The 2024 season is in the books for the Boise State Broncos. The Broncos finished 12-2 and earned their first appearance in the College Football Playoffs, earning a bye and a trip to the Quarterfinals. The season ended with a 31-14 defeat to Penn State, but it will still be remembered as one of the best seasons in Boise State history. Now that it’s over, let’s reflect and give out some awards for the best players and moments from the season.
Most Valuable Player: Ashton Jeanty
What more needs to be said about Ashton Jeanty? 2,601 rushing yards, 30 total touchdowns, 2nd in Heisman voting. Jeanty cemented himself as a Bronco Legend for his performance this season and the obvious choice for this year’s MVP. Jeanty became the first Boise State player to win the Maxwell Award, awarded to the best player in college football, and the Doak Walker award, awarded to the best running back nationally. It was a superb season and one that likely means we don’t see another Bronco wear #2 for quite some time.
Offensive Player of the Year (not named Ashton Jeanty): Kage Casey
There are a lot of great choices for this award, but Kage Casey was a dominant bookend for Boise State’s offensive line all season. Casey finished with an offensive best (outside of Jeanty) 83.4 PFF grade. Casey gave up only 6 pressures all season and finished with only 1 penalty against and 0 sacks given up. Casey had the type of breakout season that piqued the interest of NFL scouts. Casey has already committed to play with Boise State again next season, but he almost certainly would’ve been drafted had he come out this year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Ahmed Hassanein
Hassanein finished 2nd on the team with sacks (9.5) but had the biggest impact on the defense by far, in my opinion. Hassanein had a team-high 62 pressures, and second best run defense grade of 80.3 (behind Marco Notarainni). Hassanein earned his 2nd first-team All-Mountain West selection, and his 24 career sacks put him 4th all-time in Boise State history. He’s also 2nd among Boise State players who played at the FBS level.
Game of the Year: Boise State’s Mountain West Championship win over UNLV
There were plenty of high points for this year’s Bronco team, but one moment stands above the rest. Boise State knocked off UNLV 21-7 on the Blue to guarantee their spot in the College Football Playoff. It was complete performance from the whole team. Maddux Madsen played the best half of football he’s had in his career, Ashton Jeanty finished with 207 yards and the defense had 6 sacks in a dominant showing. The crowd was the most engaged I had seen for a Boise State game, and was the loudest I can remember since the 2016 win against BYU. This game was the pinnacle of the season for Boise State and the game that cemented this year in history for Bronco Nation.
Best Moment: Ashton Jeanty breaks five tackles for a 64-yard TD run against Wazzu
This award was essentially “which Ashton Jeanty run was my favorite?” and I think this one takes the cake. We knew Ashton Jeanty was special, but this was the run that, for me, made him absolute must watch TV. It looked like Jeanty had gotten bottled up for a modest gain before breaking out into space and outrunning the defense. In that moment, the glass ceiling for a G5 running back blew off and it was clear this guy could be a legitimate Heisman contender.
Best Underclassmen: Jayden Virgin-Morgan
I was critical of JVM early in the season after a slow start. The Sophomore defensive end had just 9 pressures in the first 5 games and wasn’t impacting the game as a pass rusher. He finished the season with 34 pressures in the last 9 games. Virgin-Morgan flashed elite athleticism and ability to win with bend off the edge and finished the year with a team-high 10 sacks and was 2nd with 43 pressures. JVM will be back next season for the Broncos and will have NFL scouts eagerly watching his performance.
Most underrated player: A’Marion McCoy
Boise State’s secondary was (deservedly) maligned throughout the season, but a lot of that blame unfairly fell on A’Marion McCoy. The corners were giving a tough task with how often Boise State’s defense blitzed, often forced to cover talented receivers one-on-one in space. McCoy graded out as Boise State’s second-best starter, finishing the year with a conference-best 11 pass breakups and had a completion percentage allowed of just 50.5%. McCoy has another year of eligibility with the NCAA’s JUCO ruling, but may opt for the NFL given his success this season.
Coordinator of the Year: Erik Chinander
I was endlessly impressed with what Erik Chinander did for Boise State’s defense this season. The defense started slow, allowing 45 points to Georgia Southern to open the year, but Chinander adapted quickly finding an identity as a blitz heavy team. Chinander unlocked Seyi Oladpio as a pass rusher, who finished with 6.5 sacks – the most of any safety in the country. When Scott Frost got hired at UCF, I thought Chinander would be a favorite for that defensive coordinator job. UCF went a different direction and Boise State is the benefactor. With that said, Bush Hamdan left for Kentucky on February 14 last year. There is still plenty of time for Chinander to find another home, but if he stays in Boise I think the Broncos will once again have the best defensive coordinator in the conference, and possibly the entire G5.
Transfer of the Year: Cameron Camper
Coming into the season, one of my biggest questions was who would take over as the WR1 for this team. We knew Latrell Caples would be a steady option out of the slot, but who would be the breadwinner on the outside was a complete unknown. Camper finished the season with 58 catches and 903 yards, and was unquestionably Boise State’s best wideout this season. Camper came to Boise State from Indiana last Spring and had the type of instant impact you hope to see from a highly touted portal player. Camper was a fifth-year senior this season but was granted an additional year of eligibility with the NCAA’s JUCO ruling. Camper has not officially stated his intention to return or leave yet. If he does come back for one more year on the Blue, Camper will likely be the best returning wide receiver in the Mountain West.
OKG of the year: Seyi Oladpio
In the modern era of college football, it’s rare to see a player come into a school and slowly work his way up the depth chart before becoming an All-Mountain West player. Oladpio came to Boise State in 2021 and slowly increased his snap count before becoming a full-time starter as a Junior. Oladipo did whatever was asked of him as a Bronco, this year becoming an elite blitzer in a slightly smaller role than he had as a Junior. This award was locked up for Oladipo during the Mountain West Championship game when he chased down UNLV’s Kylin James from behind, on a play most of the team had given up on. That stop led to a 4th down stop and helped seal the Broncos 21-7 in the Mountain West Championship. I’m a massive fan of Oladipo as a player and as a person and look forward to his NFL career.