2007 Fresno State Football Recruiting Class

By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian

Ken Borg, DL, 6-3, 245, Seal Beach (Los Alamitos)
Coach Hill is definitely on with the Garrett McIntyre comparison. Borg is an even better athlete with good leg drive, quickness and technique with his hands. With his leg drive, he should be a sure tackler.

Chris Carter, LB, 6-2, 220, Fontana (Kaiser)
He’ll be a big get for the Bulldogs. Don’t let his babyface fool you, he has very good acceleration and makes reads on the run very quickly. On tape, Carter was a very good form tackler who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

Leslie Cooper, OL, 6-4, 260, Compton (Dominguez)
He’ll immediately become Fresno State’s fastest o-lineman. Cooper is very athletic and has great growth potential on the line. He’ll come in handy on screens and any other time linebackers or safeties need blocking.

Devan Cunningham, OL, 6-6, 315, Sacramento (Grant)
Looks intimidating and loves football. Hill said he would talk to Cunningham about football for long periods of time during the recruiting process. He is very strong and a great run blocker.

Sharrod Davis, DB, 5-11, 190, Spring Valley (Grossmont College)
Davis might be the lone recruit to start next season. He is very quick and has impressive closing speed on comeback routes. His athleticism is unquestioned and he looks like he’ll be a ball hawk.

Terrance Dennis, DB, 5-11, 170, Pomona (Diamond Ranch)
He may be slender now, but he’s not afraid to use what he has. Dennis loves to bring the wood, and he can really run to boot. Against the run, Dennis is very aggressive.

Matt Faulkner, QB, 6-2, 185, Highland Village, Texas (Marcus)
There are many good things with Faulkner: trajectory of passes, accuracy (especially on deep ball) and the ability to find multiple receivers. However, nobody will confuse his lack of arm strength with Tom Brandstater’s. Could be a bit more consistent with his spiral.

Kevin Goessling, K, 5-10, 165, Placentia (Servite)
Can get kickoffs to the goaline at the college level easily now, so leg strength is no problem. Goessling also has nice clearance over the line on kick attempts. Will need to improve consistency.

Isaiah Green, CB, 5-10, 180, Long Beach (Poly)
This dude is fast, no doubt about it. In fact, he’s really fast, a blazer even. Green has run a 10.50 100m, and accelerates incredibly quick. He’s not afraid to hit you, or tell you about it afterward.

Bryce Harris, OL, 6-6, 240, Tulare (Tulare)
You would drool just about the potential this guy has. Harris is very long and has great leg drive when he run blocks. His backpedal while pass blocking is weak, but when he learns it, he’ll be complete.

Porter Hill, DL, 6-4, 275, Compton (Compton)
Let’s make this short and sweet. Hill has impressive athletic ability, aggressiveness, room for more growth and most importantly, Hill has unbelievable strength for a high school lineman. But he is still raw on technique. Keep an eye out on this one.

Zak Hill, DB, 6-2, 190, Fresno (Clovis West)
Hill is an effort player who uses his instinct and intelligence to make plays. Those characteristics are why he can run down faster players. With his hands, all he needs to do is put on weight.

Bryson Hodges, RB, 5-10, 200, Bakersfield (Golden Valley)
Hodges has a unique ability to balance himself and spin out of tackles. He is quick to the hole and has amazing endurance. He’ll stay in the game as long as you need him too. Lacks gamebreaking speed.

Kyle Knox, LB/DL, 6-1, 215, Los Angeles (St. Bernard)
Surprised with how good he looked. Knox loves to lay the hits and he has great speed to come through on his good reads. A hustle player who can rush the passer standing or in a three-point stance. All Knox lacks is weight on his frame.

Tim Lang, ATH, 6-0, 190, Sacramento (Grant)
“The quicker he can pick it up, the faster we’ll get him in,” Hill said. Lang is just a playmaker with the ball in his hands, but he will standout on offense or defense. He always smiles. Ran backward way too much on film.

Matt Lindsey, WR, 6-2, 185, Clovis (Clovis)
Lindsey is not an afterthought. He can run after the catch, has great hands and technique and can leap high to catch overthrown balls. Has good toughness and will never alligator-arm on a catch.

Ryan Mathews, RB, 5-11, 205 Bakersfield (West)
Mathews has an impressive physique and is a real leg churner. He runs a bit high but will lower his shoulder and deflect oncoming defenders. Really wants to make a quick impact.

Kyle Rainer, OL, 6-5, 265, Moorpark (Moorpark)
Another guy with great potential and size. Rainer uses his arms and hands well, but is very raw with technique. Should develop quickly though.

Austin Raphael, LB, 6-2, 225, Jamestown (Sonora)
He’s listed as a linebacker, but arguably looked better at fullback, carrying the ball. Think Brian Leonard from Rutgers, with a little less speed. Raphael is good with his pursuit of the ball carrier and has nice size.

Ryan Skidmore, TE, 6-5, 225, Bakersfield (East)
Looks to be another Duncan Reid, but is much better coming out of high school. He has speed for a tight end and has very good hands. Will need to put on much more weight and learn how to block. Received a lot of calls from Pac-10 schools late.

Eric Sproal, OL, 6-4, 280, Yorba Linda (El Dorado)
Sproal is a dominant run-blocker with good strength. Yet another lineman with a ton of potential, but like the others, could use improved pass blocking technique.

J.J. (Jevon) Stallworth, DB, 5-11, 185, Sacramento (Grant)
Not a big hitter, but is a ball hawk with good recovery speed on defense. On offense, he really fights for tough yards and has speed to turn small gains into big ones.

Jermaine Thomas, DB, 5-11, 180, Duarte (Duarte)
His ability to change direction is key, especially with his good speed. Has definite potential to be great, but his tackling form could be better.

Phillip Thomas, ATH, 6-0, 190, Bakersfield (Bakersfield)
Phillip is very fast, and deceptively so. He is a smart player who goes all out and finishes plays. He’ll play somewhere eventually.

Devon Wylie, WR, 5-9, 170, Roseville (Granite Bay)
He’s short, but with a near 40-inch vertical leap. His acceleration is amazing, as is his change of direction and footwork. May make an immediate impact as a frosh in the return game.re

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