MWC Recruiting Roundup 11-12-18

Welcome to another edition of the MWC Recruiting Roundup. This week’s is packed with the latest news of offers, visits, and commits. Specifically, there were 14 new offers, 8 new commits, and a few known visitors. Wyoming in particular picked up three commits this week and they really needed a solid recruiting week. Due to this, the Cowboys appear on the banner. Also, we have our November team rankings in this post today, which will be the last one before the early signing period in December. See who has risen or fallen since October.

November MWC Recruiting Rankings

Here’s our October rankings to refresh your memory.

1. Boise State: They’ve added a second solid quarterback commit in this class and this week secured a DE commit. The rich are getting richer and after moving up and down with Nevada and some other teams in these rankings, the Broncos are putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the MWC in the 2019 class. They are now getting some depth to go along with their star power in this class.
2. Utah State: They sure made a jump, securing 4 or 5 more verbal commits since the October rankings. They have quality athletes on both sides of the ball and should continue to be at the top of the rankings moving forward. They are some sneaky good players on their list of commits as well. They are second due to the best balance of quality and quantity amongst their peers, as 11 of their 13 commits are three stars on 247.
3. San Diego State: Aztecs doing what they always do. Find the athletes to plug into their system. Low on flash, but high on players who will be solid college players, and steadily rising through the rankings each month. There really isn’t a bottom to their class right now, as players are solid all across the board. A lot to like here.
4. Nevada: Not doing anything wrong, but more about other teams catching up to their smaller class. They still have the core of a top-half MWC, and as you can see by their ranking, a bit better than that even. However, they have a few spots open and adding another “headliner” type of recruit would solidify this class very nicely.
5. UNLV: Much like Hawaii or Nevada last season, I really like the class the Rebels are putting together this year. It’s full of quality athletes across positions on both sides of the ball and easy to see how they can add quality depth to their team immediately. Excited to dive deeper into this class come December and February.
6. San Jose State: A middle of the road recruiting class from a bottom of the conference team on the field will bode well for the Spartans going forward. This class should compliment the 2018 class well.
7. Air Force: 30 commits according to 247, but only 3 listed at 3-stars based on their rankings. To be fair, they have some nice players, but sheer quantity isn’t weighed as much as quality here at MWCConnection.
8. Fresno State: It’s been a quiet fall on the recruiting front for Fresno State. Much of that is partly be design, as they haven’t been doing in-season recruiting visits. But they are handing out offers and in contact with players, doing the heavy lifting. Expect things to move quickly in December once in home and weekend official visits start. However, they need to be in the top half of the conference come February.
9. Hawaii: Their class has been kind of quiet, but that isn’t to say they aren’t bringing in talented players or active in recruiting. They have brought in some visitors who would look good in their system and will likely land some of them come winter. Thus far, their class is leaning towards the defensive (specifically linebacker), which makes sense given that’s the side of the ball struggling on the field.
10. Wyoming: They received a nice boost this week with two new commit pick ups and that’s enough to have them jump the Lobos and Rams this month. They are certainly putting in the work on the recruiting trail and have hosted numerous visitors at each of their home games. The guess would be that the work pays off for them by the time February rolls around. But can they overtake the teams above them?
11. New Mexico: They had a really nice pickup this week with the Bishop Gorman OL Briggs, who will serve as one of the anchors of this class when it’s all said and done. They are still recruiting a higher than average number of JUCO players and figure to still have more than their fair share of them in this class. However, early on they are finding high school talent as well.
12. Colorado State: In past years, the Rams boasted recruiting classes at the top of the conference. Through much of this season, that hasn’t been the case. They picked up a nice TE commit in the past month, but otherwise it’s been a slow march for them in the recruiting world.

As you know by now, I think straight rankings don’t always tell the whole story. Tiers can sometimes better illustrate the gap or lack of gap between teams. So if you think a team should be higher than another, but in the same tier, you probably could make a good case. Here are the rankings by tiers (notice especially the bunch up in the middle):

Tier 1: Boise State,

Tier 2: Utah State, San Diego State

Tier 3: Nevada, UNLV

Tier 4: San Jose State, Air Force, Fresno State, Hawaii

Tier 5: Wyoming, New Mexico

Tier 6:Colorado State

Visit Recap

ATH Jalen Williams (Nevada)

“I enjoy everything! The coaches and players seemed to have good relationship. Also I liked just watching the defense go to work; I feel like I fit the defense of playing style well. They let their players play and put their player-makers in different positions to let them make an impact. I could see myself being able to make an impact as well. The coaches and I talked a lot just about what has been built here, their experiences, academics and other school stuff, and how they would use me. They want to put me in different positions (they are recruiting me as a general athlete) and just let me make plays.”

WR/TE Micah Hilts (Utah State, unofficial)

“Some of the highlights were obviously getting to see the team play at such a high level, i also loved the facilities and overall vibe and it felt really good. Got to meet Coach Wells as well and talk to Coach Shumaker for a while and that was great too. Overall just really liked it there. Got to see the facilities. I think they are looking at me as more of a TE down the road. I think I have pretty good hands and physicality on the field. Also want to be a leader on and off the field.”

Commitment Spotlight

DE Mike Callahan (Boise State)

“It came down to where I felt the best fit. I weighed out every option and I realized that I wanted to play the highest level of football possible while still being in an environment where I can succeed in every aspect of my life. They have an incredible winning tradition. They win a ton of games year in and year out and I got to see why on the visit. The culture there is one of the biggest reasons I committed. The coaching staff is amazing and they all care about how you develop as a person, not just a player. They see me fitting in as the 4i Defensive end and getting a chance to edge rush too. As for my strengths, I think my get off and hands are probably the skills I have that stand out the most. My aggression and toughness are what a lot of coaches have also told me stand out.”

TE Kyle Helbig (Colorado State)

“Ever since Coach Bobo offered me going into my junior year, which was my first offer, it’s always been my #1 school. It was just my gut feeling. The timing was right now. It just felt right to me. I knew CSU is where I wanted to be. The relationship between myself and the coaching staff is great. That is one of the main reasons I chose CSU. As for how they will use me at tight end, when I talked to Coach Bobo he said he was going to move me around a lot. My strengths are my versatility with being able to flex out and also put my hand in the dirt. Overall I think my athletic ability helps me stand out. I’m really excited to play college football in my own back yard at Colorado State.”

Recruiting Tidbits

Offers

• DB Nick Nakwaasah was offered by Air Force
• LB Jeremiah Trojan was offered by Air Force
• JUCO WR Trevon Clark was offered by Colorado State
• 2020 LB Jackson Laduke was offered by Fresno State
• OL/DL Richie Pinomi was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO LB Mason Vega was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO DB Derrick Langford was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO DB Bryce Beekman was offered by Hawaii
• 2020 S Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner was offered by Hawaii
• 2021 OL/DL Kuao Peihopa was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO LB Reco Hannah was offered by New Mexico
• JUCO DL Soni Misi was offered by SJSU
• JUCO LB Vic Viramontes was offered by UNLV and Boise State

Visits:

• ATH Jalen Williams visited Nevada
• WR/TE Micah Hilts visited Utah State (unofficial)

Commits

• LB Noah Mitchell committed to Air Force
• DE Mike Callahan committed to Boise State
• TE Kyle Helbig committed to Colorado State
• OL Cade Briggs committed to New Mexico
• LB Jaymason Willingham committed to Utah State
• DB Keonte Glinton committed to Wyoming
• OL Latrell Bible committed to Wyoming
• DE Devonne Harris committed to Wyoming

Other:

• WR Alex Brown expanded his top two to five. His list includes Wyoming and Air Force.

For all the latest MWC recruiting news, be sure to follow @Mike_SBN on Twitter.