Fresno State recruiting: Bulldogs hosting 17 official visitors this weekend

Jackson Moore
Dec 9th, 1:48 AM
With Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford temporarily on medical leave and acting head coach Tim Skipper leading the Bulldogs through their bowl game - would the ‘Dogs hit the brakes on their recruiting efforts?
The answer to that question was a resounding no. Skipper confirmed on Thursday that not only will Fresno State be hosting recruits for official visits this weekend, but a whopping 17 recruits targets will be on campus this weekend.
Fresno State currently has 12 commitments in the 2024 class, including eight from the Central Valley. Lemoore High School 3-Star cornerback Kiontre Harris became the latest commitment on Thursday.
Of the 12 commitments, 11 of them will be in for official visits this weekend. Visalia (Calif.) CVC running back Bryson Donelson will be busy competing with his high school team in a CIF State Championship game in Pasadena on Saturday.
That means that six more undecided recruits will visit this weekend. BarkBoard.com broke the news on who all six of them are, exclusively to VIP members here.
Skipper will oversee the official visit efforts this weekend, which coincide with the team’s bowl prep. The Bulldogs are less than a week away for leaving town for the New Mexico Bowl.
“I love recruiting,” Skipper said. “I love talking to the high school kids, they are our future. I enjoy that part of it. We’re gonna have a weekend starting up (Friday) with 17 guys here ready to take a look at the Bulldogs with (12) commits already. It’s gonna be an exciting time, it’s gonna be a busy time. We have to balance our bowl prep with recruiting. But that’s the pressure you always want - that means you won games during the season, so you’re practicing still and still playing in December and you have wonderful prospects on your campus.
“I’m excited. I’m fired up for (Friday) to get here and start this weekend off.”
Skipper reiterated in a ZOOM meting Thursday that he is the acting head coach through the bowl and then “after that, we’ll see where things are.” Hopes are for Tedford to be cleared to return.
What are recruits being told?
“Exactly what I said,” Skipper answered. “I’m the acting coach through this bowl game and then Coach Tedford hopefully comes back. That’s all the intentions of what we’re thinking right now. We’re just being straight up. There’s no reason that I should lie about anything. That’s where it is right now and that’s what we’re doing.”
Fresno State linebacker Logan Studt previewed the weekend and confirmed that the current class of recruits remains on board through this time.
Studt said, “We got a group chat with some of the recruiting (staff). We’re just trying to keep the whole group together and keep everyone’s heads right … We’ve all just tried to stick together when it comes to the situation going on now. We all love Tedford and we all couldn’t wait to play for him, so we’re just praying for his recovery and hope that he can get back as soon as he can so we can all get back on track.”
Studt adds that this weekend’s visit is less about answering questions and more about previewing what the future will be like for the next wave of Bulldog additions.
“I’m super pumped to get to meet all the commits and the guys they are targeting that are going to be there this weekend,” Studt said. “And just get a feel for what being a Bulldog is like. We’ve got a lot of great kids that are committed in this class. I’m excited to get a feel for what everything’s going to be like next year with those guys.
“We got the itinerary and I think they got a pretty good setup. I think a lot of the guys that are from around have an idea of some of the stuff that's already going on or been to some of the things - But for those guys that are coming in from out of town, it'll be an eye-opening experience for them. I think they'll get a real taste of what Fresno is like and what they're going to be a part of for the next four years.”