UPDATE: Boise State on Tuesday announced that wide receiver Austin Cottrell has signed and will join the team in 2015. The original post is below.
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The Boise State football team picked up a big-bodied receiver as a late 2015 commitment Saturday.
Austin Cottrell, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College announced via Twitter that he committed to the Broncos. A 2014 graduate of Mountain Ridge High in Glendale, Ariz., he spent last season with the Artichokes at SCC, catching 12 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. He will come to Boise State as a true sophomore with a redshirt year available. He was a qualifier out of high school, so he could have opted for another junior college season, but will come to Boise State this summer.
"I've always been interested in Boise State, ever since I was a little kid, like 7 or 8, always kind of wanted to play on that blue field," Cottrell said. "I got to see all the facilities, really liked the town and thought 'this place is absolutely perfect, it has everything I need.'"
Absolutely blessed to say I am now part of the Boise State Broncos!! #BroncoNation #ATF pic.twitter.com/xJQspjBMdi
— Austin Cottrell (@austin_taylorrr) May 16, 2015
With the recent announcement that Troy Ware's career is done, the Broncos have no returning scholarship receivers taller than 6-1. Though Cottrell's stats aren't eye-popping, he impressed Scottsdale offensive coordinator Tommy Ziegler, who told Scout.com last month "He is turning into one of our go-to guys this spring. He's always been a guy that can take the top off of coverage but has improved his intermediate route running this off-season. We expect him to do big things this fall, that is if we don't lose him."
"I did a little research, I knew they didn't have very many big receivers, so I saw a need I could fit," Cottrell said. "... I know people will see the stats, but I made the best of those 12 catches. Last year was a year where I learned a lot about what I needed to work on. I plan to go and prove myself."
Cottrell said he plans to major in kinesiology with hopes of one day becoming an athletic director. He had an offer from Texas State, along with recent interest from Kansas State and Colorado. Boise State walk-on safety Brandon Brown, a Phoenix native, is "like a brother to me," Cottrell said. He was offered Saturday morning and committed to coach Bryan Harsin on the spot.
"The coaches were honest, good people, so they really separated themselves once I visited," Cottrell said. "... I always wanted to go to junior college for a year, then get a scholarship somewhere, and I'm excited because it's a great program and a great fit."
Here are some of Cottrell’s highlights:
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