MWC Recruiting Roundup: 12-4

In case you haven’t seen it, off-season recruiting is in full effect, and then some. This past week brought truckloads of offers, a plethora of in-home visits, along with a healthy dose of commits and official visits. Fortunately, MWConnection has you covered.

Commitment Spotlight:

Wyoming won the first week of winter recruiting, hauling in four players. San Jose State wasn’t far behind with two, plus Nevada got a great JUCO player. Read what the players had to say below:

CB Rome Weber (Wyoming)

Wyoming was my choice for about a month before i committed. I just wanted to make sure that i was 100% sure. What made me pull the trigger was when Coach Bohl came to see me at school and right after drove to Vegas to have a home visit with my parents while Coach Rich was having a home visit with me & my grandparents. That made me realize how committed they were to me and how serious they were about making me a Cowboy for life. The coaching staff seems like they’re all on the same page and they all have the same goal of trying to get better every year. I feel like I have a relationship with Coach Rich to where I can talk to him about more than football, he’s been through his own recruitment process and he’s played his years in college to where i can use him and look at him as a role model. The coaches know that I’m a player that can move around in the secondary & they’ve let me know numerous of times that I’m their top DB recruit so I just have to go in and compete for a spot to earn my place on the field.

WR Camron Donation (Wyoming)

I’ll be playing football as a scholarship player and also track & field, both head coaches talked and they said I could do both without there being any problem. I like that the staff were straight up front with me. They don't sugar code anything and the players and the whole football staff are respectful and the community is just amazing itself! My relationship with them I felt got better when I took the visit, then when they came in for my home visit it got even better. Knowing I have good honest coaches that see talent in me but they also take the class room very seriously too. They see me as a developing WR because I'm real athletic but I also do 3 sports right now so they said I'm a "raw" football player as in I only play it when season comes and they still see next level type of play!

LS Jesse Hooper (Wyoming)

I want to start by saying how thankful and blessed I am to be given this opportunity! The biggest factors that influenced my decision were: the family aspect that surrounds the football team, plus the fact that the university itself is close to home, as well as their conference games. But I would have to say the biggest factor that became evident to me after my visits is that Laramie feels like home. I appreciate that the coaches were completely open and honest with me during my recruitment. After having the opportunity to sit down and talk with Coach Bohl and Coach Cooper, it was very clear that I felt wanted by them. I also felt I was a good fit and really wanted to play for Wyoming. They’ve given me a full scholarship as a long-snapper and even though there are two others to compete with, I’m ready to be there!

RB Reow Jackson (Wyoming)

Definitely what stood out to me is the consistency with talking to the coaches from last spring until now. It's a great feeling knowing they want me on the team. And after my official visit there, the players welcomed me and were like a bunch of brothers and we clicked fast, I knew it was a good fit. The coaches are great. We talk at least once a week and coach Bohl will be doing a home visit this week. They initially recruited me as a LB but then they flipped it to RB when they offered me. RB is still new to me, but they like my size there and think I’ll grow into playing there. I know I need to improve on being more explosive in my cuts, my initial speed from the snap and gaining weight and getting stronger before I get there.

DE Dimitri Sakalia (SJSU)

They’ve been recruiting me really hard ever since they offered me, I felt very wanted by them. It’s a great school over there. I think they are building something over there and also I get the chance to play I front of my family!!! The staff are very good and it’s easy to see they are all passionate about the game of football!!! My relationship with the coaching staff is very strong!! They said they like me as a pass rusher and want me to be a gamer on the field getting after the QB.

JUCO LB Rahsaan York (Nevada)

Lots of reasons to like Nevada. For one the relationships I built with Coach Norvell and Coach Casteel, they’ve been nothing but great people through the wild recruiting process. They’re passionate about the game and want to win and we have that in common. It was close to home. I can come in make and contribute to making an impact on the team and potentially dominate the Mountain West. It was a great fit for me overall, the atmosphere and people there are great. It just made sense and I loved everything Nevada had to offer. Something great is going on here and I wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t want to go to a school based on the big name. I wanted to go where I’d best fit the program and where I’d best succeed. Not only that, with me being a JUCO prospect I wanted to go to a program where I can come in and play because of I only have a few years left. I’ll be there in the summer.

Recruiting Rankings:

This is our final rankings list before the December signing period. It merely reflects where each team is at as far as collecting verbal commitments. As we know far too well, verbal pledges are non-binding and can change in a hurry. December 20th will provide lots of information when we see how ends up signing and who decides to keep thinking and evaluating until February.

These rankings will also provide the schedule going forward for a new series of posts debuting today and leading all the way up to the early signing day. Each weekday, MWConnection will give you a look at the current state of recruiting for one team, to be released in reverse order of our rankings. First up will be #12 later today. :

1. Boise State: The class of the conference in recruiting, the Broncos are head and shoulders (and for some teams torso) above the rest of the conference, able to go head to head and beat out some PAC12 and Big12 schools for recruits. While other teams may beat them out for best individual recruit, the Broncos probably have most of the rest of the top 10. RB Andrew VanBurne, WRs Khalil Shakir and Stefan Cobbs, plus quickly-rising QB Zach Wilson along with DT Scale Igiehon and LB Brandon Hawkins on the defensive side. It’s a class that is compromised of talent top to bottom and few cracks to fill.
2. Colorado State: Outside of the Broncos, no one has done a better job recruiting this year than the Rams. The staff have put in hard work to secure both the numbers (19 verbals) as well as the talent (13 3-stars on 247). Jammal Houston continues the pattern of securing a top WR talent, figuring to step into the Higgins and Gallup role. Their defense in this class looks loaded with S Quinn Brinnon, DEs Brandon Derrow and Damion Dickens, plus CB Nick Martin-Morman. They still need a QB in this class as well as a traditional RB. Even without those two key positions, they’ve done a great job everywhere else.
3. San Diego State: Lots of weapons coming in with this class, most notably of course is JR Justice. Behind him are WR Rashad Scott, as well as ATHs Cedarious Barfield and Jordan Byrd. Lots of talent defensively (as usual) with DEs Cameron Thomas and Keshawn Banks, S Denaylan Fuimaono and underrated LB Andrew Alves. If they can complete this class with an above average QB it will be a huge success, but they’v showed over the years they can succeed without one as well.
4. Fresno State: I wrote about the Bulldogs’ recruiting success two weeks ago and there’s a lot to like in this class. WRs Emoryie Edwards and Rico Arias give them size and speed to pair a really nice TE in John McCartan. Defensively Shemar Whestone and Deshawn Ruffin will form a nice tandem and LB Sherwin King will be the biggest sleeper in this class. A solid RB will wrap up this class nicely.
5. Nevada: The strength of this class is at Wide Receiver and Cornerback. Charles Ross, Cole Turner, Romeo Doubs, and Kashan Griffin will make up a skilled group of pass-catchers as long as they figure out who is going to throw to them. On the flip side, Jaden Dedman leads a talent secondary which also includes Delano Ware and Nathaniel Vaughn. The Wolfpack also possesses a number of athletes who can be plugged in anywhere. Clear to see they have targeted athletes who are versatile enough to be plugged in at multiple positions.
6. UNLV: They picked it up in recruiting in the past few weeks as the commits have been pilling in. This class has a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball with S Phillip Hill, DE Timothy Mosley, and DT Moa Heimuli. Their RB commit Chad Magyar is a nice talent on the other side of the ball. There aren’t many holes in this class, and it’s a nice step for Coach Sanchez in recruiting.
7. Wyoming: Their recruiting hot streak was discussed a bit above. QB Sean Chambers was a big pickup and they got some tall WRs to pair with him. Defensively, S Chad Muma and LB Charlie Hicks appear to be very talented players who should translate well to the next level. There are a few projects mixed in with some high upside and Bohl and his staff have shown they are able to maximize potential in the players they bring in.
8. Hawaii: They don’t have a huge class at this point, but there are a lot of names to like. QB Jeremy Moussa and DT Tristian Nichols appear to be the headliners on each side of the ball, but there’s some talent at WR and along the DL for future building blocks for Rolo’s team. Nice to see 3 of the commits coming from the islands as well.
9. Air Force: It’s all about scheme fit for the Falcons, who has a mix of the good with QB Max Massingale and OL Cole Garcia and Jackson McDowell, along with the question mark of 5’6 183lb RB Carter Kuehl. Some nice TEs should help in the blocking game as well. They could use another RB or two and a playmaker on defense, although 6’4 Michael Riege is an intriguing player to keep an eye on.
10. Utah State: They’ve been dead last in the rankings for most of the season, but have slowly made the climb out, although not by much. JUCO DB Jason Thomas is a talented pick-up who should instantly make their backfield better. Chris Nash is another name fans should get to know. The theme in these last three is: there are players to like, but not enough (yet).
11. San Jose State: The boost they got this week probably isn’t reflected in the rankings, but they have added some nice pieces. Their struggles and handicaps have been discussed in past articles and will be again in their article. New commit Dimitri Sakalia is a solid pass rusher and RB Lorenzo Burkes will pair well with current RB Tyler Nevins. Charlie Bostic should be a plug-and-play guy at CB.
12. New Mexico: It’s been a rough go on things for the Lobos both on the field this season and also in recruiting. They have a nice pair of OL commits, as well as a safety who should develop into a multi-year starter, but not much else. They need to find a lot of players and quickly, to get out of the cellar of the MWC.

As stated before, I think tier groupings help paint an accurate picture of the divide or lack of divide between teams that isn’t always clear going by straight numbers. If people wanted to argue about the order of a few of these teams, they could make a good argument. However, I think the tiers are pretty clear:

Tier 1: Boise State

Tier 2: Colorado State, San Diego State

Tier 3: Fresno State, Nevada, UNLV

Tier 4: Wyoming, Hawaii, Air Force

Tier 5: Utah State, San Jose State, New Mexico

Recruiting Tidbits:

Offers:

• DE Adebayo Soremekun was offered by New Mexico
• LB Kyle Petrucci was offered by Air Force
• WR Jermaine Braddock was offered by Utah State
• DE Jeremiah Jordan was offered by Fresno State
• DB Chris Mitchell was offered by Boise State
• 2020 WR Johnny Wilson was offered by Colorado State
• 2020 LB Justin Flowe was offered by Colorado State
• RB Rome Weber was offered by Colorado State
• 2020 WR Josh Downs was offered by Colorado State
• WR Brayden Liebrock was offered by Nevada
• DL Adam Lopez was offered by Nevada
• 2019 S Williams Nimmo was offered by Nevada
• 2020 WR Zion Alefosio was offered by Nevada
• JUCO S Aaron Maddox was offered by Utah State
• JUCO OL Kyler Hack was offered by Utah State
• WR Jalin Lewis was offered by Wyoming
• WR Michael Thompson was offered by Hawaii
• WR Arthur Jackson was offered by Hawaii
• OL Solo Vaipulu was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO DE Derek Thomas was offered by Hawaii
• 2019 WR Steve Jenkins was offered by Hawaii and Nevada
• DB Jalen Nelson was offered by SJSU
• DB Andrew Jenkins was offered by SJSU
• RB/SS Kairee Robinson was offered by SJSU
• 2019 ATH Charlie Vincent was offered by Utah State

Commits:

• OL Cade Hall committed to SJSU
• DE Dimitri Sakalia committed to SJSU
• WR Camron Donation committed to Wyoming
• CB Rome Weber committed to Wyoming
• LS Jesse Hooper committed to Wyoming
• RB Reow Jackson committed to Wyoming
• DE Solomon Byrd committed to Wyoming
• DE Damion Dickens committed to Colorado State
• QB Keyon Oblad committed to UNLV
• DB Caleb Humphrey committed to Air Force
• WR David Eure committed to Air Force
• OL Wyatt Bowles flipped from Nevada and committed to Utah State
• OL/DL Jack Bolduc committed to Nevada
• JUCO LB Rahsaan York committed to Nevada

In-Home Visits:

• RB Conner Edgar was visited by Air Force
• DB Kanion Williams was visited by Wyoming
• DE Solomon Byrd was visited by Wyoming
• OL/DL Steven Shaw was visited by Wyoming
• DB Jevon Bigelow was visited by Wyoming
• OL Penei Sewell was visited by Nevada
• LB Giovanni Miranda was visited by Nevada
• CB Emoryie Edwards was visited by Fresno State
• CB Deshawn Ruffin was visited by Fresno State
• DT Niti Liu was visited by Fresno State
• DE Treven Ma’ae was visited by Utah State
• DB Jason Thomas was visited by Utah State
• Bill Dunkle was visited by Utah State
• ATH Chris Nash was visited by Utah State
• ATH Tim Patrick was visited by Utah State
• RB Danny Smith was visited by SDSU and SJSU
• RB Jamie Navarro was visited by SJSU
• CB Charlie Bostic was visited by SJSU
• OL Tyler Ostrom was visited by SJSU
• WR Michael Thompson was visited by SJSU
• WR Josiah Irish was visited by Hawaii
• WR JJ Tucker was visited by Hawaii

Visits:

• OL Jake Parks visited SJSU
• JUCO OL Korey Mariboho visited SJSU
• LB Craig Francois visited SJSU
• DL Cade Hall visited SJSU (commit)
• CB Charlie Bostic visited SJSU (commit)
• S Quinn Brinnon visited Colorado State (commit)
• DE Tate Wildeman visited Colorado State
• DB Chris Mitchell visited Colorado State
• JUCO OL Rahsaan York visited Nevada
• OL Jason Rodridguez visited Fresno State (unofficial)
• JUCO DE Derek Thomas visited Hawaii
• DE Jeff Keene visited Hawaii
• OL Tre Bland visited Hawaii
• OL Kohl Levao visited Hawaii
• TE Jonah La'ulu visited Hawaii (UNLV commit)
• RB Chad Magyar (commit) visited UNLV
• TE Jackson Marcotte visited Wyoming (commit)
• JUCO OL Kyler Hack visited Utah State
• OL Alama Uluave visited SDSU
• DE Jermaine Lole visited SDSU
• DB Denaylan Fuimano visited SDSU (commit)
• LB Alexander Vainikolo visited SDSU
• JUCO DB Terin Adams visited SDSU
• LB Brandon Hawkins (commit) went up to Boise to watch the conference championship game (not an official visit)
• 2019 OL Jason Rodriguez took an unofficial visit to Fresno State recently.