There has been a lot of chatter regarding the Idaho State football team and its recruiting, specifically the fact that head coach Mike Kramer has said that it is unlikely that any junior college transfers will be looked at.

    Kramer cites the previous academic issues at ISU and that JuCo players tend to not “fit the academic keyhole.”

    That makes sense. Most athletes that are talented enough to play Division I football coming out of junior colleges struggled with their grades in high school. That’s why they ended up at a JuCo to begin with.

    That doesn’t mean they can’t redeem themselves in the classroom while at a junior college, but ISU’s extremely lofty academic standards tend to leave less candidates to choose from.

    That said, Kramer did bring in a number of them during his recruiting class to help fill needs on his team. Quarterback Kevin Yost and cornerback Donovan Henley were very good players for the Bengals, and they got their starts at junior colleges in Arizona.

    As Kramer and his coaching staff hit the recruiting trail this offseason, it is obvious that there are once again positions that are in immediate need of assistance.

    And despite the new standards, it would not surprise me to see a couple of shots in the arm to Idaho State’s squad in the form of junior college transfers.

    Cornerback, wide receiver and possible even linebacker and defensive line could use an influx of experienced talent.

    After the Bengals dropped their season finale to Weber State, Kramer said that there were a few JuCo players that had contacted him with interest in playing at Idaho State and enrolling in the university’s health science program. Who knows if anything has come of it, but that contact could be taken as a good sign for those hoping to see junior college players dressed in orange and black next season.

    The opposite of Idaho State is Kansas State, a team coached by Bill Snyder that is full of transfer players. Of the 123 kids listed on the Wildcats’ 2012 roster, 31 of them are JuCo athletes (roughly 25 percent).

    I believe that bringing in experienced junior college players is a necessity for building and maintaining a successful program.

    By no means should ISU copy Snyder, but a few would provide a much needed boost for the Bengals.