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Boise State looks to future at tight end with latest addition to 2022 recruiting class

Ron Counts
·5 min read

The Boise State football team picked up a verbal commitment from tight end Austin Terry on Friday. He’s the fourth member of the Broncos’ 2022 recruiting class and the third who resides on offense.

Terry announced his commitment Friday afternoon on Twitter. He confirmed to the Statesman that he plans to enroll early and will be on campus by January 2022.

“Looking at their plan for me, they had everything broken down from the day I step on campus,” Terry said Friday. “Getting the chance to play early in that offense, it was a spot I felt like I could do really well in.”

Quarterback Katin Houser was the first player to commit to new coach Andy Avalos’ first class since returning to his alma mater. Offensive tackle Kage Casey joined last week, just two days after cornerback Dionte Thornton gave the Broncos his verbal.

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Terry is a three-star prospect out of Tumwater High in Washington, and he’s the No. 10 overall recruit in the state, according to 247Sports’ composite ratings. He also has scholarship offers from UCLA, Tennessee, California, Nebraska, Arizona and Mountain West programs Air Force, San Diego State, Nevada and UNLV.

He visited Boise State on June 5. It was his first visit to a college campus since the NCAA’s dead period, which was extended because of COVID-19, ended on June 1. He said it was an eye-opener.

“The Zoom calls and phone calls were great. We had to make it work given the situation,” Terry said. “But being able to get out and meet people face to face and get that in-person feeling, it was a huge relief.”

Terry also took a trip to Arizona last weekend and visited UCLA in January. The Bruins are one of several schools that are recruiting him as a defensive end.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound native of Olympia, Washington, primarily played defensive end until he got to high school and realized he was more of a natural fit at tight end, which is where he’ll begin his Boise State career.

Playing in a Wing-T offense at Tumwater, he didn’t fill the stat sheet with catches. The Thunderbirds threw the ball just two or three times most games, but he feels like he has a leg up on the competition in college because of how much he was required to block in the run-heavy scheme.

“When we did throw it, the tight ends were the primary targets,” Terry said. “Being a tight end in the Wing-T, you have to develop your blocking in huge way or you won’t see the field. Going to the next level already knowing how to block will be huge.”

Tumwater head coach Bill Beattie said he’s never had to question Terry’s ability or desire to block.

“If you look at the tight ends that have come out of our program, the No. 1 asset they bring to the next level is their blocking,” Beattie said. “First and foremost, Austin is a great run blocker. He has great technique and he’s a force on down blocks. Second, he runs great routes and has great hands.”

Terry is one of two highly recruited tight ends on the Tumwater roster, joining four-star prospect Ryan Otton, who has narrowed his list of scholarship offers down to Stanford, Oregon State and Washington. His brother, Cade, is a tight end for the Huskies.

In an effort to keep both players on the field, Beattie plans to move Terry to wing/H-back this fall. That should free him up to take advantage of matchups, confuse the defense with pre-snap motion and use his athleticism to be a more effective blocker.

“Teams really started keying on him last year, so moving him around a little more will hopefully shake things loose,” Beattie said. “And we’ll be able to use him more on what we call ‘whammy blocks,’ where he’s going to flatten some guys.”

Terry is coming out of an extremely successful high school program. Tumwater has won two state titles in the four years that he’s been on the team, and the Thunderbirds are expected to compete for another this fall. Tumwater lists seven state championships on its Twitter page, dating back to 1987.

“It’s a huge culture thing at Tumwater,” he said “and the tradition and expectations have grown every year.”

He’s joining a college program that is also built on lofty expectations. Boise State has been to the Mountain West championship game in each of the past four seasons and won two titles (2017 and 2019).

Terry is also joining a position group that is looking for a new starter. Former quarterback Riley Smith is expected to replace John Bates as the Broncos’ top tight end this season. Bates was picked in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team.

Redshirt junior Tyneil Hopper is the favorite to be Smith’s top backup this fall, and the Broncos have signed three tight ends in their past two classes: Idaho native Austin Bolt and Minnesota product Russell Corrigan in 2020 and Matthew Lauter in 2021.

Boise State 2022 recruiting class

QB Katin Houser, 6-3, 200, St. John Bosco High (Bellflower, California)

CB Dionte Thornton, 6-3, 185, Lawndale (California) High

OT Kage Casey, 6-6, 250, Clackamas (Oregon) High

TE Austin Terry, 6-5, 230, Tumwater High (Olympia, Washington)