina native Jonathan Earl committed to the Broncos on Sunday after visiting Boise State over the weekend. He announced his commitment Tuesday afternoon on Twitter.
Earl played wide receiver, safety and cornerback the past two seasons at Golden West College in California. He confirmed Tuesday that the Broncos recruited him as a cornerback and he plans to join the team in late May. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
“I like everything around the culture,” Earl said by phone. “The whole community is behind the team. It’s a winning program, I like the expectations coach (Bryan Harsin) has and I connected real well with (cornerbacks coach Jalil) Brown.”
Earl graduated from Cox Mills High in Concord, North Carolina, in 2016 and followed a former teammate to Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California, but he was forced to grayshirt his first two years, delaying his enrollment for financial reasons.
When he was able to join the Rustlers’ football team full time in 2018, he still had to work. Four days a week, he’d arrive for work at Dick’s Sporting Goods at 5 a.m. before getting to the weight room by 1:30 p.m. and practicing until about 6:30 p.m.
“You’ve got to be dedicated. To get where you want to be, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. No excuses,” Earl said. “It was tough working through the night to pay my own bills and rent, but hard work pays off. I’m grateful for it now, and I’m just ready to ball.”
After spending the majority of his high school career at wide receiver, Earl made an immediate impact for Golden West on the offensive side of the ball. He led the Rustlers his first year with six receiving touchdowns before moving to safety that summer and to cornerback before the 2019 season opener. Earl finished last season fifth on the team with 43 tackles and added two interceptions and a forced fumble.
At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he expects his size to help him make an impact in Boise State’s secondary as much as his time spent running routes.
“They press a lot, and I have long arms and like to press and play aggressive,” Earl said. “Since I’ve been playing receiver all my life, I have good ball skills.”
Earl comes in at a position where Boise State has a pair of established starters in redshirt seniors Jalen Walker and Avery Williams and an up-and-comer in sophomore Markel Reed. But Williams struggled in man-to-man coverage down the stretch last fall, especially in the Broncos’ loss to Washington in the Las Vegas Bowl, and he’s the team’s primary return specialist, so depth is needed.
Earl is the fourth junior college transfer in Boise State’s 2020 recruiting class. He joins offensive lineman Riden Leong (Orange Coast College) and defensive linemen Divine Obichere and Shane Irwin, both of whom suited up for Long Beach City College last fall. Earl is the 19th known member of the Broncos’ class, including quarterback Cade Fennegan, who committed on Jan. 14.
The Broncos signed 15 players in December and can add to the class Feb. 5 on traditional national signing day.
2020 recruiting class
▪ DB Isaiah Bradford, 6-0, 170, Redlands (Calif.) East Valley High
▪ OT Brandon Hernandez, 6-6, 275, Yucaipa (Calif.) High
▪ TE Russell Corrigan, 6-4, 230, Hutchinson (Minn.) High
▪ CB Donovan Clark, 6-3, 190, Lincoln High (Tacoma, Wash.)
▪ CB Kaonohi Kaniho, 6-0, 180, Kahuku (Hawaii) High
▪ OG Nathan Cardona, 6-3, 280, Yorba Linda (Calif.) High
▪ DE Robert Cooper, 6-5, 255, Bethel High (Spanaway, Wash.)
▪ DL Nick Booker-Brown, 6-4, 275, Westfield High (Houston, Texas)
▪ WR Latrell Caples, 6-0, 185, Lancaster (Texas) High
▪ OT Riden Leong, 6-5, 320, Orange Coast College (Waimanalo, Hawaii)
▪ WR Chance Luper, 6-2, 180, Fort Worth Christian School (North Richland Hills, Texas)
▪ S Semaj Verner, 6-2, 185, Mayfair High (Lakewood, California)
▪ DT Herbert Gums, 6-1, 284, Diboll (Texas) High
▪ DE Shane Irwin, 6-4, 252, Long Beach City College (Palos Verdes Peninsula, California)
▪ DT Divine Obichere, 6-4, 295, Long Beach City College (Long Beach, California)
▪ DB Rodney Robinson, 5-10, 265, Cajon High (San Bernardino, California)
▪ QB Cade Fennegan, 6-2, 275, Woodrow Wilson High (Dallas, Texas)
▪ LB Brock Miller, 6-3, 238, N.C. State (Port St. Lucie, Florida)
▪OL Kyle Juergens, 6-6, 260, St. Margaret’s Episcopal (San Juan Capistrano, California)
▪CB Jonathan Earl, 6-3, 190, Golden West College (Concord, North Carolina)
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 12:40 PM.
