The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: West Division Recruiting

We are more than halfway through summer and recruiting is in the swing of things. Schools generally want to have their classes at least half completed before the start of fall camp. Some teams have put a significant dent in their class (Boise State and Utah State), while others are just getting started (UNLV). Let’s evaluate how each school in the West Division is recruiting thus far.

The Good:

San Jose State

Mid-major California schools are in kind of a tough spot. High school athletes had a short spring season, and coaches are relying heavily on camp evaluations, which is not the same as game tape. With that being said, a Mountain West championship is paying dividends for the Spartans on the recruiting trail.

Nevada

The class may be small, but it is high in quality. They have landed a quality quarterback in Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi that should be able to compete for playing time if Carson Strong goes pro after this season. The class is heavy in the secondary, an area of need for the Wolf Pack this class. If Nevada can continue to land this level of recruits, they should finish in the top three in the conference.

The Bad:

UNLV

If we are looking at the quality of the recruits that have committed, UNLV is at the top of the conference. But that is pretty easy to do when you have only two commitments. Marcus Arroyo has taken a patient approach in recruiting the past few classes. So far it has paid off. The Rebels have found their quarterback of the future in Jayden Malava. Holding on to Malava will be a tough task.

Fresno State

The Bulldogs have only four commits in this class. Jomarion Briggs is solid at cornerback, but the Bulldogs will need to find a solid quarterback this class and some help at wide receiver. Like Nevada, I can see them finishing in the top three, but they need to pick up the pace.

San Diego State

It seems like the Aztecs best recruit is always an offensive lineman, and that remains true with this class with Laakea Kapol. But the Aztecs have not made a big splash on the recruiting table. They are going to rely heavily on finding some California kids that have fallen under the radar so far.

The Ugly:

Hawaii

I have yet to understand Todd Graham’s recruiting approach since taking over at Hawaii. They have only one commit in local safety Kona Moore. Graham really needs to pick up the pace, or the Rainbow Warriors will be in big trouble.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Next week we will look back at Mountain West Media Days as teams start fall camp.