Boise State focuses on defense, Cd'A standout heading to Idaho State
<p>Coeur dÕAlene High senior Jeremiah Hazard recently signed a letter of intent to play football at Idaho State. Seated from left are Amy Hazard (mother), Jeremiah Hazard and Ron Hazard (father); and standing from left, Coeur dÕAlene High athletic director Todd Gilkey, Coeur dÕAlene High assistant football coaches Corey Brown, Mike Gutowski and Dustin Shafer; and Coeur dÕAlene High head football coach Shawn Amos.</p>
For the second straight year, Boise State football coach Chris Petersen has focused recruiting efforts on defense.
Defensive players account for 13 of the 21 new recruits who signed letters of intent Wednesday to play for the Broncos this fall.
The Broncos are coming off an 11-2 season and were supposed to join the Big East this year. But the school backed out of those plans, opting instead to remain in the Mountain West Conference.
Overall, the 2013 recruiting class includes five cornerbacks, four linebackers, six linemen and a safety. Some of those players signed last year and are now enrolled in school.
On the other side of the ball, Petersen signed quarterback Ryan Finley from Phoenix, along with two wide receivers, two tight ends, two linemen and a running back.
See list of signees from Boise State and other area programs in Scoreboard.
Idaho State: Jeremiah Hazard of Coeur d’Alene followed up on his verbal commitment by signing a letter of intent to play football at Idaho State.
Hazard, a lineman at Coeur d’Alene, was recruited as a linebacker at Idaho State.
“This is our third year and a third completely different perspective on recruiting at ISU,” Idaho State coach Mike Kramer said. “A perspective in that this class doesn’t have to play right now. If you look at it from a perspective type of deal of who this class is, you will see that we are able to fit young guys into the program at a comfortable level with not at an immediate need to play got to have it perspective. With 79 guys in the program at this point we are able to look in terms of development for our program instead of on the job training.”
Washington State: The Cougars signed their top recruit, quarterback Tyler Bruggman, after a bit of drama Wednesday.
Various media reports said Arizona State made a late pitch to the four-star prospect from Phoenix. Washington State coach Mike Leach said he did not know if that was true, but said he had little doubt that the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Bruggman would sign with the Cougars.
Bruggman attended Brophy Prep, where tight end/defensive end Billy Sanders played before transfering to Lake City for his senior season.
Bruggman was the only four-star recruit in Leach’s second recruiting class.
Leach pronounced himself happy with a class that was heavy on offensive and defensive linemen.
The Cougars recruited heavily in Washington and Southern California.
Scout.com rated their recruiting class 39th in the nation Wednesday.
Eastern Washington: Eagles coach Beau Baldwin announced the signing of 17 high school players, including running back D.J. Martin from Stockdale High in Bakersfield, Calif.
Martin rushed for 4,624 yards and scored 57 touchdowns in his high school career, and at one point was ranked as high as the No. 14 running back in the nation.
A familiar name to Coeur d’Alene High football fans is Nic Sblendorio from Skyline High in Sammamish, Wash., which won the state 4A title in December. Skyline played Coeur d’Alene last September in the Kibbie Dome.
Montana: Quarterback Makena Simis, from Capital High in Boise, was the lone Idaho signee in the Grizzlies’ recruiting class.
“He was our first commit, and that says something,” Montana coach Mick Delaney said. “He had a lot of people recruiting him early as a junior, and he just shut everything down and said, ‘I want to be a Griz,’ and he stayed with it through the whole process.”