The Bulldog Recruiting Update

This past week will go down as one of the better recruiting weeks the Bulldogs may have ever experienced. Over the past week the Dogs have received commitments from Tim Lang, Ryan Mathews, Tyrone Duncan, Zak Hill, and Porter Hill. Porter Hill, Duncan, and Mathews have all been given as high as a three star rating depending on what recruiting company you choose to follow. Each of these players bring their talent to Bulldog stadium. I have to say that I am excited to get two players on the defensive line who have size like both Porter Hill and Tyrone Duncan do. Duncan comes in as a 6'2" 300 pound defensive tackle. He brings immediate size and strength to a Bulldogs defensive line lacking just that. At the same time three star prospect Porter Hill stands at 6'3" 265 and also is a defensive tackle. These two young men will come into Fresno State hoping to compete for playing time right off the bat. They both have the skill and tools to make an impact as soon as they arrive at Fresno State.

With all due respect to the other four prospects that committed to Fresno State this past week I am more excited about Ryan Mathews than any of the other four. I realize he needs to get his grades up but this man led the nation in rushing. I don't care if he played against subpar competition, rushing for 3,300 yards in a season is something that is done very rarely. If you have not seen Mathews in action he is one of the more explosive backs to head to Fresno State. He has the size and the speed to make the biggest impact of all of these men in the long run. If Mathews were to redshirt this season he would be a Freshman during Harding and Miller's junior year. Our RB core seems to be set for many years to come. That is why it is so impressive that the Bulldogs were able to shore up their defense with the other recruits this weekend.

However, Tim Lang cannot be left out. Tim Lang may get a shot to compete for QB (in 2008) as he is explosive running the ball and has a great arm while on the move. He is definition of an athlete as you can place him at many different positions and he will find a way to succeed. Lang also is another athlete that will have to find a way to get his grades up, but if he does then he as well as Mathews are going to add to an already sterling recruiting class for Pat Hill and the Dogs. Sometimes teams have down years and have to rebuild. Sometimes Pat Hill has to go out and completely reload his team. The 2007 recruiting class is allowing Hill to bring in players who may be able to make an immediate impact with respect to the football program. The 2007 recruiting class has to be looked at as one of the better recruiting classes Hill has been able to put together up to this point in his career and to think I have not even mentioned his son Zak yet.

Zak Hill suffered an injury during the first half of a second round playoff game against Sanger High. However, Zak will be ready to play when the 2007 season begins. He is fast, tackles well, and brings a presence to the defense that will be sorely missed at Clovis West. Fresno State will be glad to have this young man in the program two years from now as he has the mind and the body to compete on the college football field. Overall the Fresno State recruiting class has moved up a few spots according to all rankings. The rankings with respect to Scout and Rivals now are as follows:

Fresno State (t-67) Boise State (69) Rivals Ranking
Boise State (57) Fresno State (63) Scout Rankings

Overall the Dogs have moved up many spots in the recruiting rankings in the past week as they have had three different three stars commit. We may have lost out on Kenny Rowe but I have to say I am happy with the way the recruiting has gone. The Dogs look to have a promising class coming in which will only make for a positive future here at Fresno State. Tomorrow I will be blogging on the role of Jeff Grady as our QB coach. I do not see this as bad a hire as many Dogs fans do. In fact tomorrow I will point out why this is a great addition for the Bulldogs offense.