Seevers passes on Nebraska, opts to play on the blue turf

Adam Candee

Thursday, June 10, 2004 | 9:51 a.m.

Kyle Seevers faced a simple choice at the end of his whirlwind recruiting journey: Become one of many at Nebraska or the one and only at Boise State.

Smurf turf it is.

Seevers, a quarterback wunderkind from Lincoln County High School in tiny Panaca, announced Wednesday night that he planned to accept a scholarship offer from Boise State, home of the famous blue turf and one of the country's hottest football programs.

"I liked the coaches a lot," Seevers said. "It's a program on the rise and everything. I just made my decision and I'm happy with it."

Seevers cannot sign a letter of intent until February, meaning the commitment is not yet binding.

Few in Nevada or elsewhere knew of Seevers until Nebraska offered him a scholarship just weeks after first seeing him on tape in March, even with the knowledge that he is recovering from shoulder surgery. That surprise offer alerted recruiters to a 6-foot-6 kid who can throw a baseball nearly 90 mph, unearthing Seevers from rural Nevada as an up-and-coming national prospect.

Nebraska had been considered the favorite to land him. In fact, Seevers said in May that he was "85 percent" certain he would become a Cornhusker after taking a recruiting visit to Lincoln, Neb.

But Nebraska focused more of its attention on Harrison Beck, one of a half-dozen prep quarterbacks whom new Huskers coach Bill Callahan pursued, souring Seevers on the school.

"By the time I got there, they'd have, like, six quarterbacks," Seevers said.

Seevers, who led Lincoln County to its first state football title last season, felt that Boise State showed more sincere interest in giving him a real chance to compete for the starting job after a redshirt year. Seevers also wanted a school with coaching stability and Broncos head coach Dan Hawkins is entering his eighth year at Boise State -- his third as head coach.

"We just felt like they're a proven winner and the coaching staff is consistent," Lincoln County coach Rich Ottley said.

Boise State is coming off its most successful season. The Broncos went 13-1 to claim their second consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship, capping their season with a victory against Texas Christian in the Fort Worth Bowl.

Quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie earned WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors last year in the Broncos' pass-happy offense and graduated after leading Boise State to a 30-6 record for his career. The team finished the season ranked 16th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll and 19th in the Associated Press poll.

Seevers made an unofficial visit to Boise in late May and left impressed with the program. It does not hurt that Boise is relatively close to Seevers' home in Pioche, about three hours northeast of Las Vegas near the Utah border.

It all added up to a choice that Seevers felt good about, prompting him to cut short the recruiting process that he wanted finished before the beginning of his senior year.

"I felt comfortable with the school," Seevers said. "Why wait any longer when I know what I want?"

Seevers received other good news Wednesday, as doctors cleared him to do some light throwing for the first time since his injured his right shoulder during the 2A state basketball tournament. And he wasted no time getting back on the field, eagerly joining the Lynx Wednesday night for 7-on-7 drills.

"He was bouncing around on his toes," Ottley said, adding that Seevers was throwing balls 25 yards with a flick of his wrist.

Seevers also seriously considered Brigham Young, and he received offers from Utah State and Nevada-Reno. Major football programs such as Miami, Washington, Kansas State and Oregon also showed interest.