Boise State assistant football coach Steve Caldwell is a likeable guy. Excitable. SEC experienced. As reliable as an old hunting dog.
And, lucky for Boise State, he has so much experience when it came to recruiting WR Cedric Wilson Jr.
I met up with Caldwell this last weekend where he was a celebrity guest representing Boise St. football at the annual Dress For Success Gala in the Riverside Hotel ballroom. Caldwell helped KTVB’s Mark Johnson auction off some donated Broncos items to help raise funds for women to get back on their feet and get a job. Caldwell charmed the sold out crowd, took off his jacket and went pre game speech crazy on the suited and booted champagne sippers. They ate it up. He lit ‘em up. He sold his package for a hefty price.
After the event, Coach Caldwell was telling stories. Someone asked him how long he had coached and Caldwell said he was on his 38th year. He said he loved it and had no idea how much longer he would go but didn’t seem in a hurry to quit. He was asked if he felt old being around such a young staff at Boise State. Boise State coach Kent Riddle last played college football in 1990. Coach Caldwell had already coached at 4 different schools by then. He last played for Arkansas State in 1977. I would guess Coach Caldwell is about 60 years old which means he has plenty of gas in the tank. He said one of the only times he is reminded of his age in coaching is when he recruits the sons of players he once coached.
Enter Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Caldwell was looking for defensive lineman for the Class of 2016. While he didn’t find any in Kansas, the University of Idaho did sign DL Bentley Easley from Coffeyville, he did find out about WR Cedric Wilson Jr. While talking to the Coffeyville coaches, who sent 13 kids to FBS schools last signing period, Caldwell learned that Wilson Jr was related to Cedric Wilson Sr, who played at Tennessee while Caldwell was a defensive line coach. Caldwell helped helped recruit Wilson Sr. to the Vols and the chance to pursue Jr. was a stroke of luck for Boise State. He went looking for a DL and ended up with what could be a program changing WR.
The rest is history in the making.
This old dog can still hunt.
@jeffcaves on twitter
