Boise State 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: Ryan Clady (OT) — Originally unranked. Outcome: NFL Pro Bowl. Clady's outcome as an unranked recruit was exceptional, managing to reach the pinnacle of college football outcomes. Hit: Marty Tadman (ATH) — Originally unranked. Outcome: All American. Tadman, another unranked recruit, managed to excel at the collegiate level, earning All American status. Miss: Joshua Smith (WR) — Originally ranked 12. Outcome: Bust. Smith, a high-profile recruit, failed to live up to expectations, falling into the bust category. Miss: Joe Bozikovich (DL) — Originally ranked 728. Outcome: College Starter. Despite a relatively high ranking, Bozikovich was only able to contribute as a college starter, suggesting underperformance relative to his initial ranking.

Development Story

The Boise State 2004 recruiting class demonstrated a pattern of success among unranked recruits. This is evident in the outcomes of players like Ryan Clady and Marty Tadman, who both exceeded expectations. Conversely, the performance of highly ranked recruits like Joshua Smith and Joe Bozikovich fell short of expectations. This suggests a strong program-level development pattern that maximizes the potential of unranked recruits. Despite having no blue chip recruits, Boise State managed to significantly improve its class ranking from 102 to 49, indicating the program's ability to develop players beyond their initial perceived potential. However, the inability of the program to leverage the high-ranked recruits is an area of concern.

Outcome Summary

Overall, the Boise State 2004 recruiting class outperformed expectations, especially considering the initial low ranking and absence of blue chip recruits. The S2S rerank moved up significantly from the original ranking, demonstrating the ability of the program to identify and develop talent not initially apparent in the recruiting process. However, the underperformance of some high-ranked recruits tempers this success. In summary, this class showcases Boise State's strength in developing under-the-radar talent, but also highlights areas for improvement in maximizing the potential of high-ranked recruits.