Mountain West Football Welcomes Its Newest Class On National Signing Day
The future of Mountain West football is made real today as recruiting commitments are finalized.
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The next generation of stars has arrived.
The Mountain West football championship may not be until Saturday afternoon, but National Signing Day kicked off this morning and every team in the conference has begun to build its future foundation with prized recruits.
As of Wednesday morning, here’s a brief overview of where things stand for each team (in order of their ranking on 247Sports):
Boise State Broncos
It’s business as usual for the Broncos, who once again have the top recruiting class in the conference (as they have every year since joining the Mountain West in 2011).
The name of the game in this year’s class is defense, led by a trio of linebackers — Jai Jones, Rehjan Tatum, and James Wilborn Jr. — head to the blue from Texas, Oklahoma, and Connecticut, respectively.
That’s not to say the Broncos didn’t do well for themselves on offense, of course, as fans are already excited for quarterback Taylen Green of Lewisville, Texas and wide receivers Eric McAllister and Jalen Richmond.
Signed, sealed, delivered ✍️
Welcome to the Blue, #STAMPEDE21 🐎https://t.co/wL8YqKkGSh
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) December 16, 2020
UNLV Rebels
2020 wasn’t kind to Marcus Arroyo’s Rebels on the field, but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm he has generated on the recruiting trial since, for the second year in a row, UNLV lands in the #2 spot among Mountain West teams.
This class was bolstered in recent days by a pair of three-star commitments — defensive lineman Nick Demetris from Baldwin Park, California and wide receiver Deamikkio Nathan from Grand Prairie, Texas — though it’s safe to say it would’ve been a very good class even without them.
The Rebels did well for themselves in southern California, landing a pair from notable high school powerhouse St. John Bosco as well as a teammate of Demetris’s at Sierra Vista, offensive lineman Anthony Rosas.
Watch the LIVE Signing Day Show hosted by @PalomaVillicana & @TonyDasco coming up in just a few minutes at 2 p.m. PT ‼️ 🎰🎰#RebeLVision21 @coacharroyo
Signing Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/WAGMRT8XUG https://t.co/tqRHexDuey
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) December 16, 2020
San Diego State Aztecs
Like UNLV, the Aztecs landed some late commitments once the calendar turned to December and they could be a big deal for what San Diego State does best. CJ Baskerville, a defensive back from North Richland Hills, Texas, chose the Aztecs over Power 5 teams like Oklahoma State, Duke, and Oregon State.
Baskerville and cornerback Noah Avinger, the top-rated recruit in the class, could be the cornerstones of the next great Aztecs secondary. It’s quarterback William Haskell, though, a 6-foot-4 three-star athlete from Glendale, Arizona, who could be the most important piece of the puzzle. He went viral earlier this year for a video that showed off his athleticism and the enthusiasm is sky high.
Congrats and welcome to the 23 commitments to the program! More information (roster, bios, coach Hoke press conference, etc.) about the new additions here: https://t.co/l1IMb4niUW#Paradise21 #Win22
— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) December 17, 2020
Fresno State Bulldogs
With just fifteen recruits at this juncture, the expectation is that what Fresno State’s class lacks in quantity is made up for with quality. As usual, that starts with recruiting in the Central Valley and San Joaquin Memorial’s Jordan Hornbeak chose to stay home despite a wealth of offers from Mountain West rivals and Pac-12 schools.
Interestingly, however, a good share of this year’s class actually hails from southern California. Johnathan Arcenaux, who overcame some scary life-threatening injuries earlier this year, arrives from Lawndale while top recruit Jalen Williams hails from Lancaster and quarterback Jaylen Henderson comes from West Hills.
SIGNING DAY CENTRAL ✍️
Read up on all of our newest Bulldogs at the link below #RareBreed21 | #GoDogs https://t.co/v1Gkh0sLEu
— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) December 16, 2020
