BOISE, Idaho — Boise State Head Coach Andy Avalos Wednesday said the Broncos' inked recruiting class on national signing day prioritizes balance and starts "up front."
Avalos and BSU welcomed 22 new faces to the blue, including 10 players on offense, 11 on defense and one special teamer. Half of the Broncos' class consists of offensive and defensive linemen, a strategy Avalos discussed Wednesday.
"For us, we stick to the numbers, it's the bottom line," Avalos said. "If we're going to build a balanced team, it's got to be balanced how we bring it in. As we know, it always starts up front ... This given year - again as we spoke about all year - we needed to improve the depth in both of our fronts on both sides of the ball."
The defensive-minded coach landed nine players listed as defensive linemen, EDGEs and linebackers in the committing class. Avalos said the Broncos were "heavier" with their numbers in the defensive secondary in 2021, allowing room for development with current personnel, while recruiting the front seven of the defense.
Dionte Thornton - a 6-2, 193-pound cornerback out of Carson, Calif. - was Boise State's lone defensive back commit Wednesday in the physical class.
"When we've been successful, it all starts up front," Avalos said. "Those DBs standing back there, they don't want to cover all day and they don't want guys running full speed coming out of the backfield running full shoot on them."
Out of 22 prospects, Avalos said BSU expects 10 commitments to enroll early in January.
"... Not only were we able to get talented players - we can all sit here and watch their film - but we feel extremely, extremely confident about the ability to develop because of who they are," Avalos said.
The Broncos also landed four transfer players in this year's class in offensive lineman Cade Beresford (Washington State), defensive lineman Cortez Hogans (Snow College), EDGE George Tarlas (Weber State) and defensive lineman Deven Wright (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College).
Tarlas is a 6-4, 260-pound player with one remaining year of eligibility. He reigns from hometown Borah High School and will be in the immediate mix to play up front for Boise State.
Avalos Wednesday discussed his long-standing relationship with Tarlas dating back to high school football camp. According to the Broncos' head man, Tarlas developed drastically at Weber State and earned offers recently from the likes of Pac-12 competitors UCLA, Arizona and Utah.
"When his name surfaced back up it's like 'yup,' it comes full circle," Avalos said. "... What he's done, you watch his film, his physicality, his ability to establish the line of scrimmage and pass rush are some of the things we feel confident about. And then being able to further his development, that's the reason he wanted to come here."
With a big smile, Avalos said Tarlas was thrilled at the opportunity to come back to Boise, attend Boise State, and be apart of the Treasure Valley community once again.
The Boise State head coach also discussed the trials and tribulations and hard work required in landing this particular class. It was the first full class of commits Avalos and his coaching staff signed since his hiring Jan. 9.
You can see his comments on the coaches' recruiting road trip experiences in the video below on KTVB's YouTube channel, including Avalos visiting multiple states on some days and fitting in family priorities in between.
"(Recruiting visits are) an unbelievable opportunity," Avalos said. "You get to go into these young men's cities first or their towns and get to find out so much more about them, their families and who they are. A lot of that is fun but it also gives you more perspective on who they are so you can help grow them forward faster."
The Broncos are 7-5 for the season and are set to face off against Central Michigan in the Arizona Bowl on New Year's Eve.
The noon press conference was Avalos' first chance to acknowledge the Broncos' new players.
Below is KTVB's list of Boise State's 22 commitments. To see each player's position, height, weight and hometown, click here.
- Cade Beresford
- Roger Carreon
- Kage Casey
- Braxton Fely
- James Ferguson-Reynolds
- Gavin Hambrick
- Cortez Hogans
- Ashton Jeanty
- Maddux Madsen
- Keenan McCaddy
- Zamondre Merriweather
- Dishawn Misa
- Tyson Molio'o
- Jake Ripp
- Hall Schmidt
- Prince Strachan
- JJ Talo
- George Tarlas
- Austin Terry
- Dionte Thornton
- Jayden Virgin
- Deven Wright
Follow along with live tweets below from Avalos' press conference Wednesday.
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