COVID-19 complicated recruiting, but Boise State adds offensive firepower in 2021 class
As it has for everything else this year, COVID-19 complicated the recruiting process for the Boise State football team.
The Broncos signed 15 of their 17 verbally committed recruits Wednesday on early signing day, including quarterback Taylen Green and talented wide receivers Kaden Dudley, Eric McAlister and Jalen Richmond, but Boise State coach Bryan Harsin admitted he hasn’t met a single recruit in person.
Travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines have all but eliminated in-person visits, which are often the deciding factor in where a recruit ends up. Visits have gone virtual during the pandemic, from tours of the facilities to video chats and even PowerPoints.
During his virtual tour, Dudley was shown a presentation on former Boise State wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr.
“It highlighted what it meant to be a wide receiver at Boise State: the blue collar work ethic and the toughness,” Dudley said Monday by phone.
Harsin said it’s been hard on the players. Many haven’t been able to even visit Boise State’s campus, and three — Torrey Pines teammates Matthew Lauter (tight end) and Marco Notarainni (linebacker) and Yorba Linda offensive lineman Mason Randolph — haven’t played a down this fall because their seasons were canceled because of the virus.
“I think when it’s all said and done, this class is going to be amazing because they made decisions based on faith and trust,” Harsin told reporters Wednesday. “When you’re a football player coming to Boise State, there’s a lot that goes into that faith and trust, with the coaches, the program, the history and the tradition.”
There weren’t any surprises Wednesday, unlike last December when the Broncos landed defensive back Rodney Robinson on early signing day.
This year, they landed a physically impressive quarterback from Texas, filled future needs at wide receiver and linebacker and added some intriguing athletes on the offensive and defensive lines.
The Broncos’ 2021 class is ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West, according to 247Sports. UNLV is No. 2, followed by San Diego State and Fresno State.
National Letters of Intent started rolling in at 5:18 a.m. James Wilborn Jr., a linebacker from Avon Old Farms in Connecticut, who projects as a STUD, was first to get his in. McAlister was last, signing a little before 9 a.m.
Running back Eli Sanders and offensive lineman Jason White were the only two verbally committed recruits who didn’t join Boise State’s class Wednesday.
Sanders is teammates with Richmond at Chandler High in Arizona. He’s a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, and he has scholarship offers from Power Five programs, such as Iowa, Iowa State, Arizona and Arizona State.
White is a 290-pound offensive and defensive lineman from Orange Lutheran High in California, and he’s also sorting through a pile of Power Five offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Utah, Washington State, Oregon State and Kansas State.
If there’s a silver lining to the virus interrupting the usual recruiting process the way it has, Harsin said it’s that the Broncos’ staff members have been forced to get creative with how they foster relationships with recruits. He wouldn’t go into specifics about what changes were made, but he said the Broncos will continue to use many of them in the future.
“What the pandemic has done in a situation like this is help us get the creative juices flowing and figure out ways to make those connections that you need to go out and recruit the right type of people,” Harsin said.
A Texas gunslinger
Green is the second quarterback Boise State has plucked out of the football-crazed state that is Texas in the past two years. In February, Cade Fennegan joined the 2020 class following a prolific career at Woodrow Wilson High in Dallas and two years on a church mission in Argentina.
Honing their skills in 7-on-7 passing leagues and playing in front of huge crowds almost every Friday night gives players from Texas an edge when it comes to stepping up to the next level, Harsin said, and that’s especially true at a position that comes with as much pressure as quarterback.
“I was in Texas for two years, and (football) is not a business, it’s a love,” said Harsin, who was the co-offensive coordinator at Texas in 2011 and 2012. “From the first grade on, they’re playing football, and they love it. They learn at an early age to be competitive, and that’s how it should be. That’s why players from Texas do well.”
Green is one of four players in the class from Texas, joining linebacker Jai Jones, McAlister, safety Zion Washington and offensive lineman Joseph Amos, who played at Lancaster High, which also produced Boise State wide receivers Latrell Caples and CT Thomas.
Green and Washington are cousins, and Green played a big role in recruiting the defensive back, who verbally committed last week.
“I was texting him pictures and telling him, ‘Where else would you want to be?’ ” Green said.
The Broncos currently have 14 players from Texas on the roster, but Harsin said Wednesday that Green has a chance to be one of the best the program has ever lured out of the Lone Star State.
“He committed in early July and never wavered once,” Harsin said. “As a matter of fact, he was one of the biggest leaders in this class, when it comes to keeping it together and connected.”
Green said Wednesday that his top three schools were San Diego State, Wyoming and Boise State, and the Broncos’ winning tradition made it an easy choice.
“It’s cool to know that I’m joining a program with the kind of history Boise State has,” Green said by phone. “Everybody knows ‘The Boise Blue,’ and I love the town and the school and everything about it.”
Green passes the eyeball test, measuring 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, and with the speed to run the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds, he has the athleticism to bring a crowd to its feet.
The Lewisville, Texas, native has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in eight games this season, and he’s led Lewisville High to a 7-3 record and the second round of the 6A state playoffs, where the Farmers will face Arlington-Martin on Thursday.
Green made a trip to Boise on his own not long after he committed in July. He couldn’t go into the stadium or any facilities, but he watched the Broncos’ workout from outside the stadium, walked the campus and toured Boise. Harsin said he received a good-luck text from Green before almost every game this season.
“You would think he was already on our team the way that he would act every single week even though he had a game and was focused on that,” Harsin said.
The three-star recruit has led Lewisville to the state playoffs in each of the past two seasons. As a junior, he threw for 2,217 yards and 25 touchdowns with only three interceptions and added 445 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
Four enrolling early
Green is one of four members of the class who will graduate high school early and enroll at Boise State in January, Harsin said.
Joining him is Dudley, Wilborn and defensive back Seyi Oladipo, who Harsin said projects as a nickel or safety.
“My thought is as long as they’re ready to do that, it always sounds like a good idea,” Harsin said.
Green said his goal has always been to wrap up his high school studies early and get a head start on the competition at the next level.
“Especially being a quarterback and being in Boise State’s offense, which is complex, this just gives me a leg up when it comes to learning the playbook,” Green said.
Harsin said former defensive back George Iloka was one of the first players Boise State brought in early during his time on the coaching staff. He was the offensive coordinator then, and he said the experience benefited the program and lloka.
Iloka was a three-year starter at Boise State from 2008 to 2011. He was a first-team All-Mountain West pick as a senior, and the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in the fifth round. He’s currently with the Minnesota Vikings.
“It’s tough to come in as an early enrollee, because your coming into a team that is already established and everybody knows what what to do,” Harsin said. “It takes some times, and you’ve got to come in here mentally prepared to work.”
Harsin said getting a head start on the transition to college is beneficial for all positions, but especially quarterback. He said he and offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau have been clear with Green that he’s going to have to hit the ground running, but that’s part of what attracted the Texan to Boise State.
“He wants to be in this program. He wants to come in here and compete,” Harsin said. “He wants to be part of what we’re doing, and he’s hungry to learn.”
Length and speed
Harsin said his staff went into this year looking for length, speed and production at wide receiver, and the Broncos got all three.
McAlister (6-4, 190) has 70 catches for 1,498 yards and 20 touchdowns this season at Azle High, which plays Thursday in the second round of the Texas state playoffs. As a junior, he posted 1,449 yards and 23 touchdowns and notched six 100-yard receiving games.
“He’s got very good production, long range, good hand speed, an awesome personality and this guy can go,” Harsin said. “He understands how to win.”
Richmond (6-1, 175) is the No. 21 prospect in Arizona, according to 247Sports, and the No. 1 wide receiver in the state, according to Maxpreps.
As a junior, he caught 41 passes for 725 yards and nine touchdowns, helping propel Chandler High to its fourth straight state championship and fifth in six years. In nine games this season, he hauled in 37 passes for 634 yards and seven touchdowns.
Harsin called Chandler one of the best high school teams in the country and said he’s excited to see Richmond bring that winning approach to Boise.
“I know it’s because the players in that program and Jalen, they put in a tremendous amount of work, it’s important to them and it shows up on the field,” Harsin said. “He is going to bring not only that work ethic but a lot of productivity.”
Dudley rounds out the Broncos’ wide receiver class after wrapping up a pretty successful high school career of his own. He helped Palmer Ridge win its third straight Colorado 3A state title last season, and after a move up to 4A this year, he helped the Bears make it back to the championship.
The 6-foot, 190-pounder started at cornerback, safety, wide receiver and running back and returned punts and kicks during his career at Palmer Ridge. He’ll join the Broncos as a slot receiver.
During his senior season, which was shortened to seven games by COVID-19, he caught 28 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown. As a junior, Dudley hauled in 38 passes for 794 yards and nine touchdowns and added 90 tackles and five interceptions as a safety. As a cornerback in 2018, he led all defenders in Colorado with 14 interceptions.
“He’s very much like Khalil Shakir as far as the versatility that he brings,” Harsin said. “He’s very impressive and very competitive, and he brings a lot to the table in that wide receivers room.”
2021 RECRUITING CLASS
LB Jai Jones, 5-11, 230, South Oak Cliff High (Dallas, Texas)
WR Jalen Richmond, 6-0, 175, Chandler (Arizona) High
*RB Eli Sanders, 6-0, 190, Chandler (Arizona) High
QB Taylen Green, 6-5, 215, Lewisville (Texas) High
WR Kaden Dudley, 5-11, 190, Palmer Ridge High (Monument, Colorado)
TE Matthew Lauter, 6-4, 222, Torrey Pines High (Encinitas, California)
LB Rejhan Tatum, 6-2, 224, Del City High (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
OT Cord Kringlen, 6-5, 275, Holy Family High (Broomfield, Colorado)
LB Marco Notarainni, 6-3, 195, Torrey Pines High (Encinitas, California)
LB James Wilborn Jr., 6-3, 235, Avon Old Farms (Avon, Connecticut)
WR Eric McAllister, 6-3, 180, Azle (Texas) High
OL Joseph Amos, 6-3, 325, Lancaster (Texas) High
OL Mason Randolph, 6-4, 280, Yorba Linda (California) High
*OL Jason White, 6-4, 260, Orange Lutheran (Orange, California)
S Seyi Oladipo, 5-11, 175, Eaglecrest High (Centennial, Colorado)
S Zion Washington, 6-2, 200, Frisco (Texas) High
DL Ahmed Hassanein, 6-2, 270, Loara High (Anaheim, California)
* Did not sign Wednesday
