Posted by bambi2godzilla on 1/11/2008, 12:15 am
63.249.102.18
BSU still has a few players on its wish list
The Broncos already have 20 commitments and may have room for a highly touted quarterback prospect.
CHADD CRIPE
Idaho Statesman
1/11/08
As the college football recruiting season reopens this weekend, the Boise State Broncos don't have much work left to do.
They do, however, have a few players left on their want list.
A linebacker or two.
A tight end.
And maybe a quarterback - with highly touted Arizonan Sean Renfree planning to visit campus next weekend.
Boise State already has 20 commitments confirmed by the Idaho Statesman, close to coach Chris Petersen's goal of about 23 for this class. That number could grow if a handful of players grayshirt like last year and join the program in January 2009.
Football recruits can sign letters of intent beginning Feb. 6. Boise State coaches can't talk about specificrecruits until then.
"I think they're good players and it seems like they're good kids," Petersen said of the class so far. "The profile hasn't changed at all. It's all about getting a great kid who loves football. That's still the priority."
The Broncos could fill two voids with a pair of teammates from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. Renfree and tight end Austin Briehl, who are close friends, will visit Boise State together next weekend, Notre Dame Prep coach Scot Bemis said.
Renfree originally committed to Georgia Tech but reopened his recruiting when the Yellow Jackets fired Chan Gailey and replaced him with option coach Paul Johnson.
Renfree (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), ranked as the No. 10 quarterback prospect by Scout.com, also plans to visit Duke and Arizona State and may visit Oregon State, Bemis said. Renfree tossed five touchdown passes and threw for more than 400 yards to help Notre Dame Prep win a state championship game.
Petersen has said the Broncos will take a quarterback only if they can find the right guy. They offered Renfree a scholarship last summer, Bemis said.
Briehl (6-5, 220) missed most of his sophomore and junior seasons with health problems, so he slipped under the radar as a senior. The all-state performer also will visit Duke and has visited UNLV and Air Force, Bemis said.
Bemis told the players to stay open-minded during their visits and "eventually your gut will tell you" the right choice.
"Boise will be interesting for them because it's kind of an up-and-coming school and what they did last year in the Fiesta Bowl right here in our back yard was phenomenal," Bemis said. "They don't have any idea what to expect going up there."
The Broncos already have addressed needs on the offensive line and in the secondary - areas of emphasis even before they learned that left tackle Ryan Clady and cornerback Orlando Scandrick were leaving a year early for the NFL.
The class includes at least five offensive linemen and four defensive backs.
Tom Swanson, a 6-foot-6, 295-pounder from Sammamish, Wash., will give the Broncos another imposing offensive tackle. The two-time state champion at Skyline High turned down Washington State and received late interest from Washington.
Swanson didn't begin playing football until his freshman year. He blossomed into a three-year starter.
"He's a very good pass blocker, a good power blocker, he moves his feet well, he knows how to get to the second level," Skyline coach Steve Gervais said. " He lives in the weight room."
The group in the secondary includes cornerback Mike A. Williams of West Brook High in Beaumont, Texas. Williams is a contender for a state title in the 400 meters.
He decommitted from Baylor during the Bears' coaching transition and had offers from Iowa and UTEP. Florida also expressed interest, Williams said.
He committed during his visit to Boise State.
"I loved the city and my surroundings and all that," he said. " Everyone figured I'd go to a big school because of the type of player I am, but I really wasn't looking at it like that. I felt Boise was a good fit for me."
And Williams hopes it's a good fit for one of his teammates.
West Brook defensive end Shane McCardell (6-5, 215), who runs on the 4x400 relay team with Williams, will visit Boise State later this month, Williams said.
"We've been doing a little research on Boise together," he said. "He's liking it a lot. He's a freak of nature."
Williams, and possibly McCardell, are the product of the Broncos' recent push into football-rich Texas. Running backs coach Jeff Choate found them on a sweep through the state last spring.
The Broncos are expected to sign at least three - and maybe as many as five - players from Texas this year.
"I was super surprised," Williams said of his first contact with the Broncos. "You don't really hear about them recruiting Texas."
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