Bulldogs land another commitment, but bigger decisions for recruits to come on signing day

Fresno State took another commitment on Sunday during its no-we-don’t-have-a-head coach recruiting weekend, landing Upland High offensive lineman Joseph Church.

That makes eight confirmed commitments in the Bulldogs’ 2020 recruiting class to go along with 10 players who joined the program last season as blueshirts, their scholarship numbers pushed ahead into this class.

But with the start of the early signing period on Wednesday, if there is no coach in place by then (and there could be) the question is will Fresno State have those players sign a financial aid agreement or a binding national letter of intent?

The aid agreement secures a scholarship, but would give the recruits time for the Bulldogs to make a hire and options if that coaching search does not end as they might at this moment anticipate. Fresno State is required to have the job posted for 14 days and it cannot make an official hire until Dec. 20, which is the last day of the signing period.

The letter of intent is binding for one year, for the school and the recruit.

The plan going into the Bulldogs’ recruiting weekend was to have the recruits sign a letter of intent.

The distinction between aid agreement and NLI has played out at Fresno State before. Back in 2012, former San Joaquin Memorial High basketball center Robert Upshaw signed an aid agreement with Kansas State, which saw coach Frank Martin leave after the season to take on the program at South Carolina.

The 6-foot-11 Upshaw wasn’t bound to Kansas State. He was able to reopen his recruitment, eventually signing with the hometown Bulldogs over Cal, Washington and USC.

Had Upshaw signed a letter of intent, he would have had to be granted a release by Kansas State and risk a year of eligibility in not fulfilling the terms of the NLI, which can become a tricky proposition. There are examples in nearly every NCAA sport of student-athletes who have been denied when asking for a release from an NLI, or after that a petition to the NCAA in appeal of that decision.

Bulldogs recruiting

But the Bulldogs continue to plow forward while athletics director Terry Tumey works his search to find a successor to Jeff Tedford, who stepped down Dec. 6 due to heart-related health issues after winning 26 games, two bowl games and one Mountain West Conference championship in three seasons at his alma mater.

They have confirmed commitments from the 6-foot-5, 285-pound Church, Memorial High wideout Mac Dalena, Tracy quarterback Logan Fife, Phelan tight end Matt Lowe, Cajon-San Bernardino cornerback Kamron Forest, Faith Lutheran-Las Vegas linebacker Hunter Kaupiko, Palo Alto wideout Jamir Shepard and Oxnard running back Malik Sherrod.

Dalena, Fife, Lowe and Forest all said they still intended to sign, and Sherrod and Church have made commitments since Tedford announced that he was stepping down.

Fresno State had 14 recruits on campus for official visits this weekend, five who already were committed.

This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 8:42 PM.