Will Boise State land commitment from raw pass rusher at prolific Vegas high school?
Boise State edge coach and co-special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga has made a specialty out of finding raw athletes and turning them into elite pass rushers.
At Virginia, he mentored Charles Snowden — a 6-foot-7, 240-pound linebacker who played only two years of high school football before joining the Cavaliers. Snowden was named an All-American after posting a team-high six sacks in 2020.
After a four-year career at Virginia, he signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent last year.
“Length and athleticism are king on the edge,” Poppinga told the Idaho Statesman. “You can go out and find athletes and teach them how to rush the passer, but you can’t coach size and speed.”
The Broncos had such a promising but raw 2023 recruit on campus for a visit last month. Bishop Gorman linebacker Jonah Lea’ea made a trip to Boise in April and said he was impressed with what see saw out of head coach Andy Avalos.
“They showed me a video of coach Avalos at practice, and he’s really hands on,” Lea’ea told the Statesman. “That’s really exciting because I’ve never had a coach like that.”
Like Snowden, Lea’ea doesn’t have an extensive history on the football field. He didn’t start playing until his freshman year at St. Francis High School in California.
Also like Snowden, Lea’ea grew up focused on basketball. The 6-5, 225-pounder said he decided to strap on a helmet and shoulder pads because of his Polynesian heritage.
“All Polynesians play football at some point in their lives, so I felt like I had to try,” Lea’ea said.
Lea’ea transferred to well-known Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas last summer after he said his family wanted to escape rising housing costs in California. He helped the Gaels go 12-1 and capture the 5A Nevada state championship last fall.
At Bishop Gorman — annually ranked as one of the top high school football teams in the country — Lea’ea is teammates with some of the top 2023 recruits nationwide: wide receiver Zachariah Branch, the No. 1 recruit in Nevada, who is committed to USC; four-star safety Kodi DeCambra, who is leaning toward Oregon; and cornerback Justyn Rhett, who is committed to Georgia.
Every starter on the offensive line also has at least one scholarship offer, Lea’ea said. Going against that kind of talent every day has already prepared him for life as a college football player, he said.
“I know players in every program say they work hard, but it’s just different at Gorman,” he said. “We took two weeks off after the state championship game and then we were back to work. It’s a battle every day, and that’s only going to make us better.”
Lea’ea is the No. 1 outside linebacker in Nevada and the No. 8 overall recruit in the state, according to 247Sports. He’s a three-star recruit who received a scholarship offer from Boise State in February. He also has offers from Arizona, Oregon State, California, Washington State, Utah, Utah State, San Diego State, UNLV and Hawaii.
After visiting Boise State, Lea’ea also took trips to Utah, San Diego State and Cal. He said he doesn’t plan on committing to a school until later this summer at the earliest, but he’s working hard in the meantime to fit Poppinga’s mold of an a edge rusher.
“I can still improve in my run defense, but it’s just about getting bigger and faster at this point,” Lea’ea said. “You have to have size and speed on the edge.”
Recruiting notes
▪ Former Boise State defensive back Semaj Verner announced Wednesday on Twitter that he has committed to UC Davis, an FCS program coached by former Boise State head coach Dan Hawkins. Verner, a native of Lakewood, California, announced in January that he was transferring.
Verner joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2020 and appeared in one game in two seasons. He has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2020.
▪ Former Broncos quarterback Colton Fitzgerald has picked up scholarship offers from three FCS programs since announcing in April that he was transferring. His latest offer came from Southeastern Louisiana, Fitzgerald announced on Wednesday. He also has offers from Western Illinois and Illinois State.
Fitzgerald was verbally committed to Toledo before he joined the Broncos last summer. He didn’t appear in any games last season and still has four years of eligibility remaining.
▪ Running back Andrew Van Buren is still in the transfer portal after announcing in December that he would spend his final season of eligibility elsewhere.
The 240-pound back has been quiet about his recruitment on social media, but he has drawn interest from Virginia, Eastern Michigan, UConn, Fresno State, Kansas State, SMU, Idaho State, Portland State, Sam Houston State, Campbell and Delaware, according to a story by recruiting expert Mike Farrell.
▪ Quarterbacks Jack Sears and Andy Peters also remain in the portal. Sears, who joined the Broncos in 2020 after transferring from USC, announced in December that he would spend his final season elsewhere. There has been little news about his recruitment, but Farrell recently ranked him as the No. 2 quarterback left in the portal.
Peters, a walk-on who was a star at Timberline High in Boise, announced in April that he was transferring. He joined the Broncos in 2020 and appeared in one game as a true freshman: a 51-17 loss to BYU. He didn’t appear in any games last season. Peters hasn’t announced any scholarship offers since transferring.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
