Package deal: Beresford brothers excited to continue father’s legacy at Boise State
The latest additions to the Boise State football team’s 2022 recruiting class are following in their parents’ footsteps.
After deciding to transfer from Washington State, offensive lineman Cade Beresford and his younger brother, Jack, a defensive lineman, were two of the three players who verbally committed to Boise State on Sunday.
Harry Beresford was a 6-foot-4, 290-pound left tackle at Boise State from 1991 to 1993. His wife — then Shawna Fortney — was a 5-11 forward on the Idaho State women’s basketball team from 1989 to 1993.
Their sons also expect to finish their college careers in Idaho. The brothers plan to sign their national letters of intent during early signing day on Wednesday, and they plan to be on campus at Boise State by early January.
“My boys are extremely tight,” Harry Beresford said. “When thinking about where to go after they transferred, the first thing was where can we do it as a family? And that was them. I didn’t force anything on them.”
Boise State football coach Andy Avalos reached out to the Beresford brothers not long after they entered the transfer portal on Dec. 1. Both said they knew pretty much from day one that Boise State was where they were going to land.
“Growing up and going to games there, I always wanted to play at Boise State,” said Jack Beresford, adding that the family went to a couple games a year when the boys were young. “When they said they would take us as a package deal, that was pretty much it.”
Cade Beresford said he’s excited to not only play in the same stadium his father suited up in two decades ago, but to spend his final two years of eligibility on the same field as his brother.
“Learning from my dad’s past and learning what a Bronco is and how to be part of that family is huge,” Cade said. “It means a lot to him to have both of his sons out there. That’s going to be big time for him and for us.”
Change of scenery
Boise State offered Cade a scholarship when he was coming out of Woodinville High in Washington in 2018 and he said the Broncos were one of his top choices. Ultimately, he chose Washington State because it was close to home and the coaching staff was willing to give Jack a shot as a walk-on.
But after a couple of turbulent seasons under former Washington State coach Nick Rolovich, Cade and Jack decided it was time for a change. Rolovich was fired in October after failing to comply with the state of Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Cade said he has no hard feelings toward his former coach or the administration at Washington State, but he admitted that was tough on the team. He also said it came with a silver lining.
“That brought us all together,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of stability. A lot of coaches had to come onboard. Other coaches had to step up. ... We all finished strong and played for those coaches because we love them and we hope the best for them.”
Trust in Boise State’s coaches is what made Harry Beresford so comfortable with his sons’ decision. He didn’t reach out to Avalos until after both boys were in the transfer portal, and it only took one conversation for him to realize they’re going to be in good hands.
“Andy is a hard guy not to like, and a hard guy not to trust with your kids,” Harry said. “It’s easy to see he’s building something, and it seems to me that he’s doing it the right way.”
PB&Js for days
The Beresford boys got their parents’ tall gene. Jack, who is joining the Broncos as a walk-on, is 6-3 and about 260 pounds. Cade, who started nine games at right guard this season, is 6-7 and 300 pounds, but it took him some time to grow into that frame.
Cade was a 6-5, 180-pound quarterback during the first two years of his high school career. He went on to become a three-star recruit as an offensive lineman and earned scholarship offers from USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska, Oregon State and a handful of Mountain West programs, according to 247Sports.
“I wasn’t very good at it,” he said of his time at quarterback. “I realized pretty quick that I belonged on the offensive line, and thank God I did. Who knows where I’d be right now if I didn’t.”
Beresford decided to start packing on the pounds the summer before his junior year of high school. And he did it one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time.
“We called it the PB&Js for days diet,” said Harry Beresford, who owns a contracting company and has coached the offensive line at Woodinville High the past four years. “He would eat them morning, noon and night. It was a lot of protein, but it was all him. Once he started getting some (recruiting) sniffs as a junior, he was totally bought in.”
Cade played every position on the offensive line but center during his four years at Washington State, which included a redshirt year in 2018. He appeared in four games at left tackle in 2019 and started nine games at right guard this season before an ankle injury relegated him to a backup role.
He’s open to playing any position at Boise State, but he seems like an ideal fit at right tackle where the Broncos are going to have to replace Uzo Osuji. They could also bump Ben Dooley back to right tackle and plug Cade in at right guard. Either way, he’s likely to make an early impact, 247Sports National Recruiting Editor Brandon Huffman said.
“Landing Beresford should bring instant help to an offensive line that could use a tackle to solidify that spot for the next two years,” Huffman said. “And with him having plenty of college experience under his belt and NFL size, this is an immediate fill.”
Jack Beresford has been packing on the pounds since his arrival at Washington State, too. He was a 230-pound linebacker and defensive end coming out of Woodinville, but he has put on almost 30 pounds in the past year and he’ll join the Broncos as a defensive tackle.
He didn’t appear in any games this season, so Jack has four years of eligibility remaining.
“I spent a lot of time on the scout team in the past year, and I learned a lot about technique and what I need to work on,” he said. “I also went against a lot of quality O-linemen.”
Jack didn’t subscribe to the “PB&Js for Days” diet to put on weight. He ate a little healthier and practically lived in the weight room at Washington State and it shows, his father said.
“He has put in the time, and I think he’s going to surprise some people,” Harry Beresford said. “Both of my boys have put in the work, and I’m excited to watch them reap the rewards.”
BOISE STATE 2022 RECRUITING CLASS
CB Dionte Thornton, 6-3, 185, Lawndale (California) High
OT Kage Casey, 6-6, 250, Clackamas (Oregon) High
TE Austin Terry, 6-5, 230, Tumwater High (Olympia, Washington)
LB Kaeo Akana, 6-3, 205, Theodore Roosevelt High (Honolulu, Hawaii)
WR Keenan McCaddy, 6-4, 180, Moanalua High (Honolulu, Hawaii)
OT Roger Carreon, 6-5, 295, Jal (New Mexico) High
DL JJ Talo, 6-3, 250, Kearns High (Salt Lake City, Utah)
LB Jayden Virgin, 6-3, 220, Mt. Carmel High (San Diego, California)
OT Hall Schmidt, 6-7, 300, Peninsula (Washington) High
WR Zamondre Merriweather, 6-2, 200, Valencia (California) High
QB Maddux Madsen, 6-0, 185, American Fork (Utah) High
LB Jake Ripp, 6-3, 215, Los Gatos (California) High
LB Gavin Hambrick, 6-2, 220, Apple Valley (California) High
RB Ashton Jeanty, 5-9, 195, Lone Star (Texas) High
P James Ferguson, 6-1, 175, Pro Kick Australia
OT Tyson Molio’o, 6-4, 295, St. John Bosco (Bellfower, California)
DE Cortez Hogans Jr., 6-3, 265, Snow College (Palatine, Illinois)
LB Dishawn Misa, 6-3, 230, Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Washington)
Edge Deven Wright, 6-5, 230, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Clarksdale, Mississippi)
OL Cade Beresford, 6-7, 200, Washington State (Woodinville, Washington)
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 3:56 PM.
