With the 2017 season still months away, Arizona Football adds former Boise State defensive lineman Dereck Boles, via transfer.
Recruiting is always a fluid situation, and you never know who you may potentially add late in the process, or even a few months before the season. On Sunday, Arizona Football coaches learned that Dereck Boles would officially be joining the Wildcats’ roster.
JUCO DL Dereck Boles has committed to #Arizona
— AZ Wildcat Country (@Wildcat_Country) May 8, 2017
Recently visited. Reunites with DC Marcel Yates (BoiseSt) @99Just_Do_It. Boles left BSU 2016 pic.twitter.com/thdzjiLDvI
A former defensive standout at Boise State, Boles, however, would run into to some off-field trouble, that would put his football future in jeopardy. It has not been long since a felony charge has been dropped for Boles, stemming from an altercation he had with a former teammate, that would eventually get him kicked off the team.
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Boles had pleaded that he acted in self-defense, and after a long, arduous process, he has been cleared and the charges dropped. Thus allowing him a second chance at playing Division One College Football.
Boles spent this past year at Coffeyville Junior College in Kansas, and now is ready to put the past behind him and is just grateful for another opportunity.
Worth noting, Boles will be eligible to play immediately, and he also comes in at a position of need. Interestingly enough, he also played for Arizona Defensive coach Marcel Yates while at Boise, so perhaps the transition and terminology should be familiar to him.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez and Yates were aware of the situation Boles was facing, but perhaps were waiting for the legal issues to be cleared before potentially getting him to Tucson.
At 6-feet-3 and 290 pounds, not only will Boles’ size be impactful this season, but so will his experience and maturity. While with the Broncos, he put up some decent stats in his freshman season.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2015 | Boise State | MWC | FR | DT | 5 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career | Boise State | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
This past season in Kansas, Boles had 66 tackles (23 solo), five sacks, 12 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. If we can get at least some of that production from Boles, that would certainly go a long way in helping improve Arizona defensively this year.
Here is a look back at some of Boles’ highlights from Lakeland High School in Florida.
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I for one am certainly excited about bringing Boles to Tucson. From all I’ve heard and read about him, he seems like a good kid just got mixed up in a bad situation. People deserve second chances, and whomever among us that lives without sin, may they cast the first stone. If he can make a comeback and continue to improve as a person, then I think we’re very lucky in getting Boles. Bear Down, Dereck, and welcome to Arizona!