Much of this series has been centered around trying to find answers to uncertainty within the roster. As stands, it’s easy to project Boise State as a 9 or 10-win team and one of the favorites to win the Mountain West. For Boise State to get back to the College Football Playoff, they’re going to need massive contributions from new faces.
Offensively, the Broncos return eight starters from last season, but the three losses (Ben Dooley, Ashton Jeanty and Cam Camper) were All-Mountain West type players, with Dooley and Jeanty making the first team and Camper being an honorable mention. The offense has very little holes, but will likely need to find star power to remain atop the Mountain West.
Sire Gaines flashed as a freshman and appears poised for a breakout season, but newcomer Malik Sherrod has flashed in Spring Camp and should be the Broncos’ RB1 on Saturday with Gaines still recovering from injury. Sherrod brings much needed explosiveness to a special teams unit that was been behind the standard Bronco Nation had become accustomed to. Additionally, his breakaway speed and ability as a pass-catcher should give him opportunity right away to be a big play contributor.
Elsewhere on the offense, Cam Bates looks poised for a larger role in the offense. I wrote about the wide receiver room on Monday, but of the players returning for Spring camp, Bates is the one who’s shown explosiveness and versatility, even as a true freshman last season.
Right tackle was a problem spot for Boise State’s offensive line all season last year. Hall Schmidt returns as the starter with 725 snaps played last season, but a substandard 47.2 PFF grade (in part due to playing injured). Dalton Metoyer and Kyle Cox both played last season when Schmidt was injured, but neither impressed enough to see a permanent role. Miles Walker transferred to Boise State from Ohio State this past winter. Saturday will be the first look Bronco Nation has had of Walker, and I’m curious whether he’s in competition for the right tackle job. If so, he could provide much need consistency to the bookend opposite of Kage Casey.
Defensively, I spoke about the turnover this roster is undergoing on Thursday, with a litany of newcomers expected to contribute right away. For a detailed breakdown of who could play and who to watch, please go back and read that article. A couple of names that haven’t been talked about this spring but have looked good in practice include defensive backs Jayden Webb and Arthur de Boachie. Webb is a JUCO transfer who has been getting time at safety and shown impressive ability in the slot to cover receivers and step up and be additive in the run game. Boise State regularly played five safeties/nickels last season, and I anticipate Webb competes for one of those rotation spots this year. De Boachie is a true freshman from the Netherlands whose athleticism and physical attributes have stood out as soon as he got to campus. I wouldn’t expect de Boachie to start this season, given the talent in the safety room, but I do think he could be an impactful special teamer this season. Look for number 29 on defense this Saturday to get a glimpse of what the future of Bosie State’s defense may look like.
Lastly, the special teams were a consistent issue for Boise State all season last year. Highlighted (lowlighted?) by two return touchdowns in a loss to Oregon that was the difference between a win and loss. The issues persisted all the way to the Fiesta Bowl, where two missed field goals dramatically affected the game script and how the Broncos could afford to approach the fourth quarter. Jonah Dalmas is gone, and Colton Boomer steps in to fill the void. Boomer transferred from UCF with some familiarity to big kicks on the Blue. His 40-yarder as time expired in 2023 led UCF to an 18-16 win over the Broncos. The Broncos need to be better in all phases of special teams, but continuing the generally high standard that Jonah Dalmas leaves behind will be essential to another College Football Playoff run.
Plenty more new faces and breakout candidates will emerge during Saturday’s Spring Game. At least eleven starting spots are up for grabs and many of them will be unfamiliar names to Bronco fans. These six are just the ones I’ll have an especially keen eye on to see how they look in their first action of 2025 in front of Bronco Nation.
Can’t wait.
