Recruiting Class for 2009

Ok, I know, it's early.  But I just thought I would start this one now so I could throw out some names.

Early buzz for next year?.......

Taysom Hill. 
QB out of Pocatello.  Not yet ranked by the online recruiting services (standard for this early in the process), but word is he is a great in-state blue chipper.  I haven't seen him personally, but there's a lot of buzz going around about this guy - specially since he's an instater.

Schools recruiting him so far?   Oregon, Colorado, BYU and Boise St (Boise has already offered).  Harsin seems to be pitching this guy pretty hard.  Taysom likes Boise, but has also said he likes what he's hearing from Colorado. 

By the numbers, he's not a big QB (about the same size as Z).  But his numbers are very good.  Arm, accuracy, speed, mobility...  all good.

That's the truth.  For pure recruiting, I don't think there is a mid-major out there that can compete for the recruits like BYU can year in and year out.  Location, Facilities, History, Religious Affiliation...  They've got it all working for them!

But Boise is up there now in the recruiting game!  Not the top of the mid-majors, but I'ld hazard a guess at the top 5 for sure.

Facilities and history, okay. Religion does not make or necessarily bring on a great recruit. Location????? What do salt flats, salt water and a railroad connection bring to the table?  Just asking.

HIstory - speaks for itself.
Facilities - speaks for itself.

Location...  Being in the West BYU only has a few schools to compete against for West Coast, Southwest, Rocky Mountain and Mid West recruits.  Same program on the East Coast would have a glut of schools to compete against for East Coast, Central, Southeast and possibly Mid West recruits.  (I wasn't thinking what in the SLC locale would attract a recruit - more who they would be competing against in the region).

Religious Affiliation...  Most LDS boys dream of going to BYU.  Their pushed there by their friends and family as well.  I know the numbers are small in comparison to other religions, but this dedicated recruiting base is still significant.  On the flip side of that argument, I suppose it's also possible that the religious affiliation of the school may scare some recruits off.

Hey, I'll freely admit I do not remember the one time my parents drove us through Boise.  Apparently, my memories of a dust bowl are inaccurate.  But daggum, at least notice the majestic mountains that are always in the background of any broadcast of a BYU football game (and forget the cracks on the current crappy tv deal, most of you grew up watching BYU football on ESPN).

Let's see, the salt water, I'm assuming that's the Great Salt Lake, is 40 miles to the north.  The salt flats are hundreds of miles away.  I'd venture to say most BYU students have never seen them.  And are you telling me the railroad never made it's way to Boise?  Are you guys that far behind the times?  Anyway, the railroad is on the outside of town, never noticeable from the campus (beautifully landscaped, btw).

Everything that's been mentioned about Boise in another thread, the fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, skiing, a fresh water lake, etc... Instead of being hours away, are mere minutes away from Provo.  And since you did mention Salt Lake, recruits also have the chance of catching a few Jazz games and concerts that make their way to what was the Delta Center (I'm not going to be able to keep pace with how many different corporations buy the naming rights). 

Facilities?  How 'bout a 64,000 seat stadium worthy of being in a BCS conference.  A 23,000 seat basketball arena.  An indoor practice facility better than most BCS teams have.  A weight room and training/physical therapy center better than a lot of BCS teams. 

History?  26 Bowl Games, 19 WAC Championships, 4 MWC Championships, 1 National Championship, 1 Heisman Winner, 1 Doak Walker Award Winner, and numerous other accolades.  And the chance to play teams like Miami, Notre Dame, Florida State, Southern Cal, UCLA, Texas A&M, Alabama, etc at home, most of which have lost to BYU at least once.

See, you turned me into a BYU homer.  BYU has a lot of advantages to recruiting over their non-BCS mates, which is why it's all the more impressive you guys are having sustained success in Boise.  You have very little history, facilities are currently still behind, and outside of Idaho, most people don't think of traveling to anywhere inside of Idaho (with the exception of a few, still mostly undiscovered gems like Cors' De Laigne).  That's got to put you guys at a serious disadvantage to getting out of state recruits to even make a visit.