MONTANA STATE BOBCATS
JALEN COLE – Cornerback – Mater Dei High School – Santa Ana, California
The Numbers: The 5-foot-10, 172-pound cornerback is a 3-star prospect regarded as one of the top recruits in the FCS. Cole notched 39 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, snared two interceptions and broke up two passes during an All-CIF senior season. Cole helped Mater Dei to a 13-1 mark and a No. 3 national ranking.
The Accolades: Cole was ranked by all three major recruiting services as a 3-star recruit and is the No. 7 overall ranked player signing with the FCS by 24/7 Sports, which averages between the three sites. Hero Sports ranked Cole as the No. 2 recruit signing with a Big Sky Conference school. He also held offers from Colorado State, Idaho and three Ivy League schools. He was a two-time All-Trinity, two-time all-state, two-time All-CIF strong safety and two-time All-County selection while also landing on the honor roll three times.
Academics: Unknown
Cole on Montana State: Cole was unavailable for comment on his commitment. He told Hero Sports, “I’m confident we can win the Big Sky next year, we’re building something big in Bozeman. The coaching? They’re genuine and they know what they’re talking about. Look for us to make some big-time noise in the FCS and the Big Sky next year. The coaches say they love my speed, my heart I play with and they always tell me I have that ‘dog’ mentality. We need more like that.”
Coach Choate on Cole: “By some he’s ranked as the number one recruit in the Big Sky this year. He comes from the a tremendous program Mater Dei High School, the No. 3 team in the country, where he was a multi-year starter at corner in a very, very competitive league, played for a CIF Championship this year. He had Ivy League honors, that’s the kind of student that young man is, he comes from a tremendous family, and I think he’ll bring an edge and an intelligence to our secondary that will benefit us for a long time. I think he’ll have the chance to compete early in his career.”
