Signing day: Will Boise State add another QB after bolstering defensive front seven?
Boise State coach Andy Avalos remembers George Tarlas showing up to one of the Broncos’ summer camps wearing his Borah High School jersey in 2017.
Tarlas, a strong pass rusher, will soon step on the blue turf in Albertsons Stadium once more — this time in a BSU jersey — and he looks pretty different these days, Avalos said. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound sixth-year senior, who transferred from Weber State, was one of 22 recruits to send Boise State their National Letter of Intent during the early signing period on Wednesday.
“It comes full circle,” Avalos said. “He has done an unbelievable job developing himself. You watch his film and you see his physicality, his ability to establish the line of scrimmage and pass rush.”
Boise State signed a balanced class on Wednesday, adding 11 defenders, 10 offensive players and one specialist. But the Broncos’ coaches were clearly focused on adding to the defensive front seven. Nine of the recruits are linebackers, defensive linemen or edge rushers.
“The guys we targeted are the guys we know fit this place across the board,” Boise State co-defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said. “You win championships with the D-line and the O-line, so we wanted to target guys that have the physical ability, but more importantly match the mentality we have to compete.”
The highlight of the Broncos’ haul on the front seven is four-star linebacker Dishawn Misa, who goes by “Hunter” and is the highest-rated recruit to commit to a Mountain West program this year, according to 247Sports national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman. He’s the No. 33 linebacker in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports, and his final decision came down to UCLA, Utah, Colorado and Boise State.
“He’s a young man who just loves football,” Danielson said. “When you talk football with Hunter, and talk development and what he can do for his family, his eyes light up.”
Even though he coaches Boise State’s cornerbacks, Jeron Johnson played a big role in landing Misa. Johnson spent a year coaching at Eastside Catholic outside Seattle before he was hired at his alma mater, and he has known Misa since he was in the eighth grade.
“He would come do drills with my secondary group because he had to play multiple positions early on,” Johnson said. “He’s a smart football player. He’s instinctive and he’s not afraid of contact.”
The Broncos brought in another four-star linebacker in Jayden Virgin. Boise State’s coaches hope to create a few more sacks with the additions of Virgin, Tarlas, and junior college defensive linemen Deven Wright and Cortez Hogans Jr.
Wright is a 6-5, 230-pound defensive end from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He posted 34 tackles and 7.5 sacks this season after getting to the quarterback just once in five games in 2020.
“The sky is the limit for him coming off the edge,” Boise State defensive line coach Frank Maile said. “As he gets stronger and bigger, it’s just going to magnify to the tenth power what he can do.”
Hogans is going to create problems for offenses with his size and versatility, Avalos said. He can play every position on the defensive line.
“He is a massive person and a well-built person,” Avalos said. “There’s a guy that physically is going to be able to come in and find his way quickly because of the maturity of his body.”
A late addition to the Broncos’ haul was defensive tackle Braxton Fely, who was originally committed to BYU. He waited until Wednesday afternoon to announce his decision, which came down to Boise State and Utah State.
“He’s explosive,” Maile said. “I don’t think a lot of people understand how strong he is. The kid loves to train and he understands how to carry his strength on to the football field.”
Starting them early
Boise State will welcome 10 of the players who signed Wednesday to campus in January as early enrollees, Avalos said.
Wright, Tarlas, Fely and Hogans will all enroll early. They’ll be joined by defensive tackle JJ Talo, who plans to graduate early from Kearns High School in Utah.
Australian punter James Ferguson, running back Ashton Jeanty, tight end Austin Terry, offensive lineman Kage Casey and former Washington State lineman Cade Beresford also will be on campus by January.
“A lot of young men want to take the advantage of starting college early and having a longer prep than just the summer time to have the possibility to compete (for playing time) in the fall,” Avalos said.
Will Broncos add another QB?
Boise State signed quarterback Maddux “Mad Dog” Madsen on Wednesday, but the Broncos might not be out of the market at that position.
The Broncos weren’t able to lure Louisiana native Landry Lyddy away from Louisiana Tech, even after he visited Boise State’s campus over the weekend. Lyddy signed with the Bulldogs on Wednesday.
Boise State could still add a high school or transfer quarterback during the traditional signing period. A transfer could be ideal, given the youth the Broncos have at the position behind Hank Bachmeier, but offensive coordinator Tim Plough said finding the right quarterback is less about experience and more about how they fit into a team’s culture.
“We’re looking for great players who can increase the competition in that room,” Plough said. “You want that room to be like syrup and to kind of leak out to the whole team.”
Any interest Boise State shows in another QB doesn’t detract from the confidence the coaches have in Madsen, Plough said. The Utah product threw for 3,693 yards and 42 touchdowns as a sophomore at American Fork High, and added 4,044 passing yards and 48 touchdowns as a junior. In his senior season, he racked up 3,693 yards and 42 touchdowns through the air.
“The more you get to know him, the more you understand why he took his team to the playoffs every year,” Plough said. “He’s accurate, he’s a leader, he’s tough and he has everything you want in a great quarterback.”
Notes:
▪ Incoming freshman Keenan McCaddy will play safety at Boise State. He played wide receiver and safety at Moanalua High School in Hawaii, but after seeing the 6-4, 185-pounder work out at a camp this summer, the coaches think he will be valuable in the secondary.
▪ Wide receiver Prince Strachan signed on Wednesday morning, but he’ll take a grayshirt year, which means he won’t be eligible to play until January 2023. Strachan’s brother, Michael, is a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.
▪ The only player in Boise State’s 2022 class who had verbally committed but didn’t sign with the Broncos on Wednesday was linebacker Kaeo Akana. The three-star recruit from Hawaii was heavily courted by Nebraska since he committed to Boise State in June, but he signed with Utah on Wednesday.
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)
S 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 15, 2021 at 4:42 PM.
