Coming off the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history, Boise State and second year coach Spencer Danielson are looking to build upon that success. While Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty is gone, the Broncos bring back more production than any team in the Mountain West per ESPN’s Bill Connelly, and will be one of the favorites to make the CFP again this season. The season is still 6 months away, but the stars of September will be forged in the Spring. Newcomers will begin to make their marks, camp battles will start to shake out, and storylines will begin to unfold. Let’s dive into what I’ll be watching for this Spring.
Position battles to watch
Typically, position battles don’t get decided until Fall camp, but they begin to take shape in the Spring. Last year, we got to see battles at wide receiver, cornerback and quarterback play out before our eyes at Spring Camp, and this year will be no different. While there isn’t the buzz of a former #1 overall recruit, there are still intriguing battles to watch.
The cornerback room returns all three primary contributors from last season in A’Marion McCoy, Davon Banks and Jeremiah Earby. Despite the wealth of returning production, the Broncos made a point to heavily attack DB in the offseason. The Broncos added Demetrius Freeney from Arizona and Jaden Mickey from Notre Dame to compete day one for a starting spot alongside A’Marion McCoy, who is the only player I would say I’m confident starts. Mickey has been a rotation player for the Irish and flipped to Boise State after being committed to Cal. Meanwhile, Freeney was a highly touted recruit that committed to Miami before transferring to Arizona, and now the Broncos. JUCO transfer Jaylen Webb will also be with the Broncos for Spring practices. Webb was a standout safety for Kilgore College, but in Boise State’s quarters heavy scheme I could envision him getting some time in the slot as well. Many fans were disappointed with the secondary last season, this staff made a point to add competition to that room. To me, it’s the most interesting battle for this Spring because of the amount of guys who will receive reps.
This time last year I was discussing who would be the EDGE2 opposite of Ahmed Hassanein. Jayden Virgin-Morgan won the job and led the team with 10 sacks. This year, I’m wondering who will be the EDGE2 opposite of Jayden Virgin-Morgan. This staff went heavy in the portal on cornerbacks and defensive tackle, we didn’t see them add many defensive ends. Malakai Williams is a proven defensive end prospect from Idaho and the only transfer added to the DE room. Bol Bol is an athletic true freshmen who enrolled early, and may compete for the job, but the lack of transfer additions tell me this staff likes what they have in house. Max Stege played 193 snaps at defensive end last season, giving the Broncos 3 sacks on 11 pressures. Jake Ripp has officially made the move from linebacker to EDGE after flashing as a quality pass rusher last season. Ripp had just 51 pass rush snaps, but recorded 7 pressures in his limited reps. Lopez Sanusi and local product Trevor Mckenna are two younger players who flashed in Fall camp last year, but didn’t see playing time and could be in line for a bigger role this season. Stege and Williams are the two likeliest candidates, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see one of the younger guys get plenty of playing time this year.
Next to Virgin-Morgan, there are question marks on the interior defensive line as well. Braxton Fely was second team All-Mountain West last season and is poised for an NFL breakout type season, but the Broncos lose Sheldon Newton, Herbert Gums and Michael Callahan from the interior. The staff went transfer heavy trying to replace those three, bringing in Dion Washington (Hawai’i), David Latu (BYU) and Keanu Mailoto (Arizona). Washington is a productive Mountain West player, playing over 1,100 snaps at Hawai’I and Nevada. Washington’s shown an ability to play in the B-Gap or A-Gap and should provide versatility for Erik Chinander’s front. Latu was an All-American at Snow College as a freshman before committing to BYU. Latu played 175 snaps as a Sophomore before redshirting this past season for the Cougars. At over 300 pounds, expect Latu to fill the role left by Gums and Newton as a Nose Tackle and predominantly a run stuffer. As for Mailoto, he has played sparingly in his FBS career, totaling just 119 snaps so far, but got significant time for Arizona in games against New Mexico and Arizona State last season. He graded out well as a run defender in both of those games, and I’m very intrigued how he competes this Spring.
There will also be battles at running back, left guard, right tackle and wide receiver, although I think we will have more clarity on those battles in the Fall when the true freshmen come to campus. Cornerback, defensive end and interior defensive line are the three most pivotal battles to watch this Spring.
Newcomers I can’t wait to see
Boise State has 25 newcomers coming in this Spring to compete right away for playing time. 9 via the D1 transfer portal, 5 via the JUCO route and 11 true freshman. We’ve touched on a few of the transfers already, but here are the three newcomers I’m most excited to see this Spring.
CB Demetrius Freeney (RS Jr.)
I touched on Freeney earlier, but he was a highly touted JUCO recruit choosing Miami over multiple P4 offers, and raises the ceiling of what Boise State’s cornerback room can be in 2025. If Freeney is a hit, cornerback could go from a weakness to a strength for this defense. He’s a long and athletic corner whose limited film shows physicality in press and stickiness in coverage. It’s an ideal dart throw for Danielson and co. given what the Broncos already have at cornerback. How he performs in Spring will give a strong indicator of the potential role he may play this season.
DB Arthurt de Boachie (Fr.)
Danielson has repeatedly said they’re going to turn over every rock when it comes to finding talent, including across the pond in Europe. de Boachie comes to Boise State from the NFL Academy in England and is originally from the Netherlands. He played with current Bronco Lopez Sanusi at the NFL Academy, and credits Sanusi for being a major reason why de Boachie opted to come to Boise State. de Boachie is an intriguing athlete who played wide receiver and safety for the NFL Academy. This Spring I’m interested to see where this coaching staff opts to play him and how quickly he can adapt to the D1 level. I don’t think de Boachie will contribute right away, but he’s one I’m keeping an eye on for when Boise State has to figure out life after Ty Benefield.
OT Miles Walker (RS So.)
Last season was the best offense in Boise since the Kellen Moore era, but right tackle was a weak point for the Broncos all season. Hall Schmidt started most of the season, but had a PFF grade of 47.2 (60 is considered replacement level). Kyle Cox and Dalton Metoyer also repped in, but neither was particularly convincing. Miles Walker will provide competition at right tackle right away this Spring. Walker was a high three-star prospect and the number-two player in Connecticut before committing to Ohio State. Walker never played a snap for the Buckeyes but was sitting behind multiple NFL players. The Broncos return 4 out of 5 starters along the offensive line, and if Walker is a good player at right tackle, the Broncos should have one of the best offensive lines in the nation. It’s not a sexy position, but the trenches matter most. Walker is quietly one of the Broncos’ most pivotal transfer additions for the Spring.
Potential storylines to emerge
Last Spring is when Boise State first debuted their HEI2MAN campaign for Ashton Jeanty which ended up defining the 2024 season. Last Spring we also were introduced to Malachi Nelson, and the quarterback battle that defined Fall Camp, and the emergence of Jayden Virgin-Morgan being a future star for the Broncos. Here are a few potential storylines I foresee emerging from this Spring:
How does this offense function without Ashton Jeanty
Everything the Broncos did last year was built around all-world running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty had 2,601 yards rushing, and most of what Boise State did in the passing game was built off play action and the threat of Jeanty running the ball. With Jeanty gone, how well does the play action work? Can Maddux Madsen give more as a dropback passer this year? Can Boise State replace Jeanty with a loaded running back room? All of it centers around what life will look like without Jeanty.
Can the defense limit explosives?
The Broncos made the CFP Quarterfinals off one of the most explosive and consistent offenses in school history. The offense had one of the best rushing attacks in the nation and a lethal play action passing game. The defense wasn’t quite as balanced. While the Broncos led the nation with 55 sacks, they had a major issue with giving up big plays. The Broncos were dead last in the nation, giving up an explosive on 11.5% of snaps. Boise State’s defense too often felt like a lottery, either getting a sack or TFL, or giving up 20+ yards. The secondary was often criticized by fans (deservedly so), but the run game didn’t fare much better. Giving up an explosive rush on 10.3% of all runs (2nd percentile). For the Broncos defense to take a step forward, it’s going to start with limiting more explosives.
What do we get from Maddux Madsen in 2025?
Boise State has a rich tradition of exceptional quarterback play. Kellen Moore, Brett Rypien, Jared Zabranksy and so many others have defined high-flying Boise State offenses. Last season, the talk of the town was the quarterback battle between Madsen and Nelson, before Ashton Jeanty made everyone forget that quarterbacks matter. Without Jeanty, all eyes will once again be on the performance of #4. Madsen threw for 3,018 yards, and an efficient 23 touchdowns to 6 interceptions last season. Madsen is exceptional at avoiding sacks (just 10.6% of pressures led to sacks), but struggled to create offense outside of play action. In his Junior season, does Madsen take a step forward and become an All-Conference caliber quarterback? Or will the loss of Jeanty limit his effectiveness in play action, and cause the offense to regress? Time will tell, but I’m fascinated by how Madsen looks in new OC Nate Potter’s new-look offense.
