National Signing Day 2010: Boise State Steals CB from Notre Dame, Adds Nine Other Recruits

Boise State University head football coach Chris Petersen announced the signing of 10 players to the Broncos’ 2010 recruiting class, Wednesday (Feb. 3), which is headlined by nine highly accomplished high school seniors and one All-American junior college transfer.

BSU's 2010 class includes a last minute letter of intent from a highly recruited cornerback from Honolulu who choose playing on 'the Blue' over Notre Dame and Washington.

With only five seniors this year, Boise State has but a few scholarships available for the 2010 class.

It is expected that some of this year's recruiting class will grayshirt. Grayshirt players do not count against the NCAA scholarship limits.

The Broncos return 21 of 22 starters from this year's BCS Fiesta Bowl team. The Bronco's finished 14-0 and ranked No. 4 in the nation.

Boise State will kick off the 2010 season in Landover, MD at FedEx Field against Virginia Tech on Labor Day Weekend. The nationally televised game (ESPN) will feature two teams that are expected to be ranked in the top 10 preseason polls.

Signing Day 2010 BSU also lost their defensive coordinator to Tennessee. Justin Wilcox had been BSU's DC over that past four years and will join the Vol's new head coach Derek Dooley in Knoxville.

Petersen announced on signing day that defensive line coach Pete Kwiatkowski was named the new defensive coordinator at Boise State to replace Wilcox.

Click through the slides to find the 10 who sent letters of intent to the Broncos on National Signing Day 2010.

Jeremy Ioane (5'10")

Boise State had but a few scholarships to offer this year with only five graduating seniors but when Jeremy Loane said he wanted to become a Bronco on National Signing Day, BSU made room.

This is quite the recruiting coup since it seemed like Laone was going to go to Notre Dame after visiting South Bend last week. Laone is former high school teammates with current Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and receiver Roby Toma.

The University of Washington was also hoping to sign the three-star athlete until Loane faxed his letter of intent to the Broncos early on signing day.

Loane is a 5'10", 175 lbs. cornerback from Honolulu. Loane had offers from Notre Dame, Washington, Arkansas, Stanford, and Utah among others.

Tyrone Crawford (6'5")

Tyrone Crawford has been on the Boise State radar since his high school days in Canada and they never gave up on the powerful defensive end.

Crawford is a 6'5", 258 lbs four-star defensive force who committed to the Broncos early last summer.

Crawford at defensive end has the size needed to play on the strong side and be an asset against the run and is quick enough to make his presence felt in the passing game. He is a high motor player that gets in on a lot of plays going away from him through sheer hustle.

He plays with great pad level and leverage and rarely gets pushed backwards in the running game.

Crawford is only the second four-star player that BSU has recruited in their 14 years of Division I football.

Grant Hedrick (6'1")

Grant Hedrick is rated as one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast and committed to Boise State last June.

"From the moment I stepped on campus at Boise State I fell in love with it. Everything seemed perfect to me. My dad and I toured the campus and the facilities, and we both were impressed," Hedrick said recently.

Hedrick's father was the head coach at his high school. "I know leaving my dad will be tough because he is one of the best coaches and fathers I have ever been around, but I know that the coaching staff at Boise State is second to none" Hedrick said.

Does the father and son combination sound familiar? It should to BSU fans as Kellen Moore, BSU's All-American quarterback also played his high school football with his father as the head coach in Prosser, WA.

Many feel that Hedrick may be a clone of Moore. Both players broke their respective state passing records during their high school careers.

Hedrick offers speed to go along with his passing skills and should be an impact player for the Broncos in the years to come.

Hedrick is a 6'1", 183 lbs three-star recruit.

Matt Miller (6'4", 210) WR from Helena, Montana

Matt Miller, the state of Montana's player of the year and two time state offensive MVP gave his verbal commitment to BSU after fielding offers from many major BCS programs around the country.

Miller has also been named All-State as a safety and cornerback.

Arkansas, Stanford, Arizona State, North Carolina, and Oregon State were just some of the BCS conference schools that had put an offer on the table for Miller.

Most impressive may be the offers from Harvard, Dartmouth and Stanford. Matt will bring more than just physical skills to the famous blue turf in Bronco Stadium.

Miller has played just about every position on the field. Matt's primary positions were running back, wide receiver, and defensive safety, but he also played quarterback and cornerback on defense. He's scored over 20 touchdowns each of the last two years.

Coach Petersen has promised Miller he will play at wide receiver for the Broncos and has a chance at playing as a true freshman.

Miller is a 6'4", 210 lbs WR with 4.5 speed and was rated a three-star recruit.

"I thought it would be a great fit for me and I was happy when I was down there and decided immediately that Boise State was a good fit for me" said Miller. "It feels light a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

While he will be close enough and on a big enough stage to be seen by his family, Miller knows he will quickly find himself comfortable under the tutelage of head coach Chris Petersen, who was named winner the 2009 Paul “Bear” Bryant Award.

“Coach Petersen is a great human being, he really cares about his guys and that was important in my decision,” Miller said. “But he gets after it on the football field, too, and that’s important.”

"It's hard to sell a Montana kid to go down south, it's such a long way to go, but he was being recruited by a lot of teams," said Helena Capital High head coach Pat Murphy.

"I really think he could have played anywhere in the nation and Boise State is one of the top programs in the country," Murphy said.

Although Miller is also an All-State basketball player and a contender for the state title in the high hurdles in track he says he will concentrate only on football at BSU.

Bryan Douglas (5'11", 170) CB from Harbor City, California

Every college coach is looking for great speed in the secondary and Boise State found that quickness in three-star recruit Bryan Douglas. Douglas is a 5'10", 165-pound cornerback from Harbor City, Calif. with outstanding cover skills and 4.4 speed.

"I feel honored to have been offered one of only five scholarships to Boise State" Douglas said. "It made me feel like they really wanted me. I feel very special."

Douglas should be a great fit into the Broncos defensive backfield with his speed and skill set.

Troy Ware (6'2", 175) WR from Vista, California

Troy Ware a 6'2", 175-pound WR from Vista California played his high school football in a run dominated offense so the chances to show off his considerable skills as a reciever were limited.

Ware has the size, athleticism and playing speed for the wide receiver position at the major level of competition. He shows good production with the ability to be creative after the catch. Demonstrates a smooth release off the line of scrimmage; has enough immediate speed to force defenders out of coverage.

Ware was rated as a three-star recruit by several recruiting services.

Tyler Horn (6'4", 225) DL from Meridian, Idaho

Received first-team All-State and All-Conference honors on defense as a senior at Mountain View High School in Meridian, Idaho.

Horn was named honorable mention All-State and All-Conference as a junior. As a senior, recorded 50 tackles, 14 sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three pass deflections.

Horn also recorded over 100 yards on tackles for loss as a senior and tallied 45 tackles and 11 sacks as a junior.

Horn was named the Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was awarded the Idaho Lineman Challenge MVP.

Horn, who is listed as a three-star recruit by many recruiting services also earned varsity letters in track and field (three) and basketball while at Mountain View High School.

Holden Huff (6'5", 205) TE from Rocklin, California

Besides having an First Team All-Pro name, Holden Huff brings many skills to the Broncos.

Huff was honored as a first-team All-Conference and All-Section tight end as a senior at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, California.

Huff was named 2009 Conference Playmaker of the Year and also was named first-team All-Conference wide receiver as a junior, and 2008 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year.

Huff holds several Rocklin HS records, including; single season receiving yards (989), career receiving yards (1,664), single season touchdown receptions (10) and career touchdown receptions (16).

Huff helped lead Rocklin HS to a Sierra Football League Championship, as well as a Sac-Joaquin Section title.

Holden also lettered in track and field in high school. He high jumped 6'2" and threw the shot put 47'0".

Holden was listed as a two-star recruit by several recruiting organizations.

Kyle Sosnowski (6'3", 215) Safety from Boise, Idaho

Chris Petersen and his Bronco coaching staff didn't have to go far to find a tight end/safety with multiple football skills.

Kyle Sosnowski, TE, 6-2, 210, from Boise, Idaho (Capital HS) was voted first-team All-State as a junior and senior while playing for Capital High School.

Sosnowski was also named second-team All-State as a sophomore and was awarded first-team All-Southern Idaho Conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Sosnowski recorded 46 tackles, had four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 2009.

As a tight end, Sosnowski also caught 19 passes for 367 yards and nine touchdowns his senior season…Completed one pass for a 27-yard touchdown…As a junior, recorded 67 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Sosnowski also earned one varsity letter in basketball.

Sosnowski was rated a two-star recruit by many recruiting organizations.

Darren Lee (6'2", 203) LB from Susanville, California

Darren Lee, LB, 6-2, 203 lbs. from, Susanville, California (Lassen HS) was the 10th and final player to sign a letter of intent with Boise State.

Lee was named first-team All-State for Division III as a senior at Lassen High School and was voted Northern Athletic League Defensive Most Valuable Player as a senior.

Lee was also named first team All-Conference as a junior at Lassen.

Darren recorded 141 tackles and gained over 1,300 rushing yards during his high school career.

As a junior Lee qualified for the California state track and field championships and also earned four varsity letters in both track and field as well as in wrestling.

How Did BSU Sign 10 When They Had Only Five Scholarships Available?

So how did they sign 10 with only five scholarships available?

Very creatively...

At least three, if not four of the players signed will grayshirt this coming season. Also, it is expected that the coaching staff may have some "announcements" concerning a couple of players that have been on the BSU roster.

An 11th player, Sean Avila (6'2", 270) DT who was a part of the class of 2009 is expected to join the Broncos. Avila was short a required class last year and was unable to join BSU at that time.

All said, this is one of the better groups BSU has every signed. They may be short in total numbers, but very high in talent.