This QB stayed loyal and signed with Boise State, even though other schools made a push
Recruiting classes are built around quarterbacks, according to Boise State football coach Andy Avalos, who made his mark on the defensive side of the ball.
The Broncos got their quarterback when Rancho Cucamonga’s CJ Tiller signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday — nine months after he verbally committed.
Tiller was the first player to join Boise State’s 2023 class. He committed in March, choosing the Broncos over scholarship offers from San Jose State, Utah State, San Diego State and Northern Arizona.
Boise State has been burned in the past. Katin Houser was the first recruit in the Broncos’ 2022 class, but he flipped his commitment to Michigan State.
Tiller said when he committed that he was going to stay loyal, and he kept his word, even as he watched offensive coordinator Tim Plough get fired and redshirt freshman quarterback Taylen Green emerge as a star.
“I was always going to stay loyal to the coaches and the fan base,” Tiller told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday. “I love Boise State. It’s a special place with special players and coaches, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Washington State and Cal offered Tiller scholarships after he committed to the Broncos, and he said coaches from several schools tried to convince him to flip — including Boise State’s new offensive coordinator, Bush Hamdan, hired just over a week ago.
Hamdan spent the past three years coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers at Missouri, and he said Tiller had been on his radar for a while.
“There was a time when I was like, ‘Man, I hope I don’t have to make a tough call to Andy on this,’” Hamdan said Wednesday, speaking to the media for the first time since he was hired on Dec. 14. “CJ is certainly a highly talented guy and an even better person. I think he’s one of the more talented quarterbacks in the West this year, but he’s going to have to be a guy that allows the process to happen and takes it day by day.”
Avalos confirmed Wednesday that Tiller is one of eight members of the 2023 class who will enroll early and be on campus by January. Tiller said graduating high school early has been the plan since he was in the eighth grade.
“I think it’s important for any position, but especially for quarterbacks,” Tiller said. “I want to get in the playbook and learn at the same speed as the other quarterbacks so I can go out there and compete. I want to be their best friend, but I want to compete, too.”
Tiller isn’t waiting until he gets to Boise to start building bonds with his teammates. He has been rallying the troops and recruiting players behind the scenes since he committed. When tight end Matt Wagner announced on Twitter that he was decommitting from North Texas, Tiller’s response was, “Yup, you already know big dawg.”
“We’ve talked a few times, and he seems like a cool guy,” Wagner said. “It’s important to have strong chemistry with your quarterback, and I can’t wait to get out there and get to work with him.”
Tiller said he wasn’t just trying to recruit talented players to join the class. He was building relationships.
“The game of football will only take you so far, but those relationships will go on forever,” Tiller said. “I would treat my neighbors the same way.”
That kind of clarity from an 18-year-old is what prompted Avalos to call Tiller a “natural leader.”
“We were able to get a quarterback that has a great head on his shoulders, that comes from a great family and is mature enough to know what he wants in this next chapter of his life,” Avalos told reporters on Wednesday. “His ability to engage and get to know people and build confidence in people, that’s what that position requires — on top of an unbelievable skill set and how you operate on the field.”
Tiller began his high school career at Williams Field in Arizona, where he posted 2,458 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021. He transferred to Rancho Cucamonga in California, and he led the Cougars to a 9-3 record this season while throwing for 2,154 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“My junior year, I did a lot of running around and making plays, but I didn’t get to stand in the pocket and pick defenses apart,” Tiller said. “That’s what I wanted to do this year, while also showing I can still make plays with my legs when things break down.”
Boise State’s 2023 recruiting class
QB CJ Tiller, 6-3, 200, Rancho Cucamonga (California) High
LB Wyatt Milkovic, 6-1, 233, Basha High, Chandler, Arizona
OL Jason Steele, 6-4, 280, Murrieta Valley (California) High
RB Jambres Dubar, 6-0, 200, Anna (Texas) High
WR Jackson Grier, 6-0, 175, St. Thomas Aquinas High, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
CB Franklyn Johnson Jr., 5-11, 175, Little Elm (Texas) High
OT Kyle Cox, 6-6, 270, Eatonville (Washington) High
OT Carson Rasmussen, 6-5, 300, Owyhee High, Meridian, Idaho
TE Cayden Dawson, 6-5, 232, University City High, San Diego, California
TE Oliver Fisher, 6-5, 225, Sherwood (Oregon) High
DL Michael Madrie, 6-4, 260, Argyle (Texas) High
DL Max Stege, 6-5, 250, Cologne Crocodiles, Germany
Edge Demanuel Brown, 6-4, 230, Dekaney High, Houston, Texas
CB Khai Taylor, 6-2, 174, Pittsburg (California) High
DB Ty Benefield, 6-2, 185, Crean Luthern, Rancho Santa Margarita, California
CB Nick Hawthorne, 6-2, 175, Boswell (Texas) High
S Titus Toler, 5-11, 195, Wisconsin, Long Beach, California
LB Chase Martin, 6-1, 205, Thousand Oaks (California) High
CB Gabe Tahir, 6-2, 180, Kamiakin High, Kennewick, Washington
CB A’marion McCoy, 6-1, 170, Laney College, Atherton, California
WR Chase Penry, 6-1, 190, Colorado, Greenwood Village, Colorado
TE Matt Wagner, 6-5, 230, Rock Hill High, Prosper, Texas
