We are now less than a week away from Boise State football. The Broncos will begin their season with their most formidable opponent — No. 10 Washington, a squad that boasted the best passing offense in the nation last season.
The Broncos, coming off a 10-4 campaign, return nine offensive starters and a half-dozen starters from one of the best defenses in the Mountain West.
Ahead of Boise State’s season opener, Bronco Nation News wanted to put out our prediction for the Broncos’ Week 1 depth chart. The Broncos’ official depth chart for the Washington game will be released on Monday.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK:
Starter: Taylen Green
Backup: Maddux Madsen
Third-string: CJ Tiller
— No surprises here. After guiding the Broncos to the Mountain West Championship, there was no need for a competition. Green will be Boise State’s starting quarterback for as long as he wants. As far as the backup, Boise State head coach Andy Avalos announced last week that Madsen, a redshirt freshman, beat out true freshman CJ Tiller for the job.
Boise State running back George Holani carries the ball during a 2022 fall camp practice. (Photo by Boise State Athletics)
RUNNING BACK:
Starter(s): George Holani/Ashton Jeanty
Backup: Tyler Crowe
— It didn’t feel right to put Jeanty as the backup. Both he and Holani will split a majority of the carries this season and there’s a good chance we see Jeanty play a little bit at slot receiver too. But, still, I’d expect Holani to be the first RB on the field in Seattle.
WIDE RECEIVER:
Starters: Billy Bowens (Z), Eric McAlister (X), Stefan Cobbs (Slot)
Backups: Shea Whiting/Austin Bolt, Prince Strachan, Chase Penry (Slot)
— With the season-ending injury to Latrell Caples, Boise State moved 6th-year receiver Stefan Cobbs to the slot. Expect Cobbs to lead Boise State in catches this season. Elsewhere, the Broncos will have known deep-ball threats in Bowens and McAlister on the outside. At backup, I think Whiting and Bolt will both compete for playing time while Strachan and Penry, the Colorado transfer, will see a good amount of action.
Boise State’s Eric McAlister makes a touchdown catch against Utah State last season at Albertsons Stadium. (Photo by Tyler McFarland/Boise State Athletics)
TIGHT END:
Starter: Riley Smith
Backup: Matt Lauter
— This one was easy. Coming back for his 6th season, Smith is a team captain who has proved himself as a steady performer. Lauter came on the scene towards the end of last season, after the position group thinned out with injuries. At times, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos had sets with both tight ends on the field. Redshirt freshman Austin Terry could also see some snaps.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
Starters: Kage Casey (LT), Ben Dooley (LG), Garrett Curran (C), Roger Carreon (RG), Cade Beresford (RT)
Backups: Ethan Carde (LT), Jason Steele (LG), Nathan Cardona (C), Garrett Curran (RG), Rick Moore (LT)
— Curran was taking first-team reps at center during practice a few weeks ago, making us believe that he will start there against Washington. Why no Mason Randolph on this list? There are things we can and can’t report, but you can probably figure it out. Carreon started one game for the Broncos last year, but the redshirt freshman has stepped up during fall camp. As far as backups, a lot of things could change if an injury occurred. A number of Boise State’s offensive linemen are versatile enough to play multiple spots (i.e. Curran), so the Broncos could maneuver positions a bit in order to get the best five guys on the field.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE:
Starters: Herbert Gums (NT), Michael Callahan (DT)
Backups: Sheldon Newton/Braxton Fely (NT), Max Stege/Howard Brown (DT)
— Gums, who started almost every game last season at nose tackle, and Callahan, a redshirt senior, solidified their starting spots over fall camp. Behind them, expect the other four guys to rotate in during the game. Fely and Brown have the most position flexibility and could see time at both positions.
EDGE:
Starters: Demitri Washington (STUD), Ahmed Hassanein (DE)
Backups: Cortez Hogans (STUD), Tyler Wegis (DE)
— After missing most of the back half of his 2022 season, Washington returned for his final collegiate season, looking to stay healthy for four months. Hassanein, meanwhile, lost 20 pounds over the offseason and transitioned from defensive tackle to defensive end. Backing them up are Hogans, another 6th-year player who battled injured and played sparingly last year, and Wegis, a transfer from Utah.
LINEBACKER:
Starters: DJ Schramm (MLB), Andrew Simpson (WLB)
Backups: Marco Notarainni (MLB), Dishawn Misa (WLB)
Boise State linebacker DJ Schramm waits for a snap against San Diego State on Sept. 30th, 2022. (Photo by John Kelly/Boise State Athletics)
— Schramm, the Broncos’ leading tackler last season, returns with a new man by his side. Filling in for the graduated Ezekiel Noa is Simpson, who found time in every game last season and even recorded three sacks. Behind them, Notarainni has gained a lot of praise recently from coaches and Misa, the former highly-touted recruit, has grown tremendously over the last month.
CORNERBACK:
Starters: Markel Reed, Jaylen Clark, Kaonohi Kaniho
Backups: Dionte Thornton, A’Marion McCoy
— Reed, who suffered a season-ending injury in the season-opener at Oregon State last season, is back healthy this season. Playing opposite him will be Clark, the lengthy 6-foot-2 corner, who had some nice moments but a number of miscues last year. I’d expect Kaniho to see the field on any packages where the Broncos play three CBs and can fill in on the outside if needed. Behind them are McCoy, the junior college transfer, and the redshirt freshman Thornton.
NICKEL
Starter: Seyi Oladipo
Backup: Titus Toler
— Oladipo was supposed to be the starting nickel last season before the coaches decided to move Ty Jones down. But Oladpio should get the start while Toler, a transfer from Wisconsin, comes in for a dozen or so snaps a game.
Boise State’s Seyi Oladipo returns an interception against UTEP during a game in 2021 at Albertsons Stadium. (Photo from Boise State
SAFETY
Starters: Rodney Robinson (Field-side), Alexander Teubner (Boundary)
Backups: Seyi Oladipo (Field-side), Zion Washington (Boundary)
— After starting every game last season, racking up 48 tackles and 3 picks, Robinson is back at field-side safety for the Broncos. Instead of JL Skinner beside him, it’ll be redshirt senior Alexander Teubner, a former walk-on who has worked himself into a leader of the defense. If one of those guys goes down, I’d expect Oladipo to move back from nickel. Washington and Bryce Cleave could also see time.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Starters: Jonah Dalmas (kicker), James Ferguson-Reynolds (punter)
— No suspense or surprise here with both Dalmas and Ferguson-Reynolds returning starters from last season. There’s some intrigue at returner, but expect Holani, Jeanty and Cobbs to be heavily involved.
