Chandler’s Jalen Richmond Breaks Down Boise State Commitment

Boise State has done a good job recruiting Arizona.

They currently have Arizona prep starts Chase Cord, Jacob Golden and Khyheem Waleed on the roster.

They’re continuing that trend after 2021 Chandler wide receiver Jalen Richmond announced his commitment to the Broncos on Tuesday.

“Just the winning tradition they have and the coaching staff,” Richmond said. “I really connected with the receiver coach, Coach Matt Miller, and the fact they develop people and put people in the league. I want to be able to go to the NFL, that’s my dream and they’ve done that.”

Richmond went from offered to a virtual visit to a commitment in the span of three days. While the offer came through recently, the wide receiver said he’s been building a relationship with Boise State coaches for close to two months. 

In addition to the Broncos, Richmond holds offers from NAU, North Dakota, Idaho, Navy, New Mexico State, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Georgetown, Missouri State, Nevada, Southern Utah, Abilene Christian, San Jose State, Eastern Michigan, Weber State and Rice.

“They’re getting a kid that is a very hard worker, both in the weight room and on the field,” Garretson said. “He’s an excellent route-runner. He’s a very good player high-pointing the ball with 50-50 balls. He’s a very aggressive blocker. He’s kind of the total package for playing the wideout spot and I love that he’s going to Boise. They develop kids, kids get better and they win a lot of football games, so I think it’s a great choice for Jalen.”

Richmond is coming off a junior season where he hauled in 41 passes for 725 yards and nine touchdowns in the Wolves’ undefeated Open Division championship season. He described his freshman self as a player who was a step too slow and didn’t have reliable hands. Now, he’s a Division I athlete and credits the Chandler coaching staff for his progressions, though his head coach is quick highlight his assistant coaches.

“That’s Chad Carpenter and Collin Bottrill with what they do with that wideout group,” Garretson said. “(Jalen) is a long stride. Sometimes when you’re a long strider, you don’t have quite the turnover that you would like when you’re younger, and he’s changed that. Guys see that on film and the ability and get on top of some people….He’s gotten better and better and better each and every year. I’ve seen a huge change in his leadership abilities and we’re looking forward to him having a great season for a senior year.”

Garretson believes Richmond holds the mental edge and preparation to thrive at the next level.

“He’s been prepped really well,” Garretson said. “He knows how to get off press coverage. He knows how to come back to a football. He knows how to set things up and stem routes and all the different aspects that you need to succeed in college football. He shows that in high school football. Having that knowledge really helps you when you get to that next level when everybody is an all-star.”

Richmond breaks down his commitment, how Chandler helped him get to where he is today and developing as a wide receiver in this commitment edition of the Venezeia’s Pizzeria Recruiting Roundup.