Boise State’s highest-rated recruit ‘evaluating options’ after coaching change
The highest-rated recruit in the history of the Boise State football team is reevaluating his options following the firing of head coach Andy Avalos.
Burley wide receiver Gatlin Bair hasn’t officially reopened his recruitment, but he’s thinking about it after Avalos was fired on Sunday, according to Burley High School football coach Cameron Anderson.
“Obviously, the situation Gatlin committed to is not the present situation at Boise State,” Anderson said in a statement. “He is taking time in reflection to evaluate his options going forward.”
Bair, a four-star recruit with a 96 rating from 247Sports, verbally committed to the Broncos during a live stream in August. Former safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner is the highest-rated player ever to sign at Boise State. He received a 94 rating from 247Sports in 2014.
Bair, a fleet-footed 6-foot-2, 195-pound wideout, has scholarship offers from many of the top programs in the country, including Alabama, Georgia and Texas. He chose the Broncos after whittling his list down to a top five that also included Michigan, Oregon, Nebraska and TCU.
Bair plans to graduate high school early, but he’ll serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which means he wouldn’t actually hit the field until 2026.
Boise State Hall of Fame class announced
Boise State announced its 2024 Hall of Fame class over the weekend.
It includes Tanoka Beard (men’s basketball), Ryan Clady (football), Brock Forsey (football), Tasha Harris (women’s basketball), Troy Merritt (golf) and Allie Ostrander (cross country and track). The class will be inducted next fall, according to Boise State.
“Induction into the Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes past achievements and serves as an inspiration for our current and future student-athletes to emulate,” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said in a statement. “We are so thankful to the Class of 2024 and the contributions they made to Boise State in addition to being extraordinary ambassadors for our institution.”
Beard (1989-93) is the basketball team’s all-time leading scorer, with 1,944 points. He was named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year in 1990 and was a three-time first-team all-conference pick. He played professionally in Europe from 1993 to 2009.
Clady (2004-07) was twice a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference pick and a consensus All-American. He was picked No. 12 overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2008 NFL Draft. The left tackle played nine seasons in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl nods. He was on the Broncos when they won Super Bowl 50 in 2016 but didn’t play in the game because of a torn ACL.
Forsey (1999-2002) was picked by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2003 draft. He also played for the Dolphins and had a brief stint with the Commanders. The former standout at Centennial High ranks No. 2 all-time at Boise State with 50 career rushing touchdowns, and he’s No. 3 with 4,045 rushing yards.
Forsey posted 32 total touchdowns as a senior in 2002, setting a Boise State record that still stands and becoming the third player in NCAA history to score more than 30 touchdowns in a season. His 68 total touchdowns are also still a record at Boise State.
Harris (2007-2010) ranks No. 2 on Boise State’s all-time scoring list, with 1,751 career points. She also is No. 1 in free throws made (483), No. 5 in assists (372) and No. 5 in scoring average (13.7). She was the first women’s basketball player at Boise State to have at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in her career.
Merritt (2006-08) won the WAC individual title in 2008 and went on to compete at an NCAA Regional, earning second-team All-America honors — the highest by any Boise State men’s golfer in program history. He still holds program records for career scoring average (70.74) and single-season scoring average (69.53, 2008). He is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, most recently in 2018.
Ostrander (2015-19) is the most-decorated athlete in Boise State history. She won three straight NCAA titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She is one of two athletes in school history to win multiple national championships, and she was a three-time Mountain West Female Athlete of the Year.
