BOISE
,
Idaho
– Head Football Coach Chris Petersen has announced the signing of 24 players,
which includes six gray-shirts and one high school player who graduated early
and enrolled at
Boise
State
University
this past month, to the 2008 football recruiting class.
All the new Broncos are freshmen, with the exception of linebacker Daron
Mackey of
Bakersfield
,
Calif.
who will be a junior after transferring from
Bakersfield
College
.
The six gray-shirts, who originally signed with the Broncos in 2007 and enrolled
at Boise State inJanuary of 2008, include Chase Baker (Rocklin, CA), Mitch
Burroughs (Meridian, ID), Matt Kaiserman (Nampa, ID), Shea McClellin (Caldwell
ID), Dan Paul (Boring, OR) and Dominique Vinson (Huntington Beach, CA). George
Iloka (
Sugar Land
,
TX
) graduated from high school early and enrolled at
Boise
State
this past month.
This was a balanced class of new recruits with the most at any one position six
in the offensive line. The defensive line, linebacker, defensive secondary and
wide receiver positions signed four each. One running back and one tight end
round out this year’s signing class.
The states of
California
and
Idaho
once again produced the majority of the new Broncos with eight from
California
and six from
Idaho
.
Oregon
and
Texas
each produced three players while the states of
Colorado
,
Arizona
,
Georgia
and
Washington
complete the group with one each.
For the second straight year,
Boise
State
inked the Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year when linebacker Byron Hout of
Coeur d’Alene
High School
signed with the Broncos.
Boise
State
is coming off a 10-3 season in 2007. Over the past 10 years, the Broncos have
the best record in Football Bowl Sub-division (I-A) college football at 102-24
for an 81.6 winning percentage. Following is a complete list of players who
signed with
Boise
State
. The list is followed by brief biographical information on each signee.
NAME POS HT WT CL HOMETOWN
(High School/Jr. College/Sr. College)
Chase Baker DT 6-1 285 Fr.
Rocklin,
Calif.
(
Rocklin
High School
)
Mitch Burroughs WR 5-10 185
Fr. Meridian,
Idaho
(
Meridian
High School
)
Van Drumgoole WR 5-11 160 Fr.
Caldwell,
Idaho
(
Vallivue
High School
)
Bronson Durrant OG 6-3 290 Fr.
Eugene,
Ore.
(
Marist
High School
)
Spencer Gerke OG 6-3 240 Fr.
Boise,
Idaho
(
Bishop
Kelly
High School
)
Greg Grimes DL 6-0 270 Fr.
Sacramento,
Calif.
(Inderkum HS)
Byron Hout LB 6-1 225 Fr.
Coeur d’ Alene
,
Idaho
(
Lake
City
High School
)
George Iloka S 6-3 200 Fr.
Sugar Land,
Texas
(
Kempner
High School
)
Tyler Jackson S 6-0 185 Fr.
Castle Rock,
Colo.
(
Douglas
County
High School
)
Matt Kaiserman RB 5-11 190 Fr.
Nampa,
Idaho
(
Skyview
High School
)
Joe Kellogg OG 6-4 290 Fr.
Scottsdale,
Ariz.
(
Saguaro
High School
)
Chandler
Koch TE 6-3 220 Fr. Flower Mound,
Texas
(
Flower
Mound
High School
)
Darren Koontz DT 6-3 255 Fr.
Los Alamitos,
Calif.
(
Los
Alamitos
High School
)
Raphiel Lambert CB 5-9 185 Fr.
Portland,
Ore.
(
Jesuit
High School
)
Daron Mackey LB 6-0 230 Jr.
Bakersfield
,
Calif.
(West High School/Bakersfield College)
Shea McClellin DL 6-4 250 Fr.
Caldwell,
Idaho
(
Marsing
High School
)
Brenel Myers OG 6-3 260 Fr.
Houston,
Texas
(
Westfield
High School
)
Dan Paul LB 6-0 230 Fr.
Boring,
Ore.
(
Sam
Barlow
High School
)
Chris Potter WR 5-11 170 Fr.
Westlake Village,
Calif.
(
Oaks
Christian
High School
)
Tommy Smith LB 6-1 205 Fr.
Atlanta,
Ga.
(
North Atlanta
High School
)
Tom Swanson OT 6-6 300 Fr.
Sammamish,
Wash.
(
Skyline
High School
)
Jamar Taylor CB 6-0 185 Fr.
San Diego
,
Calif.
(Helix HS)
Dominique Vinson WR 6-0 165
Fr. Huntington Beach,
Calif.
(
Edison
High School
)
Faraji Wright OT 6-3 275 Fr.
Vallejo,
Calif.
(
Berkeley
High School
)
Chase Baker,
DT, 6-1, 285, Fr.,
Rocklin
,
Calif.
(
Rocklin
High School
)
A three-sport letterman at Rocklin High School in
Rocklin, Calif., lettering in football three times, rugby twice and track and
field once…Named first-team all-league, second-team all-metro, defensive
lineman of the year and all-state underclassman…Finished with 58 tackles, six
sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries…Also had three carries for
12 yards and a touchdown. Named a scholar athlete…Plans to major in civil
engineering…High school coach was Greg Benzel…Originally signed with Boise
State in Feb. 2007 and enrolled in school full-time in January.
Mitch Burroughs,
WR, 5-10, 185, Fr.,
Meridian
,
Idaho
(Meridian HS)
A three-sport letterman at Meridian High School in
Meridian, Idaho, lettering in football four times, baseball three times and
track and field once…Velocity/Prep Star All-Region…As a senior named
second-team all-league after rushing for 450 yards while finishing with 520
yards receiving with 10 total touchdowns…As a junior named the Southern Idaho
Conference Player of the Year, first-team All-SIC, and second-team all-state as
a wide receiver/running back all-state after rushing for 650 yards on 100
carries, and finishing with 994 yards receiving on 56 receptions with 23 total
touchdowns… Named first-team all-conference after rushing for 732 yards on 134
carries and catching 56 passes for 406 total yards with 10 total touchdowns…He
is undecided about his major…High school coach was former Boise State
quarterback Mike Virden…Originally signed with Boise State in Feb. 2007 and
enrolled in school fulltime in January.
Van Drumgoole,
WR, 5-11, 160, Fr.,
Caldwell
,
Idaho
(
Vallivue
High School
)
A two-year letterman at Vallivue High School in
Caldwell, Idaho…As a senior, named 5A All-Idaho First-Team by the Idaho
Statesman as a wide receiver…Earned first-team All-Southern Idaho Conference
honors as both a wide receiver and defensive back…Finished the season with 32
catches for 538 yards and eight touchdowns, as well as 69 carries for 734 yards
and 11 touchdowns…On defense had 30 tackles, three interceptions, and three
forced fumbles…As a junior earned second-team all-state and all-conference
honors after rushing for 753 yards on 71 carries with 11 touchdowns, while also
catching 31 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns…Also had an
interception…Served as team captain as both a junior and senior…Lettered in
track and field twice and basketball once…Won the 100-meters in a time of
10.83 seconds at the 2007 Idaho State Track and Field Meet…Also was a member
of the Falcons’ state champion 4X400 meter relay team and finished second in
the 200...High school coach was Layne Coffin.
Bronson Durrant,
OL, 6-3, 290, Fr.,
Eugene
,
Ore.
(
Marist
High School
)
A three-year letterman at
Marist
High School
in
Eugene
,
Oregon
… Ranked as the 83rd best player on the Northwest 100…Helped team to 4A
State championships as a senior and a sophomore…Named second-team All-Sky-Em
League as a senior, despite suffering a season ending injury during the seventh
game of the season…Junior year started on the offensive line, but missed half
of the season with a wrist injury…Started a majority of the year as a
sophomore, including the state championship game...High school coach was Rory
Rosenbach.
Spencer Gerke,
OG, 6-3, 240, Fr.,
Boise
,
Idaho
(
Bishop
Kelly
High School
)
A three-year letterman at Bishop Kelly High School in
Boise, Idaho…Ranked as the 63rd best player on the Northwest 100…Named
first-team all-state as both an offensive and defensive lineman as a senior,
while earning first-team All-Southern Idaho Conference honors as a offensive
lineman and second-team All-Southern Idaho Conference as a defensive
lineman…Finished season with 69 tackles, seven pass breakups, two sacks and
one interception…As a junior had 44 tackles, three sacks and two pass
breakups, while earning second-team All-Southern Idaho Conference honors…Had
four tackles as a sophomore…Served as a team captain as a senior…High school
coach was Jack Parker.
Greg Grimes,
DL, 6-0, 270, Fr.,
Sacramento
,
Calif.
(Inderkum HS)
Selected the Tri-County Conference Player of the Year in
2007…Received first team CIF all-section honors last year…A second team
all-state selection following his senior and junior seasons…Also three-time
first team all-conference selection…A two-time Sacramento Bee all-metro
selection…Named the Sacramento Observer Athlete of the Year in 2007...Made 94
tackles and five quarterback sacks his senior season…High school coach was
Terry Stark, who also coached current Boise State defensive end Mike T.
Williams.
Byron Hout,
LB, 6-1, 225, Fr.,
Coeur d’ Alene
,
Idaho
(
Lake
City
High School
)
A three-year letterman at Lake City High School in Coeur
d’ Alene, Idaho…Named the Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year as a
senior…Honored as the 2007 5A Idaho Player of the Year by the Idaho Statesman,
while also being named first-team all state by the paper…Named the 71st best
player in the West by Scout Magazine…Named to the Tacoma News Tribune Western
100, honoring the top 100 players in the West…Ranked as the 33rd best player
on the Northwest 100…Earned first-team all-state and first-team All-Inland
Empire League honors as a linebacker as a senior after totaling 80 tackles,
three sacks, 20 tackles for loss, three interceptions, seven forced fumbles,
five fumble recoveries, 10 hurries and a touchdown…As a junior, named the
state’s MVP, as well as being named first-team all-state and all-conference as
both an offensive and defensive lineman…Finished with 80 tackles, 12 sacks, 16
tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and two touchdowns…As a sophomore, named
first-team all-state and all-conference as a defensive lineman after making 85
tackles, four sacks and 11 tackles for loss, while forcing six fumbles and
recovering three fumbles…Served as team captain as a senior…High school
coach was Van Troxel.
George Iloka,
S, 6-3, 200, Fr.,
Sugar Land
,
Texas
(
Kempner
High School
)
A three-year letterman at Kempner High School in Sugar
Land, Texas…Named team captain as a senior…Named first-team all-league as a
senior…A member of the Houston Top 100 Team…Finished senior season with 80
tackles, 60 solo and 20 assisted, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a
fumble recovery…Named Kempner defensive back of the year, as well as being a
Houston Touchdown Club nominee…As a junior, caught 30 passes for 500 yards and
four touchdowns…High school coach was James Brown…Enrolled in school
full-time in January.
Tyler Jackson,
S, 6-0, 185, Fr., Castle Rock,
Colo.
(
Douglas
County
High School
)
A three-year letterman at Douglas County High School in
Castle Rock, Colorado…Won the Denver Post Gold Helmet award, presented
annually to Colorado’s top senior football player, scholar and citizen
(winners must have made first-team all-state, maintained at least a 3.5
grade-point average with a strong academic base and have a proven commitment to
their community as well as having demonstrated high character…As a senior
named to the All-Colorado first team, which encompasses all the high school
divisions in the state…Also earned first-team all-state and first-team
All-Continental League after totaling 70 tackles, nine interceptions and 10 pass
breakups, while blocking 10 kicks (four punts and six field goals)…As a
junior, named honorable mention all-state and first-team All-Continental League
after finishing with 60 tackles, six interceptions and 22 pass breakups…As a
sophomore named second-team all-league…Also lettered in basketball (twice),
track and field (twice) and lacrosse (first)…Named to the Dean’s List three
times…High school coach was Jeff Ketron.
Matt Kaiserman,
RB, 5-11, 190, Fr.,
Nampa
,
Idaho
(
Skyview
High School
)
A three-sport letterman at Skyview High School in Nampa,
Idaho, lettering in football and track and field three times and basketball
once… Named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the State of
Idaho
… Named the Idaho Statesman 4A Player of the Year after rushing for 1,782
yards (9.8 yards per carry) and 26 rushing touchdowns, while catching 26 passes
for 585 yards and four receiving touchdowns…Earned first-team all-conference
honors as a junior and senior, as well as first-team all-state accolades on both
offense and defense…As a junior, rushed for 1,033 yards and 11 touchdowns on
130 carries, while catching 13 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown…Plans to
major in Education…High school coach was David Young…Originally signed with
Boise State in Feb. 2007 and enrolled in school full-time in January.
Joe Kellogg,
OG, 6-4, 290, Fr.,
Scottsdale
,
Ariz.
(
Saguaro
High School
)
A two-year letterman at Saguaro High School in
Scottsdale, Arizona…Named first-team all-state and first-team All-4A-1 Desert
Sky Region as a senior…Started at
left guard as a senior and helped team to the 2007 Division 4A-1 State
Championship with a 14-0 record…Also started at left guard as a junior and
helped team to the 2006 Division 4A-1 State Championship with a 13-1
record…Named Arizona Interscholastic Association 4A-1 All-State First Team,
Arizona Republic All-Arizona, Coaches All-State First Team, All-Tribune First
Team, Desert Sky Region First Team, Arizona Varsity/Rivals.com 4A-1 All-State
Team, Scout.com 4A- 1 All-State Team, Channel 12 Television All-Fever Team and
Sparq’s All-Combine Team…Also named one of the Arizona Republic’s Top 25
recruits…Honored with the City of Scottsdale’s “City Athlete Award”…A
member of the National Honor Society…Winner of the National Football
Foundation Scholar Athlete Award and Cox 7 Television Victory of Honor
Award…High school coach was John Sanders.
Chandler
Koch, TE, 6-3, 220, Fr., Flower
Mound,
Texas
(
Flower
Mound
High School
)
No. 3 ranked tight end in the Dallas – Fort Worth
Metroplex, and ranked No. 35 in the nation by ESPN.com…Caught 24 passes for
356 yards and one touchdown his senior season…Also rushed the ball 12 times
for 33 yards and three touchdown…Earned first team all-conference honors his
senior and junior seasons…Made 13 pass receptions for 224 yards and two
touchdown junior year…Also an outstanding student at Flower Mound High
School…A member of the National Honor Society and will graduate in the top 10
percent of his senior class…An academic all-state team selection…High school
coach was Cody Vanderford.
Darren Koontz,
DT, 6-3, 255, Fr.,
Los Alamitos
,
Calif.
(Los Alamitos High School)
A two-year letterman at Los Alamitos High School in Los
Alamitos, California…Named honorable mention All-Sunset League as both a
junior and a senior…Named Los Alamitos’ Defensive Player of the Year after
making 19 tackles (10 solo, nine assists) in eight games, with two tackles for
loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry…High school coach was
John Barnes.
Raphiel Lambert,
CB, 5-9, 185, Fr.,
Portland
,
Ore.
(
Jesuit
High School
)
Named to the Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, honoring
the top 100 players in the West…Carried the ball 199 times for 1,741 yards and
23 touchdowns…Averaged 7.4 yards per carry…Also caught 18 passes for 217
yards and one touchdown his senior season…Averaged over 34 yards in punt
returns last year…Named the 6A Metro League Offensive Player of the year in
2007…As a junior averaged 10.7 yards per carry gaining 865 yards on 81 carries
and rushing for 15 touchdowns…Made 28 pass receptions for 411 yards and four
touchdowns…Averaged 23.8 yards per kickoff returns and intercepted four
passes…Career totals include 2,688 rushing yards on 317 carries for an 8.5
per-carry average, 48 pass receptions for 426 yards, 40 rushing touchdowns and
10 interceptions…Helped Jesuit High School to two state championships…Also
helped track and field team to a state title as a sprinter…High school coach
was Ken Potter.
Daron Mackey,
LB, 6-0, 230, Jr.,
Bakersfield
,
Calif.
(West High School/Bakersfield College)
A two-time all-conference player at Bakersfield College
in Bakersfield, California, where he was also named third-team
All-America…Finished sophomore season with 78 tackles, four interceptions, two
forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a touchdown…As a freshman, had 113
tackles, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a touchdown…Junior
college coach was Jeff Chudy…A 2006 graduate of West High School in
Bakersfield, California…Named all-conference as both a junior and senior,
while earning third-team all-state honors as a senior…During senior season,
had 143 tackles, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery…As a junior, made
128 tackles with an interception and two forced fumbles…High school coach was
Rich Cornfield.
Shea McClellin,
DL, 6-4, 250, Fr.,
Caldwell
,
Idaho
(
Marsing
High School
)
A three-sport letterman at Marsing High School in
Marsing, Idaho, lettering in football, basketball and baseball…Named
first-team All-Idaho by the Idaho Statesman as a running back and a
linebacker...Named the Western Idaho Conference Offensive Player of the Year and
Defensive Player of the Year…Rushed for 1,893 yards and 22 touchdowns, while
finishing with 126 tackles, six interceptions and seven defensive
touchdowns…As a junior, named second-team all-conference after rushing for 998
yards and 17 touchdowns, and leading the Huskies in touchdowns…Also averaged
16.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in basketball and hit .453 with 21 RBI
and 10 stolen bases in baseball as a junior…He is undecided about his
major…High school coach was Don Heller…Originally signed with Boise State in
Feb. 2007 and enrolled in school full-time in January.
Brenel Myers,
OG, 6-3, 260, Fr.,
Houston
,
Texas
(
Westfield
High School
)
A two-year letterman at Westfield High School in
Westfield, Texas…Named first-team All-District 16-5A as a senior after
starting 13 games…Graded out at 92 percent for the season with 135 knockdown
blocks…Also lettered as a junior, participating in one playoff game for
Westfield…High school coach was Corby Meekins.
Dan Paul, LB,
6-0, 230, Fr., Boring,
Ore.
(
Sam
Barlow
High School
)
A two-sport letterman at Sam Barlow High School in
Gresham, Ore., lettering in football three times and track and field
twice…Named first-team all-conference as a linebacker and second
team-all-conference as an offensive lineman as both a junior and senior…Named
honorable mention all-state as a linebacker and an offensive lineman as both a
junior and senior…Finished with four interceptions and four fumble
recoveries…Claimed first-place in the Oregon Weight Lifting Championships
bench pressing 355 pounds, power cleaning 355 pounds and squatting 615
pounds…Named a Scholar Athlete Award finalist, captain of the team and
defensive MVP…He is undecided about his major…High school coach was Terry
Summerfield…Originally signed with Boise State in Feb. 2007 and enrolled in
school full-time in January.
Chris Potter,
WR, 5-11, 170, Fr.,
Westlake Village
,
Calif.
(Oaks Christian High School)
A four-year letterman at Oaks Christian High School in
Westlake Village, Calif….Named all-state three seasons, as well as earning
first-team All-Tri Valley honors three times…Earned first-team All-CIF honors
and was named Offensive Player of the Year…Named the LA Daily News Offensive
Player of the Year…Earned co-MVP honors in the Tri Valley League…Played
quarterback as a senior, accounting for 40 total touchdowns (21 passing and 19
running), while completing 70 percent of his passes…Played wide receiver as a
junior, sophomore and freshman…As a junior, caught 48 passes…As a sophomore,
caught 35 passes…As a freshman, caught 34 passes…Served as team-captain as a
senior…Also lettered in baseball twice…Won the Scholar-Athlete Award…High
school coach was Bill Redell.
Tommy Smith,
LB, 6-1, 205, Fr.,
Atlanta
,
Ga.
(
North Atlanta
High School
)
A four-year letterman at North Atlanta High School in
Atlanta, Ga….Named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution All-City Team…Earned
second-team all-conference honors as a senior, after finishing with 87 tackles,
12 sacks, eight tackles for loss and two interceptions…As a junior had 76
tackles and eight sacks…Finished with 36 tackles and two sacks as a sophomore,
while totaling 34 tackles and four sacks as a freshman…Served as a team
captain as a junior and senior…Also lettered in basketball three times and
track and field twice…Ran the 100 meters in 11.2 seconds…A member of the
honor roll…High school coach was Chris Thomas.
Tom Swanson,
OT, 6-6, 300, Fr.,
Sammamish
,
Wash.
(
Skyline
High School
)
Earned first team all-state and All-Kingco Conference
honors his senior season after receiving honorable mention honors at the state
and league level his junior year…Named to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
all-state in 2007…Helped Skyline High School to state championship in
2007...Received the 2006 and 2007 offensive coaches award…A three-year
letterman in football, while also earning two varsity letters as a member of the
track and field team… High school coach was Steve Gervais.
Jamar Taylor,
CB, 6-0, 185, Fr.,
San Diego
,
Calif.
(Helix HS)
Named to the All-CIF first team in 2007, and the second
team following his junior season…Also received first team All-East County
League honors senior and junior years…Career totals include 155 tackles, 19
pass break ups, nine interceptions, four fumble recoveries and four forced
fumbles…As a senior made 50 tackles, four interceptions, three pass breakups,
forced one fumble and recovered one fumble…Junior season made 65 tackles, 11
pass break ups, three interceptions, forced three fumbles while recovering
two…During sophomore year made 40 tackles, broke up five passes, made two
interceptions and recovered one fumble…Named the East County League Defensive
Most Valuable Player following his senior season…Also an outstanding student
and was named to the San Diego All-Academic team in 2007…High School coach was
Donnie Van Hook.
Dominique Vinson,
WR, 6-0, 165, Fr.,
Huntington Beach
,
Calif.
(Edison High School)
A two-sport letterman who graduated from Edison High
School in Huntington Beach, Calif. in May 2007…Named first-team all-state,
first-team All-CIF, first-team all-county and Sunset League Co-MVP…Finished
senior season with 78 receptions for 1,129 yards and 65 tackles and seven
interceptions…Also lettered in track and field…High school coach was Dave
White…Enrolled in school fulltime in January.
Faraji Wright,
OT, 6-3, 275, Fr.,
Vallejo
,
Calif.
(
Berkeley
High School
)
A three-year letterman at Berkeley High School in
Vallejo, California…Earned first-team all-conference honors as a
senior…Served as team captain as a senior…Ranked sixth on the bay area
“Cream of the Crop” list for 2007…Named first-team West County Times
Football Team, while also being named to the San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro
Second Team…As a junior named honorable mention All-ACCAL…Named the Cal Camp
Offensive Lineman MVP in both 2006 and 2007…High school coach was Alonzo
Carter.