Fresno State restocked D-line in recruiting class, without deep dive into transfer portal

Fresno State added to its 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday, the traditional national letter of intent signing day. The class is up to 23 players including six who signed on Wednesday and seven mid-year enrollees or transfers, and it’s clear where the Bulldogs felt they needed the most help.

Six of the additions are defensive linemen, and with a degree of confidence in returning interior and edge players and how they will fit into the new scheme to be installed this spring by defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, the Bulldogs were able to go young there rather than plunge head-first into the NCAA transfer portal.

The only junior college or FBS or FCS transfer in the group is Johnny Hudson, a ready-now 6-foot-2, 315-pound defensive tackle from Contra Costa College.

Coach Jeff Tedford and the Bulldogs staff also signed Jacob Holmes from Chandler, Ariz. (6-2, 288) and Sione Noa from Sacramento Grant Union (6-3, 230) on Wednesday, and Gavriel Lightfoot from Corona Centennial (6-2, 317), Miles Bailey from Benecia (6-4, 255) and Jahzon Jacks from East Palo Alto/Stockton St. Mary’s (6-5, 255) during the early national letter of intent signing period in December.

Hudson, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is expected to make an immediate impact on a line that loses one of the most productive interior defensive lineman in the Mountain West Conference in Kevin Atkins as well as Ryan Boehm, who last season played the third-most snaps in the group.

Can any of the other newcomers be counted on to impact playing rotations, at positions of need?

“We’ll have to see,” said Tedford, addressing the Bulldogs’ defensive and offensive line recruits in this class. “You don’t really know until they get here and how people make the transition from whether it be a high school athlete or a junior college athlete. We have some grad transfers, so you really recruit those guys with the expectation that they are going to make an immediate impact.

“Johnny Hudson on the defensive line I think is a kid who brings a lot to the table here, that should be a guy that can compete right away. Anthony LaFrance is a junior college offensive lineman. Daniel Taumalolo, he’s another one. When we recruit junior college players, really the intent is for them to come in and compete right away.”

Will freshmen impact Bulldogs’ d-line depth?

Fresno State last season was able to build around Atkins, who tied for the team lead with 7.0 sacks and was third with 13.0 tackles for loss. Atkins was on the field for 713 snaps, the fifth-highest total for an interior defensive lineman in the conference, according to Pro Football Focus.

After that, there was a significant drop-off. Leonard Payne, who returns in 2022, played 422 snaps. Boehm played 250, Evan Bennett played 227, Matt Lawson 117 and Julius Lewis played 44 while maintaining a redshirt season.

At defensive end, the Bulldogs lose Arron Mosby and Kwami Jones, but return David Perales, Devo Bridges, Da’Marcus Johnson and Frankco Gratton. There is a bonus there, as well, with the return of Isaiah Johnson, who was in the transfer portal midway through the 2021 season and at one point was headed to UNLV.

“We have some guys there that are good players,” Tedford said. “We have Leonard Payne and Evan Bennett. (David) Perales is back …”

Fresno State class moves up to third in MW rankings

Those answers will come soon enough, as they will for the additions on Wednesday that included quarterback Joshua Wood (6-3, 185) from Kapowsin High in Graham, Wash., defensive back Michael Whaley (6-2, 160) from Hercules and offensive lineman Anthony LaFrance (6-4, 295) and defensive back Carlton Johnson (6-0, 163) from Riverside City College.

The Bulldogs also announced the seven mid-year recruits – tight end Velltray Jefferson (6-4, 235) from Edison High, wideout Nikko Remigio (5-10, 185) from Cal, Taumalolo (6-3, 293) from College of San Mateo, Hudson from Contra Costa College, cornerback Cam Lockridge (6-0, 183) from Hawai’i, linebacker Raymond Scott (6-2, 235) from USC and long snapper Nick D’Ambra (6-1, 230) from Western Illinois.

In December, the Bulldogs signed Lightfoot, Jacks and Bailey on the defensive line, offensive linemen Nate Maier (6-5, 290) from Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World and Marcus Simien (6-4, 285) from Patterson, wideouts Nathan Acevedo (5-10, 161) from San Diego Lincoln and Jalen Moss (6-1, 164) from Menlo Park Menlo-Atherton, cornerback Jomarion Briggs (6-1, 158) from Stockton Lincoln, linebacker Tim Thomas (6-1, 215) from Stockton Lincoln and tight end Merhauti Xepera (6-3, 244) from Gilbert, Ariz., Higley.

With the additions, the Bulldogs’ recruiting class moved up to third in the Mountain West in the 247 Sports rankings, behind Boise State and San Diego State and ahead of Utah State and San Jose State in the top five.

After the early singing period, Fresno State was fourth in those rankings.

“We feel really good about wrapping it up today,” Tedford said. “It’s always a little bit of a different situation because you have an early signing date, which we signed some guys then, then signed some more today. Always, the goal when you go out to recruit is make sure you can find not just great football players, but great people, try to find players that fit our program, fit the Bulldog brand and we feel like we did that.”