‘DreamChaser’: Will this German pass rusher be next to join Boise State’s 2023 class?

Training with his stepfather, Khalid Khatib, who was a seven-time national boxing champion in Germany, Max Stege grew up in in the ring, but it took only one football practice to make him feel at home on the gridiron.

“I loved boxing and I loved getting coached by my dad, but I’m a team player,” Stege told the Statesman. “I want to win with brothers, not alone.”

Stege is a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end who plays for the Cologne Crocodiles and is a captain on Germany’s U19 national team. He began boxing when he was 6 years old and gave it up when he was 14 to begin chasing his dream of playing college football in America.

That dream may soon become a reality.

Boise State offered Stege a scholarship on June 30. The Broncos weren’t the first college program to come calling, though. Liberty, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, Bryant, Eastern Michigan, Austin Peay and Idaho have also extended scholarship offers, but Stege said getting one from Boise State just felt different.

“When I got my Boise state scholarship offer, that changed my whole life,” he said. “Boise State is giving my parents the feeling that this really will happen and their son will play in front of thousands of fans.”

Stege will have a chance to take the field as a college football player thanks to a program called PPI Recruits, which was founded in 2017 by former Massachusetts defensive lineman Brandon Collier. He noticed even before his playing career ended in 2016 that high school football players in Europe weren’t getting recruited by U.S. college programs because they lacked a platform, so he decided to do something about it.

“I can be a bridge for kids in countries where football is not a household thing,” Collier said. “It’s surreal to see them achieve their dreams.”

Since its inception, PPI Recruits has helped more than 80 players from 15 countries earn scholarships from Division I programs in America, and Collier said Stege is one of the most talented high school players that he’s ever worked with.

“He’s arguably the best high school defensive lineman in Europe, and he’d be a four-star recruit if he was in America,” Collier said. “He may not pass the eyeball test like some American players with five-star ratings, but when you turn on the tape, you see how special he really is.”

The highlight of Collier’s program is its annual DreamChasers Tour, which gives many of the top high school players in Europe a chance to visit some of the best college programs in the United States. Just 13 players made the inaugural trip in 2017, but Collier said more than 700 applied to be part of the tour this summer, and about 170 were selected.

“There aren’t many American kids getting the treatment they’re getting,” Collier said. “Seeing them greeted by coaches like James Franklin, Nick Saban, Mel Tucker and Ryan Day is just surreal. There’s really no other way to describe it.”

For Stege, the highlight of the latest DreamChasers Tour was exploring Dallas. It was during his time in Texas that he was discovered by Boise State.

The Broncos’ coaches found out about the athletic pass rusher from Germany thanks to a blast from the past. Pete Kwiatkowski — a former defensive coordinator at Boise State and Washington who is now in the same role at Texas — watched Stege work out during a camp at SMU. The Longhorns didn’t have a roster spot for him, but Kwiatkowski, who was a defensive end at Boise State from 1984-87, thought he’d be a perfect fit at his alma mater.

After a call from Kwiatkowski, Boise State edge coach and co-special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga made his way to Texas to watch Stege dominate a camp at TCU, according to Collier. The Broncos offered him a scholarship a few days later, and now they wait to see whether he becomes the latest player to join their 2023 recruiting class.

Stege didn’t offer a timetable for his commitment, but he acknowledged that he probably never would have had a chance to chase his dream if it weren’t for Collier and his annual college tour.

“The DreamChaser tour was unbelievable for me,” Stege said. “For the first time in my life, I was able to experience American football in America, and that was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Stege has the kind of size that catches the attention of college recruiters, and Collier said he has an arsenal of pass-rush moves that leave most offensive linemen grasping for air when they try to block him. He also said Stege is more prepared to step on campus and play right away than any recruit he’s worked with in Europe.

“Boise State is a little slower in the recruiting process than others because they really do their homework on kids,” Collier said. “Anyone who studies this kid is going to see just how ready he is.”

Stege said he is all-in when it comes to becoming the best football player he can be, but he hasn’t forgotten his time in the boxing ring. In fact, he said it gives him an edge on the field.

“It really helps with my coordination, and I have really quick hands and feet,” Stege said. “That comes from late-night practices in the gym with my dad, and I’m beyond thankful that he taught me everything and supported me in all ways.”

Boise State’s 2023 recruiting class

QB CJ Tiller, 6-3, 200, Rancho Cucamonga (California) High

LB Wyatt Milkovic, 6-1, 233, Basha High (Chandler, Arizona)

OL Jason Steele, 6-4, 280, Murrieta Valley (California) High

RB Jambres Dubar, 6-0, 200, Anna (Texas) High

WR Jackson Grier, 6-0, 175, St. Thomas Aquinas High (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

CB Franklyn Johnson Jr., 5-11, 175, Little Elm (Texas) High

OT Kyle Cox, 6-6, 270, Eatonville (Washington) High

OT Carson Rasmussen, 6-5, 300, Owyhee High (Meridian)

TE Cayden Dawson, 6-5, 232, University City High (San Diego)

TE Oliver Fisher, 6-5, 225, Sherwood (Oregon) High