He went to high school in Idaho. Now Boise State’s latest commit is coming home
George Tarlas is coming home — or at least the place he called home while in high school.
Originally from Greece, Tarlas spent the final two years of his high school career in Idaho — first at Caldwell after moving to the U.S. in 2015 and then at Borah High, where he was a second-team All-Idaho selection as a senior.
He has spent the past five years at Weber State, but he’s coming back to Idaho after announcing Tuesday morning that he will spend his final year of eligibility at Boise State. He has eligibility left after the NCAA offered an extra year because of the impact COVID-19 had on the 2020 season.
Tarlas announced his verbal commitment in a unique way. He delivered the news with personalized text alerts before making an announcement on Twitter. He kept followers up to speed when he narrowed his list of schools to Boise State, Utah, San Diego State and South Florida, and his text message on Tuesday morning read, “Get on your twitters. I am going to the Broncos!”
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge pass rusher is the 21st known recruit in Boise State’s 2022 recruiting class. Early signing day is Wednesday.
At Weber State, Tarlas earned two All-Big Sky Conference honors and helped the Wildcats win their fourth straight conference title in the spring after the 2020 season was postponed because of COVID-19. The Wildcats went 5-3 in conference play this fall.
Tarlas went into this season with 14 career sacks, and he finished second on the team this fall with 55 tackles and five sacks. He earned second-team All-Big Sky honors in the sprint and was named third-team all-conference in 2019 after finishing second on the team with a career-high nine sacks.
He is the second edge rusher to join the Broncos’ class this week, following junior college transfer Deven Wright, who was one of three recruits to verbally commit on Sunday. The Broncos also added four-star linebacker Dishawn Misa and JUCO defensive end Cortez Hogans Jr. in recent weeks.
The Broncos have posted 28 sacks this season, which ranks No. 6 in the Mountain West and No. 59 in the country. It’s clear that Boise State football coach Andy Avalos and his staff are hoping to improve those numbers with this class.
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, 300, Washington State (Woodinville, Washington)
Edge George Tarlas, 6-4, 260, Weber State (Chalkida, Greece)
WR Prince Strachan, 6-4, 185, John Carroll High (Fort Pierce, Florida)
DT Braxton Fely, 6-2, 240, Timpview High (Provo, Utah)
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 11:19 AM.
