(BOISE, Idaho) - Boise State's 2012 recruiting class is on top of everyone's rankings for Mountain West schools, but the same can't be said in the national rankings where the Broncos can't crack the top 50. Scout.com ranks BSU’s class 55th in the country, which could have been worse. Nearly every recruiting website believes Bronco Nation didn’t add a single four or five star recruit. Not like Head Coach Chris Petersen is worried about what the “so-called experts” say about his latest recruiting class.
"Don't even talk to me about rankings, stars, or anything, because that means nothing to us and it never will. We like these kids a lot. I think we kind of followed our recruiting model which is to find good players that are great kids. And I think our coaches dug deep into their backgrounds, did their homework, and we feel really good and we're really excited about them,” said Petersen.
Treasure Valley football fans will be happy to see D.J. Dean’s name on the list of soon-to-be Broncos. The Eagle High School star projects as a wide receiver, but Coach Petersen told reporters they like Dean’s versatility to play on special teams, and even defense if there’s a need.
“I love the state of Idaho, I love the program, I love the coaches. I've got former teammates that play for Boise State. It wasn't much of a decision for me, that's where I wanted to play,” said Dean.
Due to NCAA rules, Petersen cannot comment on specific walk-ons, but said he expects the team to add a few more Idaho athletes using that route. One of those will no doubt be Cole Valley Christian’s Avery Westendorf, who did not sign anything Wednesday, but announced his plan to join Boise State as a preferred walk-on next season.
“When I got the offer from Boise State, I knew. It's been my dream ever since I started playing football. I would love to play for Boise State, so I just knew,” said Westendorf.
Like many BSU recruiting classes, the majority of the 2012 version comes from California and Texas, but there are two players from Oregon, and one player from Colorado, Florida, Idaho, and South Carolina.
In addition to the 18 athletes who signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, Boise State has six more student-athletes who enrolled in January 2012, and will participate in Spring Football.
