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OGDEN — Weber State coach Jay Hill promised the Wildcats he would recruit in-state talent when he was hired last season.
He delivered on his first class, signing 25 in-state players. In his second recruiting class, Hill finished by signing 19 in-state players, including several highly touted prospects, to Weber State.
The class included 32 prospects overall, with the other prospects coming from a variety of states, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Washington. The in-state signings spanned from Cache Valley to St. George, with 17 different Utah high schools represented.
“We’re super excited about this signing class, as is every coach,” he said. “I really like the talent we have signed, and what they’ll do for our program. You never quite know what you’ve got till you get them here practicing and playing in games, but I’m super excited about the caliber of high school and junior college players we signed.”
While the team recruited speed and athleticism extensively, the Wildcats focused a great deal of their efforts on recruiting offensive linemen. After a season where the team was decimated by repeated injuries to the offensive line, Hill said the offensive line was crucial to the team’s future.
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“I thought we did a great job of getting some kids that are already with us in our program,” he said, attributing a mix of junior college players and returned missionaries already on campus. “They’ll come in and compete for some spots.”
For an FCS program like Weber State, in-state players are the lifeblood of the program, and the Wildcats want approximately 65 percent of their class to be in-state players. Weber also uses the missionary program, with 10 players from the 2015 class slated to serve missions for the LDS Church.
Hill said getting quality in-state talent builds the program’s future and reputation.
“I think there's really good players in the state of Utah,” he said. “There’s toughness and good work ethic in a lot of these kids, and the caliber of football in the state continues to go up. With that, there are more players prepared for college football.
“Fans will support local players. … And there’s a pride that comes when you play in front of high school buddies, you play in front of girlfriends, and you’re playing in front of your hometown. Those guys usually have a chip on their shoulder because they want to come out and prove something.”
For a school like Weber, Hill said relationships are the key to getting successful recruits.
“The relationships (we have) are very good,” he said. “Those relationships have been in place for years and years, and I continue to keep good relationships with those coaches. And the coaches know that we’re taking the players out of the state of Utah.
“We’re putting our money where our mouth is as far as recruiting in-state kids.”
While recruiting services ballyhoo the talents of signees, Hill said he prefers the long-term approach in evaluating talent.
“I can tell you in two years exactly how good the class is,” he said. “Right now, we’re excited about who we’re able to sign.”
