Class of 2009 could have immediate impact pt. 1

2009 Running Back commit Malcolm Johnson

Boise State plays the best guys, period. If you don't believe it, look at the last few seasons. In 2007, five true freshmen saw the field, in 2008, Boise played 3 true freshmen and the starting QB was a redshirt freshmen. Yes, a youth movement is taking place at Boise State and the Broncos don't believe in "rebuilding", the Broncos simply reload year in and year out and 2009 looks to be no different.

—QBs—
Kellen Moore is the present and future of the Bronco program, garnering WAC Freshman of the Year Honors and Freshmen All-America status. With the departure of Nick Lomax and the graduation of Bush Hamdan, however, Kellen has little depth behind him. Right now, Moore has only Mike Coughlin and walk-on Drew Hawkins behind him and the Broncos took no quarterbacks last offseason. This year, things looked different on the recruiting trail and the Broncos look to have snagged some top-notch signal callers to add instant depth under center.

Joe Southwick, a 3-star prospect out of Danville, CA was the first verbal that the Broncos received in this recruiting cycle and may be one of the best. The 6'2" Southwick is rated as the #32 signal caller in the country and threw for 3,781 yards and 36 TDs this last year while running another 8 into the endzone. Southwick was named the All-East Bay Offensive Player of the year. Look for Southwick to redshirt next year.

Southwick likely thought he'd be the only QB taken in the '09 class. Well, things have a way of changing when you commit in May because by August, Nick Lomax had departed the Boise State program and QB depth looked to be a real issue. Enter North Gwinnett quarterback Mikey Tamburo—a Jared Zabransky clone that competed in Georgia's largest division and held offers from just about every mid-major in the Midwest. Tamburo is not the pure passer that Southwick is, but he is more of a pure athlete. Tamburo is a classic Boise State recruit...one who likely would've been heavily recruited by BCS conferences had he only been a bit bigger. A picture of consistency and a proven winner, Mikey threw for over 8,000 yards and nearly 90 TDs in his prep career. Tamburo is an intriguing player who may find his way on to the field sooner than later in option situations designed around his strengths. Still, I think Tamburo redshirts as well in 2009.

—WRs—
With Vinny Perretta graduating and Jeremy Childs declaring for the NFL Draft, Kellen Moore will have a few less experienced targets back in 2009. Speedster Titus Young will be back from suspension along with Austin Pettis (who snags every ball thrown his way). Hard to believe that in 2007, it was Young and Pettis foregoing their redshirt years to contribute immediately. Well, 2009 looks ripe for some newcomers to see the field and Boise State has some exciting commits this year.

Kirby Moore is the WR commit that grabbed the headlines nationally and locally. The "little" brother (he's 6'3" and 205 lbs.) of Bronco QB Kellen Moore was highly coveted in Pacific Northwest recruiting circles and this season became the national record-holder for career TD receptions. Moore is rated as a 3-star recruit by Scout.com and while he possesses a respectable 4.6 40-time, he is not a burner like Titus Young. The younger Moore will get the job done with his precision routes and great hands and I think he stands an excellent chance of seeing the field in 2009. You just don't get that many opportunities to catch touchdown passes from your brother and Moore will contribute right away.

The other intriguing WR commit for the Broncos is one that no one really knew much about when he committed in June. Aaron Burks is a 6'4" wide receiver out of Mansfield, TX who is already enrolled at Boise State. Burks did not play much wide receiver before his senior year, but managed to notch 500 receiving yards for the Mansfield Timberview Wolves last season. Burks will need to put some weight on that thin frame, but has good speed (4.5) for his height and following the lead of fellow Texan George Iloka and enrolling early can't hurt his chances to see the field in 2009. Burks should make the two deep rotation next year to give Kellen more options in the red zone. Imagine two lanky receivers in Austin Pettis and Aaron Burks running corner fade routes in the end zone. Can you say 'unstoppable'?

Can you say 'raw'? Boise State's third WR commit of the class is Geraldo Hiwat, a Capital High (Boise) product who is originally from the Netherlands and playing his first year of football. Hiwat is built much like Burks at 6'3" and 185 lbs. but may have a step on him speedwise. Hiwat will benefit greatly from more practice time as he missed a chunk of last year to injury and is still learning the American game. Hiwat is a likely redshirt candidate.

The Tight End position is one that the Broncos utilize more effectively and with more innovation than most teams in the country. Tight Ends at Boise State are expected to catch and block with equal aptitude and contribute to the endless amount of motion looks that the Harsin offense shows. Well, the 2009 class looks to have a nabbed a Tight End that can do it all. Trevor Peterson out of Placerville, CA is a 6'4" 220 lb. athlete with a big brain to match his big frame. Peterson entertained scholarship offers from Harvard, Utah, UC Davis, and SDSU. Peterson has a rare combination of size, speed and strength that may remind Bronco Nation of Derek Schouman, Richie Brockel and Jeb Putzier...combined. Peterson was a real steal for the Broncos in this recruiting class and will be a mainstay in the next few years, but with the current glut of capable Tight Ends, I say he sits until 2010.

—RBs—
Boise State has no shortage of quality running backs, but the Offensive Lines growing pains last year produced far fewer rushing opportunities than in years past. With Ian Johnson's graduation, the Broncos will be looking for a new feature back. The most likely candidate to lead the Bronco rushing attack is Jeremy Avery, but the Broncos backfield will be crowded with talent as DJ Harper and Doug Martin will get their touches too. Will a new face follow DJ Harper's lead and play as a true freshman in 2009? Could be.

The Broncos only picked up one running back in this class—but they got a good one...maybe even a great one. Malcolm Johnson from Sam Barlow High School in Gresham led the state of Oregon in rushing two years straight. His senior campaign saw him rush for roughly 2600 yards and 25 TDs. One game early in the 2008 season, Malcolm rushed for 458 yards and 5 TDs. Johnson's consistency and explosiveness will make him a mainstay in the Bronco backfield for years to come...but it's doubtful he'll burn his redshirt in 2009 out of necessity unless the Broncos have an injury in the rotation or he simply is THAT good. With numbers like Johnson has put up as of late, that may well be the case. Johnson held offers from Utah, UNLV, Air Force and Wyoming.

—LBs—
The Broncos look to have snagged some great linebackers this year and the recent coaching shake-up that moved runningbacks/special teams coach Jeff Choate to LB coach will hopefully pay immediate dividends.

John Michael Davis may be the star of the 2009 class. Rated a 4-star prospect and the #13 WLB in the 2009 class, Davis has good speed and a solid frame (6'1" 220 lbs). Davis battled through injuries his senior year, but should come in healthy and ready to go, and with the linebacking corps needing to replace outgoing Kyle Gingg, Tim Brady and Dallas Dobbs I wouldn't be surprised to see JMD make it onto the '09 depth chart.

Allen Mooney is another prototypical Boise State recruit...a little taller and every Pac-10 team would've been on him. Mooney is stocky and strong and just plain produces...he had over 100 tackles his junior year despite missing three games. Mooney also battled some injuries his senior year, but nothing that should impair his progression at BSU. Good pursuit and strong tackling will make Mooney an ideal middle linebacker for the Boise State system. Allen is rated a 3-star recruit by Scout.com and the #26 MLB of the class. I see Mooney redshirting in 2009 as Derrell Acrey and Daron Mackey will slug it out for MLB supremacy.

The strong side 'backer position in the 2009 class will be filled by a jack-of-all-trades with a familiar last name. Gabe Linehan out of Oregon played quarterback and linebacker out of Banks High and looks to come in as the third LB of the the Broncos' class. Linehan is an all-around athlete whose brothers Josh and Cole both played on the lines of Oregon and Oregon State. Linehan's bloodlines hint that he'll bulk up from his current sinewy 6'3" 190 lb. frame. Linehan's quarterback experience, athleticim and height will remind a lot of Bronco fans of Colt Brooks. I think Linehan will be a good one, but probably won't see real action until 2010.

Check back tomorrow for the an overview of the DBs and Lineman of the 2009 Bronco recruiting class.

Dutch Treat

Cheech and Tjong was a great flick...

All apologies about the headline because I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of it in coming years...but it seems apropos as the Broncos received a huge verbal commitment just moments ago from Dutch DT Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe. Scout.com just confirmed that Tjong-A-Tjoe committed to the Broncos after an in-home visit on Wednesday and on the tails of a month-long recruiting tour that had stops in Eugene and Pullman. Tjong-A-Tjoe (pronunciation guess is as good as mine) is 6'4" and 295 lbs. and had offers from Oregon, Washington State, San Jose State, Idaho and Idaho State. Originally from the Netherlands, Tjong-A-Tjoe made the most of his first season playing American football by tallying 35 tackles, two sacks and four forced fumbles—all which garnered him first-team All-State honors at Boise High. Ricky will join another Dutch transplant in Capital WR Geraldo Hiwat in the '09 class and Bronco sophomore DB Cedric Febis as well. Scout.com has not evaluated Tjong-A-Tjoe as of yet, but considering the number of offers held by the big guy, it looks like the Broncos got another steal. Check out the big red machine below:

What can Brown do for us?

Who is this mystery man?

It looks like Boise State may have just snagged another recruit this weekend...but this one was so far off my radar that I'm having to do some major league sleuthing to bring in much info. Encinal's Jonathan Brown has been rumored to have committed this weekend after a recruiting trip with the likes of Kirby Moore. Brown was named the All-East Bay player of the Year this year as a two way standout at quarterback and linebacker (Bronco QB commit Joe Southwick was the All-East Bay Offensive Player of the Year). Now, I don't have confirmation on this yet, but it's certainly hard to believe that the talented Brown will be coming in at QB after the earlier verbals from Joe Southwick and Mikey Tamburo. Has Boise State nabbed its 3rd linebacker of the class? Could be. Brown's size, 5'11" and 200 lbs. sure seems to put him in Boise State linebacker range (smallish), but he looks athletic enough to play anywhere on the field. Update: Looks like Brown is coming in as a Safety. Brown notched 92 tackles last year, 8 quarterback sacks and two blocked punts. Colorado and Air Force were rumored to have interest or offered Brown. More to come when I find it out. Below is a short video showing Brown's explosiveness:



Two-way leader guides Encinal [SFGate]
Encinal's Brown commits to Boise State [Inside Bay Area]

The Leno Show

"I'll protect you, Kellen."

Boise State received their 19th verbal commitment (20th if you count the softy) of the 2009 class today as big OT Charles Leno pulled the proverbial trigger. Leno, a 6'5" 265 pounder out of San Leandro HS (CA), had scholly offers from Idaho, SDSU, SJSU, UNLV and Utah as well as interest from several Pac-10 schools. Leno is rated as the #24 Offensive Tackle of the '09 class by ESPN and also grades out as a 79 using their formula. Besides receiving passing grades from ESPN's recruiting team, they had this (among other things) to say about the big man.

Leno is on prime time when he's on the field. He has very good size and is extremely athletic. Runs more like a tight end than a tackle; gives great effort when leading downfield on the screen pass or getting crossfield to pick up a defender. Plays the game with a great sense of urgency and gives 100% every play.

Coach Pete will get that ratcheted up to 110%, so don't worry.

By the way, Leno visited the blue during the Fresno State game so it's a miracle that it took him two weeks to pull the trigger—still one of the most memorable nights at Bronco Stadium I can remember.

Leno scouting report [ESPN]
List of Boise State commits [Scout.com]

JC Safety commits to the Broncos

Safety Will Shamburger, who verballed to the Broncos in August, backed out of his commitment yesterday. It took all of half a day for a new Safety to take his scholly, when JC transfer Winston Venable threw his verbal at Boise State. Venable, who looks like a lineman in his photo, will have 3 years to play 2 at Boise State and looks like he will immediately vie for the 3rd safety spot that we saw Ellis Powers flourish in this year. Venable is 6'1", 210 lbs. and possesses 4.5 speed...oh yeah, and he punts too so look out Elkin Brotzman! Venable was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year this season at Glendale Community College and made league's first-team defense at two positions (Safety and Punter). With Shamburger's departure from the commit list, Venable still represents the 18th commit of the 2009 class.

Full list of current commits [scout.com]
A few more tidbits on Venable [OBNUG]

Thank you sir, may I have another...

Boise State's crowded 2009 recruiting class may just get more crowded...and with another talented quarterback, no less. California quarterback Joe Southwick was the first verbal commit for the Broncos way back in May, and many thought that he was to be the only quarterback in the class...that is, until the coaching staff announced this summer that Nick Lomax would be transferring. The Broncos suddenly found themselves with very little depth at QB behind starter Kellen Moore and many suggested that the staff may go after one more signal caller. Enter Michael Tamburo, a Jared Zabransky clone out of Gwinnett High in Georgia who holds offers from a half dozen programs. Tamburo apparently visited the Boise this weekend and came away impressed...very impressed:

...(Tamburo) likes the turf, the school, the program, the city, the coaches … well, he likes just about everything that has to do with Boise State. In fact, the North Gwinnett senior quarterback likes the place so much he was on the verge of committing to the Broncos Monday night. Tamburo was wating to talk to the Bronco coaches before giving them his final commitment.

I guess as long as the coaches had their cell phones turned on tonight, we may well be seeing a new verbal in the morning.

``It’s where I want to be,’’ Tamburo said.

Did I say, "may be seeing a new verbal"...I meant, "will be seeing a new verbal". And that makes 17.

Not too shabby...


Story
Tamburo profile

Sweet 16th?

Sometimes the best high school football recruits fly under the radar...this couldn't have been more true for new Boise State verbal commit Nicholas Alexander, who Scout.com listed as having no interest in Boise State. Alexander's lack of interest in the Broncos was either grossly exaggerated or the Blue really impressed the 6'5" 235 lb. Strongside DE upon his visit to yesterday's tilt against Utah State, because rivlas.com is reporting that he verballed to the Broncos today. Alexander, from Crenshaw High in LA, is currently rated as a two-star recruit by rivals.com and scout.com and had at least one held a scholarship offer from Washington State. Alexander's grandfather was an All-American at Minnesota and later an NFL Hall of Famer with the Minnesota Vikings. Bloodlines, baby.

Of course, verbals before letter of intent day in February are non-binding...but Alexander represents the 16th known commit of the 2009 class. SIXTEEN!

Pass to the Dutchie....

Boise State's burgeoning Dutch connection has paid off again as Capital High wide receiver Geraldo Hiwat has verbally committed to play for the Broncos. Hiwat is a 6'3" wide receiver from Amsterdam who has only played in 5 games in the states...but the Broncos liked what they saw in Hiwat's 26 receptions for 297 yards and four TDs as well as a slew of rushing and special teams yardage. Capital coach Todd Simis raved about the lanky import:

“From my opinion, on talent, in the future he’s going to be in a league of his own,” Simis said. “He’s only really played five American football games. I just think the upside is tremendous.”

No word yet on whether international rules dictate that Hiwat must be passed to on the left hand side only.

Hiwat is the 14th known verbal commit for the Broncos 2009 class. Booyah!

Full Story

Damn pt. 2 (this time, in a good way)

Well, Boise State fans who were downtrodden this morning at the news of Darren Markle's WSU commitment now have reason to rejoice. WLB John Michael Davis from Tesoro, CA has given a verbal commitment to play for the Broncos according to Rivals.com. Davis is 6'2" and 225 lbs. runs a 4.59 40. Davis is also rated by Scout.com as the #14 WLB in the country. Davis joins an impressive group of early commits for the Broncos, that now stands at 5 recruits.

Needless to say, Boise State is off to a fantastic start for their '09 class. Let's hope these verbals stick.

We're proud to have you, Jack!

If you read this article about the latest Bronco commit, Jack Sula, and aren't excited to have this kid coming to the blue...well then you, sir have no heart.

We're awfully proud to have you Jack, you and your family are part of Bronco Nation now.

ESPN article