To give you a bit of a flavor, after whiling away for 2 years as the only D-1A independent west of South Bend, USU started recruiting D-1A players in '03. Most were redshirted. The '03 class featured frosh DBs, OLs, and a very quick QB, along with some JC help. This last class featured frosh and JC RBs, a couple of DBs, and some various help. League affiliation (even in the 'Belt) has helped with all of these.
'03: 7 frosh OLs (all redshirted), averaging 6'4 295 coming out of HS; 5 frosh DBs (all redshirted), averaging 6'1 190 and about a 4.5 40 -- a couple are real burners; and Leon Jackson III, a 6'1 190 (now, he was a buck eighty in HS), a 4.5 QB out of Long Beach Poly -- grades kept him out of the P10. We got him eligible, and you'll see his first season starting in '05 (we have a senior 2-year starter this fall).
'04: Got some immediate help at WR, DB, RB and OL (redshirt frosh weren't all ready to go, though it's expected 1 or 2 will be starting by year's end this year at OL and probably 1 at DB -- all of the above will play). At RB we have a scatback national JC offensive POY, 5'10 185 4.45, and a good, big JC guy, 6'1 208 4.6, along with 2 frosh, 6'3 215 4.31 (!) returning state 100/200 champ, and 6'0 185, ca. 4.7 Tongan = trouble for you guys. At WR we have a real burner in JC McNeal, 5'8 185 4.25 (!!), who'll be here this summer, along with 3 other JCs/transfers who're already on campus (one's an Oregon Duck bounceback -- no PT for at least 2 years really speaks to some people, don't it?), and a frosh who'll prop from Venice, a 6'0 185 4.5 guy. On defense, there are a JC and a frosh DB, 5'10 175 4.4 and 5'11 185 4.45, respectively, along with 2 young DLs, a 6'2 310 5.2 DT out of Texas and a 4* 6'4 295 5.0 prop who prepped and USU will get eligible this year, along with the latter's bro., a 3* TE, 6'4 240 4.8 frosh.
The talent gap is already considerably tighter with the patience shown in not throwing the young guys to the wolves. You'll see a different team in '05 than you did 2 years ago in Boazy, or the year before in Fresno, that got skunked.
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