Broncos Load Up on LOI Day

BRONCO HEAD FOOTBALL COACH CHRIS PETERSEN ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF 24 PLAYERS FOR 2008 RECRUITING CLASS

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.