OGDEN — Year 2 of the Ron McBride Project at Weber State won't find too many detractors around the state.
Using his extensive Rolodex, the former Utah football coach found a batch of recruits he thinks will get the Wildcats over the hump this year and provide a foundation for success over the next few seasons.
"It's a class that fills all of our needs," McBride said after receiving letters of intent from 30 athletes. "We had a few needs and found people that will help us out right away, plus we focused on getting freshmen that will be around for a long time doing good things."
The 30 recruits is an unusually high number for a I-AA program, but some will be going on LDS missions, some are returning from LDS missions and others are transfers from other schools. McBride said there are five classifications of players he recruits, and they each fill different roles in his recruiting strategy.
Eleven of the recruits are Utah natives and another five hail from Hawaii where McBride has traditionally had success finding players.
McBride said the biggest need the Wildcats had was on the defensive line, where they lost three starters.
"The three guys we got will step in right away and be impact players," he said. "They're not going to surprise anyone because they're really good."
Northridge High product Mario Westbrook (5-foot-11, 255 pounds) spent the last two seasons at Long Beach CC and will likely get one of the starting tackle positions. Rodney Thomas (6-2, 290) will get the other tackle spot, and high schooler Peni Fiuangaihetau was his league's defensive player of the year in Hawaii.
Fremont all-stater Austin Raught might be the gem of the bunch on offense.
After setting state records in receiving (231 career catches for 3,430 yards and 41 touchdowns) for the Silverwolves, Raught started getting attention from college coaches elsewhere in the state and in the Pac-10. He had made an early commitment to McBride's Wildcats, though, and honored that commitment.
"That shows you he's a man of his word," McBride said. "He committed to us early and never wavered. That says a lot about his character . . . He's everything you want in a receiver."
The Wildcats signed only one quarterback, Cameron Higgins from St. Louis High in Honolulu, and no running backs. WSU's skill positions were well-stocked with underclassmen after McBride's first recruiting class, and he chose to spread his scholarships around, building depth in the trenches.
The Wildcats got letters from eight offensive linemen. They will also welcome nine transfers — seven from junior colleges and two from four-year schools. Six of the signees have already enrolled at WSU and will participate in spring drills.
Not willing to settle for the leftovers around the state, McBride said his philosophy is to go after the best possible athletes.
"If we think we've got a shot at them; we'll take a shot at getting them," McBride said. "We can't be afraid to go after someone just because we think a bigger program wants them, too. We're going to lose some of those, but we're going to get some, too. That's how you build a program."
Other key recruits include receiver Myron Beck from Seattle, offensive lineman Jared Wilcox (a returned missionary) from Clearfield and linebacker Derek Cosper from Carrollton, Texas.
"I think we satisfied all our needs," McBride said. "I'm pretty happy with our day."
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com