Want more info about Boise State football injuries? Maybe next year.

At his press conference the Monday before the Boise State football team’s marquee game at Oklahoma State, coach Bryan Harsin told the media the Broncos “should be at full strength.”

On game day, that was far from reality.

Starting cornerback Tyler Horton — arguably the team’s best defensive player — didn’t make the trip because of an injury sustained in the previous game. Wide receiver Octavius Evans — expected to be the team’s top receiver going into the season — barely played. Defensive tackle David Moa — the cornerstone of the defensive line — played a few series.

This has become expected for those of us who cover college football. Coaches don’t want to share injury information, primarily to keep their opponents in the dark, so even the information they do provide can be sketchy.

That could change next year, as the rising visibility and expanded legality of gambling has college administrators considering a national injury report. Distributing the information in a consistent, upfront manner would eliminate the competitive advantages and, more importantly, remove one of the sport’s biggest vulnerabilities to corruption. Accurate injury information leaked to gamblers would be invaluable.

Fifty-three percent of schools would favor a uniform injury report for college sports, according to a survey conducted by the LEAD1 Association, which represents athletic directors at all Football Bowl Subdivision schools. About 100 members participated in the survey.

Among the reasons for support: “Limiting the black market,” “preventing unnecessary questioning,” “protecting the integrity of college sports” and “mitigating risk to student-athletes.”

Another 23 percent of schools said they would be open to the injury report idea — leaving just 24 percent of schools opposed to the concept.

“The general feeling in college sports is a uniform injury report is probably coming as early as the 2019 college football season,” Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com wrote last month. The Big Ten proposed a weekly national injury reporting mandate to the NCAA in June, CBSSports.com reported.

Any college injury report likely would use the NFL system as a guideline but probably wouldn’t be as extensive. Three days a week, NFL teams must report who didn’t practice, was limited in practice or was a full participant after an injury. A day or two before the next game, they must list players who are questionable, doubtful or out.

Harsin, who hasn’t provided updates this week on the availability of Horton or standout STUD end Jabril Frazier, said he’d “rather not” go to required injury reporting.

Players listed on the injury report would be hassled by friends and fans about their status, he said. He also wants to make sure that any system ensures that players’ families get information first.

“The one that bothers me, especially now, is how much attention is brought to a player when you tell people he’s injured,” Harsin said. “Everybody can reach the players through social media. When a guy needs to be most focused on his recovery, that’s when he’s getting the most attention for the injury that he has. I think that’s unfair.”

Of course, most injuries aren’t a secret anyway — Horton and Frazier were obviously injured during games this year, and Evans and Moa were severely limited during fall camp. Anyone with that level of interest in their health knew they were injured without the school acknowledging the fact.

The secret is in how that injury affects a player’s status for the game, and the school distributing that information would leave people with less reason to ask the players. Or worse, to offer them something for that information.

This story was originally published October 3, 2018 at 4:02 PM.