There’s an old saying about intersquad scrimmages. You can’t learn anything from them because if the offense looks great, it’s because the defense stinks – and if the defense looks great, it’s because the offense stinks. Against the judgment of wiser men than myself, I found five takeaways from Saturday’s Spring Game that I think are real for Boise State’s 2025 football season.
This Running back is special
Much of this season will be defined by how Boise State navigates life after Ashton Jeanty. It’s rare for a running back to be a Top-10 draft pick and Heisman runner up, even more rare for that player to be at a G5 program. If Saturday was any indication, Boise State should be just fine. Malik Sherrod opened the scoring with a 65 yard score where he flashed vision and elite breakaway speed. After an impressive six weeks of spring camp, the Fresno State transfer got to showcase in front of Bronco Nation what all the hype was about. Sherrod was the starting running back out of Spring Camp, with Sire Gaines still sidelined with the ankle injury that cut his freshman season short.
As impressive as Sherrod looked on just 3 carries, it’s the rest of the running back room that has me so bullish on this group in 2025. After Sherrod’s day was done, Dylan Riley and Breezy Dubar both looked like starting caliber backs. Dubar had 41 yards on 9 carriers and consistently ran with power and looked poised behind his offensive line. Riley’s box score was modest, with 20 yards on 9 carries, but he had two touchdowns and a 45-yard run that was called back due to a hold. If Boise State only had Riley and Dubar on the roster, I think it would be the best running back duo in the Mountain West. Throw in Sherrod, a healthy Gaines and talented true freshman Greg Ard, who is set to arrive in the Summer, and I think we will look back at this Bronco running back room as one of the deepest in program history.
When asked about the running back depth postgame, Dylan Riley didn’t mince words, “It’s going to be dangerous… We got some dawgs.”
I agree, Mr. Riley. Bronco Nation should be excited to see it.
Kaleb Annett locked up QB2
One of my biggest storylines coming into the Spring Game was how the depth quarterbacks would perform. The Broncos have just two scholarship quarterbacks behind Maddux Madsen, and neither has had significant DI playing time. Max Cutforth and Kaleb Annett seemed to be the two favorites, and got a majority of the time in the Spring Game. Spencer Danielson wasn’t ready to name a backup, but I think there’s a leader in the clubhouse.
Kaleb Annett looked exceptional on Saturday. The redshirt freshman played with poise in the pocket, showing an ability to navigate messy pockets while keeping his eyes downfield and a natural arm with the ability to layer throws in between the defense. The arm talent was apparent on a couple of throws, one after resetting in the pocket and hitting a hardly-open receiver on the sideline (although that pass was dropped).
Cutforth didn’t necessarily play poorly or lose the job, but I thought Annett was really impressive. When asked about it postgame, Danielson mentioned that Annett played with the scout team during his redshirt season, and has spent most of Spring Camp catching up on the playbook and getting comfortable with the offense. Now that he’s closed that mental gap with Annett, it seems the talent is starting to shine. Time will tell if the Broncos decide to add a fourth scholarship quarterback to the mix, but I think Annett showed enough for Bronco Nation to feel confident in their QB2 if Madsen were to miss some time.
Jake Ripp is going to play… a lot
Despite playing just 107 defensive snaps last season, coaches continued to heap praise upon Jake Ripp last season and into this spring. It was easy to see why on Saturday. Ripp finished with 4 tackles and 2 sacks in the Spring Game and was the defensive standout of the day, in my opinion. Last season, Jake Ripp was listed as an inside linebacker but played 73% of his snaps lined up along the defensive line. The plan was to move Ripp to STUD to get him some more playing time, but with Andrew Simpson’s late departure, it’s back to inside linebacker for Ripp (Danielson confirmed postgame).
He’s a natural replacement for Andrew Simpson. Simpson’s strength was as a versatile pass rusher that could drop into coverage or blitz and get after the quarterback. Ripp is built in that same mold. Despite just 51 snaps as a pass rusher, Ripp had 7 pressures last season and had a higher pressure rate than Ahmed Hassanein or Jayden Virgin-Morgan. His versatility is a dream fit for Erik Chinander’s blitz schemes. Ripp will be listed at WILL, but expect to see him moved all over the field, giving pressure looks from the inside, the edge and dropping into coverage.
I don’t know if Ripp is in line to start, I thought Chase Martin and Clay Martineau had good games at linebacker as well, but I think Ripp definitely plays and has a large impact for the Broncos’ defense this season. If you were looking for a defensive breakout during the Spring Game, I think Ripp was that guy.
Despite heavy losses, defense is still going to get to the quarterback
The chief strength of Boise State’s defense last season was the ability to rush the passer. Their 55 sacks were the most in the Nation, and 12 different Broncos finished with 9 or more pressures. Only two of those twelve players are back this season. One of my biggest questions coming into 2025 was how much of Boise State’s pass rush success was scheme, and how much was personnel? If the Spring Game is any indicator, the Broncos will manage the attrition just fine. The defense finished with 6 sacks despite just 36 dropbacks, most of that pressure came off patented Chinander pressure packages: Ripp had two sacks rushing from linebacker, Ty Benefield picked up a sack on a safety blitz down the A-gap, Boen Phelps added a sack off a schemed stunt. Pressure was coming from everywhere, and if you didn’t know who had left the program, you would think Saturday’s defense was the same unit that led the nation in sacks last year.
Who starts on defense remains a mystery. It looked like Max Stege started at defensive end opposite of Jayden Virgin-Morgan. The interior rotated early and often, but it seems as though BYU transfer David Latu and Hawai’i transfer Dion Washington are the early favorites to start. Michael Madrie added a sack and showed versatility, lining up at defensive tackle as well as defensive end on Saturday. Regardless, it may not be another 55 sack season, but I’ve seen enough to feel confident that the Broncos will generate pressure regularly again next season.
Boise State needs to add a wide receiver
If you’re looking for a pessimistic takeaway from Saturday’s game, it has to be the wide receiver room. None of Austin Bolt, Chris Marshall or Latrell Caples suited up for the Spring Game, leaving the offense to start with Ben Ford, Chase Penry and Cam Bates on the first play of the game. Bates looked explosive as a receiver and manufactured touch option, including a 20-yard touchdown catch. Outside of Bates, I don’t think anyone impressed. The offense went to their depth early, but all day long the receivers consistently struggled with drops and an inability to separate. It felt like anytime a pass came out of the quarterback’s hand, it was to a covered receiver or hitting the turf.
Some will point to the injuries and assume that things will look better in Fall Camp, and that certainly could be the case… I don’t think it changes the fact that Boise State needs to add another wide receiver. Marshall, Bolt and Caples all have extensive injury histories, the fact those three missed time this spring, unfortunately, isn’t a surprise. Even if all three are healthy come week one, I don’t think it’s a safe bet to expect them to stay healthy for 13+ games. Danielson said in postgame that Boise State would be looking to add a wide receiver in the portal, and I think it’s the biggest need on the roster right now. The lack of separation and speed on the outside was apparent, and Madsen is going to need a favorite target with Cam Camper graduated.
They aren’t easy to find in the portal, but an outside receiver with size and speed seems like a no brainer to me. Caples and Bates are a phenomenal slot duo, but aren’t regular outside receivers. Penry and Ford provide solid depth options, but again are players who thrive in the slot. That leaves Bolt and Marshall as outside receivers, and neither has more than 200 yards in an FBS season.
One name to watch is Central Oklahoma’s Terrill Davis. Davis had 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns last season at the D2 level (Yes, you read that correctly) and was reportedly in Boise for an official visit this weekend (per his twitter). Davis had five separate 150+ yard games and three different 200+ yard games last season, and is ranked my many as the #1 D2 recruit in the country. There’s a lot to like about his game and would be the ideal complement to this Boise State wide receiver room.
Looking ahead to 2025
The Broncos will be taking a few weeks off before reconvening in the summer for player run practices and then fall camp in August. Boise State opens the season on August 28 against USF in a matchup of preseason G5-favorites. There will be plenty more to learn about this season’s Broncos, but the Spring Game was good insight into some of what we can expect this season.
