Local Talent Highlights Recruiting Class
The Idaho State Bengals football team announced its 2013 recruiting class on National Signing Day, Feb. 6.
The Bengals signed 14 high school athletes along with four junior college transfers. Two signees and one walk-on will not have to travel far from home to play their college ball.
Highland High School Rams’ Thomas Ryan, linebacker, and Colton Shreve, tight end, signed letters of intent last Wednesday to play for ISU.
Highland quarterback Neil Jewell will join the team as a walk-on in the fall.
Ryan, a 6-foot-2-inch, 245-pound linebacker, joins a Bengal team that focused much of its recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. He finished his career at Highland third in most tackles in school history and will join his older brother Pat on the ISU squad.
The Bengals will add seven linebackers to their roster next fall, a notion that head coach Mike Kramer has a focus on rebuilding his defense.
“Those additions to our defense are where we feel our weakness has been,” said Kramer at his National Signing Day press conference.
Four of the seven linebackers will be junior college transfers (Robby Mackesey, Nick Albano, PJ Gremaud and Erik Nelson) and will push last year’s starters Mitch Beckstead and Trevor Spence for starting jobs.
Spence led ISU in tackles (90) and sacks (3) last season and was an honorable mention selection to the All Big Sky Team.
Returner Justin Arias is poised to take command of Kramer’s high-flying offense.
Returning freshman quarterback Riley Sessions will look to be Arias’ backup. Signee James Delacenserie (6-foot-2, 225-pound quarterback from Park City, Utah) will challenge Sessions for that second-string spot.
“He is a well-known and renowned quarterback throughout the West,” Kramer said of Delacenseri.
Highland’s Jewell and Darian Seifert of Centennial High School (Boise) will compete as walk-ons, Kramer added.
Shreve, a 6-foot-4 inch, 210-pound tight end, adds height and athleticism to the offense.
Shreve also is a starter on Highland’s basketball team that is ranked third in the state.
“We love the fact that Colton Shreve has joined our program,” said Kramer.
ISU sets rematch against BYU
Idaho State has finalized its upcoming schedule for the 2013 to 2015 seasons. Washington and BYU highlight the non-conference games for the 2013 season. Utah will welcome the Bengals in 2014.
The Bengals will face Big Sky newcomers Southern Utah and North Dakota next year. Idaho State will host North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Eastern Washington and Portland State and will travel to UC Davis, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and Weber State for the 2013 conference games.
In addition, the Bengals will host two Division II opponents, Dixie State and Western State, to open the 2013 season. The addition of these four non-conference opponents gives ISU a 12-game schedule, one more than in recent past.
“It comes up every few years that the NCAA allows FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) divisions to have 12-game seasons,” said Idaho State Athletic Director Jeff Tingey. “This has given us the opportunity to add another home game, something that is good for our fans and for our team.”
This is the first time since 2008 that the Bengals will have a 12-game season. The last time ISU opened the season with two home games was in 1999 against Eastern Oregon and Ft. Lewis.
For the second time in three years, ISU will face BYU and Western State in the same season. The Bengals defeated Western State 44-7 back on Sept. 10, 2011. It will be a first time meeting between the Bengals and Dixie State.
In regards to BYU, Tingey hopes to establish a long-running series between the nearby Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent.
“We have a good relationship with BYU,” he said. “They are in a bind while being an independent FBS school so they are always looking for regional schools to play. We are open to the idea of having more games with them.”
Notable departures from ISU’s 2013 season will be Montana and Montana State. Not since the 1961 season will the Bengals not lineup against the Griz of Montana. Idaho State did not play against Montana State in the 2012 season.
Before that, you have to go to the 1946 season to find Montana State absent from ISU’s schedule.
