MWC Recruiting Roundup 10-10-22

It’s another week of the MWC Recruiting Roundup.

It was a big recruiting weekend for many teams in the Mountain West. As can be seen below, there were tons of offers throughout the weekend, many visitors to various schools and six new MWC verbal commitments. Hawaii and Utah State were the most active on the offer front, and both schools were focusing on junior college players this week. Boise State had a huge visit weekend, hosting five known official visitors. Air Force had half of the new commits, with three new players entering the 2023 class. Any of these teams are deserving of the cover photo this week, but the Falcons are the “official” selection.

Class of 2023 Cover Photo Total:

• Air Force: 7
• Nevada: 5
• Colorado State: 4
• Boise State: 3
• San Diego State: 3
• Hawaii: 2
• San Jose State: 2
• UNLV: 2
• Wyoming: 2
• Fresno State: 1
• New Mexico: 1
• Utah State: 1

Recruiting Calendar:

We are in a dead period for the month of August. However, Thursday, September 1st will mark the start of the Evaluation Period.

Next College Student Athlete says:

The NCAA Evaluation Period is a specific time of year when college coaches are allowed to watch an athlete compete in person or visit their school. However, coaches are not allowed to communicate with that athlete (or parents) off the college campus. Coaches can sit in the stands during a recruit’s practice or game, as well as visit the recruit’s school. This gives college coaches a chance to talk to the recruit’s coach, teachers, or guidance counselor to get a better understanding of the student-athlete’s character. After the visit, the coach may call or email the recruit and let them know how their experience was at the school or game.

The NCAA Evaluation Period is just that: a time set aside for evaluation. While coaches can’t talk to athletes off the college campus, they can still call, email, text, and direct message recruits.

Air Force Commitment Tracker:

Since the Air Force Academy regularly has by far the most commits among Mountain West recruiting classes, it’s kind of fun to track them over the course of the year.

Number of Falcon verbal commits: 56

Visit Recap

DL Nicholas Ferenandez (Boise State)

“The Boise/SDSU game was of the best college games I’ve ever seen. The fans were awesome and the stadium was beautiful! All of the coaching staff and the players were awesome! Definitely saw nothing but good from my conversation and observations of them. They are recruiting me to play all spots on the D-line. I definitely know I can do what their asking for. I want to use all five visits, but have nothing else locked in yet.”

OL Jason Steele (Boise State)

“The visit was unreal. I loved every moment of it and every experience I had cemented the fact that I am at where I belong. The game wasn’t like anything I had ever seen before, it was electric and had me at a loss for words. The city of Boise is amazing and the sense of community is unmatched. I loved being able to finally meet my guys Kyle Cox and Carson Rasmussen and building my relationship with them. I also loved being around Oliver, Frank, Jalen, Wyatt, and their families. I loved being able to spend time with the OL room, Coach Keane, Coach Avalos, Coach Cooper, and Coach Jason. Roger Carreon and Garrett Curran took me under their wing and made me feel at home. It was the first time my mom was able to come up and get the full experience so I’m super glad that she loves it as much as I do.”

DB Jalen O’Neal (Boise State)

“It was great! The highlight for me was most definitely the game and after the game locker with the milk jug.

TE Oliver Fisher (Boise State)

“I think the biggest thing I enjoyed was the energy at the game, both during the pregame as well as during the game. Obviously, Boise State pulling out a big W was huge but almost 40k people there all bringing the energy was insane. The coaches showed a lot of love and they really care I was able to spend a bunch of time today with Coach Avalos and Coach Potter.”

QB Jax Leatherwood (Nevada)

“The game experience was great! I’m really excited to play for Nevada next year! The highlight of being at the game for me was probably seeing how packed the student section was. They were hype the entire night.”

JUCO DE Talib Salahuddin (SDSU)

“My biggest highlights were being able to walk the field and being on the field during the team entrance. I also enjoyed talking with the numerous coaching including coach Ena and coach Deakin to name a few. I also just loved the warm environment at SDSU not only were the coaching staff interested in me it seems that the fans had a lot of positive things to say about me as well. All in all it was a great trip and I can’t wait to come back for an official visit soon.”

JUCO RB Davon Booth (Utah State)

“The people In Logan were all welcoming, I never ran into anyone who seemed rude or negative in any way. My recruiter Patrick Allen was the best! Always made sure we were taken care of and made sure we got to where we needed to go. The Fan base is amazing there! The student section was packed from the beginning to the end of the game. They made sure we were fed, and I never had to worry about that at all. The Utah State staff were amazing; they showed nothing but love to my family, and I. The facilities were amazing there! You can tell they take pride in how they look. I met some of the players and they were all very humble and well mannered. The scenery is amazing! From the trees changing colors to the older buildings in the city that make it looks original.”

Commitment Spotlight

DB Malcolm Addison (Air Force)

“The reason I committed was because I felt the love they were giving me and constantly checking up on me and see how I’m doing they always made sure I was doing the things I was supposed to and obviously cause they are a winning team.”

DB JT Tomescko (Air Force)

“It’s always been a dream of mine to go to the Air Force Academy and I can remember conversations with my family about being a Falcon one day. Ever since my first visit the love the team has for each other, and the energy during practice was very impressive and evident. The coaches showed my family, and I so much love during the recruiting process. I love coach Toth’s mentality, and his football IQ is very high and I am blessed to be coached by him in the future. Their love for the game matches my love for the game. Their football program is always successful and develops guys for the pros very well. The academy is also a very special opportunity when it comes to a career, and their education is the best of the best. It has always been a dream of mine to be a pilot and what better place to learn how to fly than the Air Force Academy. Colorado Springs is also so beautiful and I’m so excited and blessed to be a falcon and to be a part of the bolt brotherhood.”

JUCO DE Tavarius Pitts (San Jose State)

“The biggest reason why I committed because I know I have a chance to come in and play right away. Also, even better, I will have a chance to get to the NFL.”

DT Lucas Samsula

“I committed to the university of Wyoming because when I went up there, my family and I fell in love immediately. I want to major in environmental systems, and the location of the university of Wyoming is perfect for that. Lastly, everyone there made my family and I just feel like we were at home and that’s why I committed there.”

Recruiting Updates:

Offers

• WR/DB Kory Hall was offered by Colorado State
• WR Jordan Onovughe was offered by Colorado State
• JUCO DB Jett Elad was offered by Colorado State
• DB Cox Josiah was offered by Fresno State
• JUCO DB Mason White was offered by Fresno State
• DE Bruno Dall was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO DE Talib Salahuddin was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO WR Tre Harden was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO WR Jacoby Matthews was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO OL Omar Pew was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO DE Jykeveous Hibbler was offered by Hawaii
• 2024 QB Deuce Adams was offered by Hawaii
• 2025 QB Jaylen Johnson was offered by Hawaii
• JUCO OL Daniel Ogundipe was offered by Nevada
• 2024 WR/DB Jordan Washington was offered by SJSU
• JUCO WR Brandon Hawkins Jr was offered by Utah State
• JUCO WR Willie McCoy III was offered by Utah State
• JUCO DT Terry Webb was offered by Utah State
• 2024 QB Isaac Wilson was offered by Utah State
• DT Lucas Samsula was offered by Wyoming

Visits:

• OL Jason Steele visited Boise State
• LB Wyatt Milkovic visited Boise State
• TE Oliver Fischer visited Boise State
• DB Franklyn Johnson Jr visited Boise State
• DB Jalen O’Neal visited Boise State
• OL Kyle Cox visited Boise State (unofficial)
• OL Carson Rasmussen (unofficial)
• QB Jax Leatherwood visited Nevada (unofficial)
• LB Christopher Fewell visited SDSU (unofficial)
• JUCO DE Talib Salahuddin visited SDSU (unofficial)
• JUCO RB Davon Booth visited Utah State

Commits

• DB JT Tomescko committed to Air Force
• TE Mitchell Blakeslee committed to Air Force
• DB Malcolm Addison committed to Air Force
• JUCO DE Tavarius Pitts committed to San Jose State
• DT Lucas Samsula committed to Wyoming
• DB Ronald Fuselier committed to Utah State

Decommits

Follow @Mike_SBN on Twitter for all the latest recruiting news and updates.

For recruits and coaches who want to connect and find a good match in the recruitment process, consider downloading the Athletes In Recruitment app.