MWC Recruiting Roundup 6-18-18

After a week or two of slower recruiting news in terms of offers and commitments, this past week came back in full force. The two main reasons for this are 1) It’s camp season, so coaches are able to get to see players up close performing drills or in 1v1 situations, which leads to more offers. 2) Players are starting to take official visits, which leads to more commitments. This week saw four commitments (Norwood committed to Air Force last week), three of which pledged to Nevada. Nevada also hosted 5 official visitors, and Hawaii and Boise State also hosted players this weekend. But the Wolf Pack easily had the best week in the MWC, so they capture the photo banner. They may not be slowing down anytime soon either, as they are expected to a number of visitors again next weekend. We have tons of quotes from talking with players, check it out below.

Checking in on...

DB Damarryea Armstrong

“Currently I have offers from New Mexico, UNLV, and Air Force. I like each of their football programs and looking forward to learn more about each school. I’m really trying to focus on researching the academic side of things in addition to the football program. Teams are looking at me as safety and corner. I don’t care where I play, I feel comfortable at either position. I think my strengths as a player is attacking the ball when its in the air and football IQ. Right now I’m working on trying to improve everything about my game.”

Visit Recap

OL Nathan Peterson visited/camped at Air Force

“I was there both for camp and an unofficial visit. The camp was good, I could’ve done better in 1 on 1’s but everything else I felt I did good. Yeah we some pretty lengthy conversations, and Coach Lobo told me sat a little too much on my heels in my pass set. It was good to spend time with the coaches and get instruction from them.”

(Note: The impression of MWCConnection is Air Force seems to a good shot with Peterson)

TE/DE Henry Ikahihifo visited Nevada

“It was great, and the highlights for me would be the people and the campus, the people were so kind to me and treated me like family. And the campus was just unreal, everything was just so beautiful and the student athletes that attend there are very blessed with the facility. I would say it wasn’t what they said, it was more of the welcome they gave me. They made me have a good feeling about them and how nice the people were. They said I am one heck of an athlete and that I truly have why they are in need of. They say I play very aggressive and that I am a very athletic person who loves for a big man.”

TE Koby Gross visited UNLV

“It was good a lot of good competition I didn’t very well with my testing also. The Coaches are amazing and it was very well put to together and I would love to play at UNLV also. I talked to all of the offensive staff I have been in contact with with a lot since my high school season ended. They said they want to offer me after my first couple games next year. They liked how much I improved since the season ended. My strength speed and quickness really stood out to them. They said to just keep getting after it in the weight room and getting faster.”

Commitment Spotlight

S Connor Norwood (Air Force)

“Definitely the coaching staff was the biggest reason I committed, along with the culture, and just the overall good vibe that the team and school gives off. The opportunity to serve and play football at such a great place is just unmatched. Everyone just seems very driven to be great and everyone is also just very genuine. Plus nothing beats the campus. My relationships with the staff are good and definitely the most personal I experienced in getting recruited. They’re very honest while remaining positive. They really like my length, physicality, and versatility as a defender and believe I’m a really good fit for their scheme. I’m being brought in to play strong safety. I believe my biggest strength is awareness of the game and being able to read a play and stop it before it develops.”

OL Jacob Golden (Boise State)

“I got home from my visits and sat down with my parents weighing all of my options and realized that Boise had everything I was looking for in a school, everything that I’ve been looking for and talking about for years now and to add on an entire coaching staff that wanted me and believed in me I didn’t see anything that could top that. A big enough city to enjoy myself away from the university. Not being to far from mountains and the outdoors. How well respected the program is in the entire state and the integrity of the players in the program. The solidity of the coaches and a winning blueprint that has been around for generations. How they set their players up to be successful in life not just football. How much thought and organization they put into everything they do even the smallest of things. They do everything by the book; if they tell me they are going to do something they do it. The fact that they talked so much about how Boise will improve me as a man and set me up for life that is the most important thing to them that is what really sold me. They are bringing me in to play tackle. I plan on signing in December for sure, but still debating on if I want to graduate in December or not. I’ll only need two classes and I’ll have my schedule set to make it a possibility, so I’m prepared to, but still not sure.”

QB Austin Kirksey (Nevada)

“I committed because of how awesome the coaches are and they believe in me and my abilities so I felt like they were the school for me. Coach Mumme told me I was the guy he wanted and nobody else. They’ve been honest with me and text me all the time and I really appreciated that about them. They told me that they really like my ability to make plays and also my arm strength.”

OL Blake Baughman (Nevada)

“Really the biggest thing was the atmosphere of comradery, I’ve know Coach Angus for a long time and Coach Jay is a really nice guy. Plus the host players were really easy to get along with and it definitely felt like a brotherhood. On the academic side of things, Nevada has its own medical school which is a huge plus for me because I’m trying to get through pre-med and hopefully get my doctorate in either nuero or spinal surgery. And to top all of that off it’s really close to home relatively speaking. I think their goal was to really show all of the opportunities Nevada has to offer as a school and as a lifestyle. In our meeting Coach Norvell was very sincere in talking about his belief in how I could be a powerful addition to the team, and Coach Angus has always been a really good communicator about the whole recruiting process. The staff said they really liked my speed and pad level being from a running offense. They were saying that they’re hoping to run a little bit more this year than last, even with the air raid offense, and my predisposition to being able to pull and block defensive linemen aggressively were a couple big points. As far as enrolling early, I have for sure, for me it really comes down to some AP classes that I’d like to take during my spring term to get ahead in terms of my academics. So it’s certainly on the table for me but I’m just not positive yet which way I’d like to go, either way I’ll be working out in the winter and spring to prepare.”

OL Zac Welch (Nevada)

“The way that the coaching staff made me feel like family ! I really felt as though they cared for their players. I knew it was the place for me. As far as the coaching staff, it was just how they acted. They made me feel at home. It’s awesome. I felt really good about it. I really love the whole staff. They made me feel part of their family. And I really like that. On the visit, I loved the meals we ate together. We had great talks. The photo shoot was also pretty cool. My favorite part though is when Coach McClure talked to me about the drills and offensive techniques he teaches. It was really cool to see. He’s a fantastic coach with a lot of amazing success. Right now, I plan to sign in December.”

Recruiting Tidbits

Coach Jay Norvell of Nevada tweeted out something relevant after the commit of QB Kirksey. He stated how there were only 15 total spots in this 2019 class for the Wolf Pack, which is a low number. While that is subject to change due to attrition and possibly take gray-shirts or green-shirts and not count towards the 2019 class. Still, it will be helpful to keep in mind that Nevada’s class will be around 15, which may be among the smaller classes in the conference this season.

Offers:

• LB Connor Beautrow was offered by Air Force
• P Charles Bein was offered by Air Force
• DE Max Sandlin was offered by Air Force
• LB Junior Tafuna was offered by Boise State
• OL LaDarius Henderson was offered by Boise State
• OL/DL Caden Hilborn was offered by Boise State
• DL Datona Jackson was offered by Boise State
• 2020 WR Gee Scott was offered by Boise State
• 2020 RB Sam Adams was offered by Boise State
• CB Mark Perry was offered by Colorado State and Wyoming
• WR Jamal Glaspie was offered by Colorado State, UNLV and Wyoming
• WR Justin Lockhart was offered by Fresno State
• OL Logan Sagapolu was offered by Fresno State
• DB Dom Tatum was offered by Fresno State and UNLV
• 2020 WR Jeremiah Hunter visited Fresno State
• WR/DB Jabari Kindle was offered by Hawaii
• ATH Leonard Glass was offered by Hawaii
• WR/CB Jamar Simpson was offered by Hawaii, New Mexico, and SJSU
• 2020 ATH Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala was offered by Hawaii
• ATH Matty Horne was offered by Nevada
• ATH Simon Thompson was offered by Nevada
• ATH K’aun Green was offered by Nevada
• OL/DL Logan Arnold was offered by Nevada
• 2020 WR Elijah Jackson was offered by Nevada
• 2021 QB Trilian Harris was offered by Nevada
• 2021 WR Clay Petry was offered by Nevada
• 2021 WR Alonzo Fontenette was offered by Nevada
• 2021 ATH Cristian Dixon was offered by Nevada
• OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson was offered by SDSU
• OL Angel Flores was offered by SJSU
• DB Cam Stephens was offered by SJSU
• DL Tobin Phillips was offered by SJSU
• S/LB Tuasivi Nomura was offered by New Mexico, SJSU and Wyoming
• OL Jalen Rudolph was offered by SJSU
• 2020 RB Chris Street was offered by SJSU
• 2022 Domani Jackson was offered by SJSU
• RB/CB Dorien Mars was offered by UNLV
• ATH Jojo Forest was offered by UNLV and New Mexico
• LB Michael Daley was offered by UNLV
• DB Damarryea Armstrong was offered by UNLV
• OL Brock Gunderson was offered by UNLV
• DE Amari Johnson was offered by UNLV and Fresno State
• OL Michael Cartwright was offered by UNLV
• OL Dohnovan West was offered by UNLV
• RB/SS Arik McLawyer was offered by UNLV
• OL Jelani Newman was offered by UNLV
• OL/DL Leif Fautanu was offered by UNLV
• 2020 QB JD Johnson was offered by UNLV
• 2020 QB Gavin Beerup was offered by UNLV
• 2020 TE Darnell Washington was offered by UNLV
• ATH Makai Polk was offered by Utah State
• TE/LB Luke Musgrave was offered by Utah State
• TE Skylar Loving-Black was offered by Utah State
• TE Ethan Erickson was offered by Utah State
• WR Cole Motes was offered by Utah State
• ATH Giles Jackson was offered by Utah State
• DB Easton Gibbs was offered by Utah State
• WR Cervontes White was offered by Utah State
• DB Jaron Waters was offered by Wyoming
• ATH Neal Johnson was offered by Wyoming
• ATH Aaron Lowe was offered by Wyoming
• ATH Allen Smith was offered by Wyoming
• QB Suddin Sapien was offered by Wyoming
• WR Kain Medrano was offered by Wyoming

Camps:

Note: Trying to distinguish between camps. When I saw “camp at” I’m referring to a traditional camp at the campus. “Camp with” refers to a satellite camp where coaches were there.

• WR Tyler Daye camped at Air Force
• OL Nathan Petersen camped at Air Force
• QB Dawson Lieurance camped at Boise State (QB MVP)
• TE Trey Anderson camped at Boise State (TE MVP)
• Colten Ellsworth camped at Boise State
• Mana Moniz camped at Boise State
• 2020 DB Donte Bowers camped at Boise State
• 2020 LB Hunter Kaupiko camped at Boise State (ILB MVP)
• 2020 WR Gee Scott camped at Boise State
• 2020 RB Sam Adams camped at Boise State
• ATH Matt Horne camped with Nevada
• ATH Simon Thompson camped with Nevada
• K/P Cole Johnson camped at Nevada (won Kicking and Punting competition)
• TE Kolby Gross camped at UNLV
• OL Josh Pena camped at UNLV
• OL/DL Liloa Kalima camped at UNLV
• OL/DL Leif Fautanu camped at UNLV
• 2020 QB JD Johnson camped at UNLV
• 2020 QB Gavin Beerup camped at UNLV
• ATH Braedon Wissler camped at Utah State
• DB Davion Gaines camped at Utah State
• TE Briasen Howard camped at Utah State
• WR Cole Motes camped at Utah State
• QB Keegan Freid camped at Utah State
• WR Kain Medrano camped at Wyoming

Commits:

• OL Jacob Golden committed to Boise State
• QB Austin Kirksey committed to Nevada
• OL Blake Baughman committed to Nevada
• OL Zac Welch committed to Nevada

Visits:

• OL Nathan Peterson visited Air Force
• DB Chris Adimora visited Boise State (Note: Despite his huge offer list, don’t count out Boise State in Adimora’s recruiting)
• LB Zach Bowers visited Hawaii
• TE/DE Henry Ikahihifo visited Nevada
• OL Zac Welch visited Nevada
• DB Dom Tatum visited Nevada
• OL Blake Baughman visited Nevada
• 1 other unknown player visited Nevada
• DB Isaiah Bigby visited SJSU
• JUCO DB Mekhi Blackmon will visit Colorado State June 22nd

Make sure to follow @Mike_SBN on twitter for all the latest recruiting news in the MWC.