Boise State STUD Isaiah Bagnah is competing to become Broncos’ next elite edge player
Boise State STUD Isaiah Bagnah was drawn to the blue turf in Albertsons Stadium long before he ever got a scholarship offer from the Broncos.
Bagnah said Boise State was his go-to team when playing NCAA Football on his Xbox because of the uniquely colored turf.
These days, the 6-foot-4, 236-pound redshirt sophomore is not only playing on The Blue, but he has a chance to fill one of the most unique positions on the defense.
STUD (Stand-up Defensive End) is a position that was once manned by some of the most talented pass rushers in program history, including Curtis Weaver and Jabril Frazier, who is now a graduate assistant for the Broncos. Weaver ranks No. 2 in program history with 34 career sacks, and he signed with the Cleveland Browns last year.
“It is exciting. You work hard and you love to see the results of it,” Bagnah told reporters on Friday. “All I can do now is keep putting my head down and going to work.”
Bagnah joined the Broncos’ talent-laden 2019 recruiting class, which included quarterback Hank Bachmeier, running back George Holani, safety JL Skinner and fellow STUD Casey Kline.
The native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, didn’t see the field as a true freshman, but his snaps increased late last season and he quickly became one of the most disruptive pass rushers on the team.
He racked up the first two sacks of his college career in the regular-season finale at Wyoming and posted five tackles and a sack the following week in the Mountain West championship game against San Jose State. His three sacks ranked No. 2 on the team last fall behind junior college transfer Shane Irwin, who racked up six.
“Last year being thrown in, I got a lot of valuable experience,” Bagnah said. “Now it’s put me in a position to be a leader in the STUD room and use that experience.”
Most people around the program expected Demitri Washington to step in for Weaver last season, but with sixth-year senior Sam Whitney also at the position, he played more as a traditional defensive end in the first two games of the season before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Air Force.
Washington is still rehabbing this spring, and co-defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson told the Statesman in March that he may end up playing STUD and defensive end this year, but that won’t be decided until he’s back on the field in fall camp.
“We are going to move him around, and he’s going to be an elite edge player for us,” Danielson said.
Kline, who joined the program as a four-star recruit, is in the running to earn some more playing time this offseason, as is former Timberline standout Dylan Herberg and redshirt freshman Gabe Hunter.
The coaches are going to give them all a long hard look this spring, but Bagnah’s length and athleticism has new edge coach Stacy Collins excited.
“He certainly has that length and twitch that you’re looking for to continue to develop into an elite pass rusher,” Collins told the Statesman in March. “Isaiah getting a handful of games under his belt last year is only going to make him better down the road.”
Bagnah understands the opportunity in front of him with Washington out this spring and Whitney opting not to join the eight seniors who returned for the extra season offered by the NCAA because of COVID-19.
He also knows he has a valuable resource at his disposal in Frazier, who worked with Bagnah in individual drills to improve his stance and ability to explode out of it.
Frazier was a two-time All-Mountain West pick at Boise State from 2015 to 2018, and he finished his college career with 18 sacks.
“When Jabril came back, we worked on all the little things that I would have missed otherwise,” Bagnah said. “Ever since, he’s always in my ear pushing me to get better.”
Here’s a look at Boise State’s depth chart at STUD heading into the spring game, which is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.
STUD depth chart
The starters
Demitri Washington, R-So., 6-3, 260 — Washington was a standout on both sides of the ball at Santa Fe Christian in California before joining the Broncos’ 2018 class as a three-star recruit. He passed on scholarship offers from a handful of Pac-12 schools, and he may be the most versatile player on Boise State’s defensive front. In 18 career appearances, he has 4.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
OR
Isaiah Bagnah, R-Fr., 6-4, 240 — Bagnah was named first-team All-Canada in his final two seasons at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, and he was a standout on the basketball and track & field teams. He joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2019 and recorded the first two sacks of his career last fall in the regular-season finale at Wyoming. In seven career appearances, he has three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.
“We always talk about winning on the edges,” Danielson said. “When we’re really good on defense, we’ve had elite edge players.”
Next in line
Casey Kline, R-Fr., 6-4, 230 — Kline joined the Broncos in 2019 as a four-star prospect. He was ranked as the No. 19 outside linebacker in the country by ESPN and No. 20 by 247Sports after posting 68 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and six sacks as a senior at Brawley High in California. He also played quarterback as a junior and senior, posting a combined 17 touchdowns: six passing, nine rushing and two receiving. He appeared in four games last season and finished with one tackle.
Players to watch
Gabe Hunter, R-Fr., 6-3, 226 — Hunter joined the program as a walk-on in 2020. He was a 220-pound defensive lineman and linebacker at Hendrickson High in Texas and he wasn’t rated by many of the national recruiting services, but he also had scholarship offers from Air Force and a handful of Ivy League programs.
Dylan Herberg, R-Jr., 6-2, 232 — A former 5A All-State pick from Timberline High, Herberg racked up 105 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and five interceptions. He joined the program as a walk-on in 2018 and has appeared in 19 games the past two seasons, mostly on special teams, but he did record his first career sack in 2019 against New Mexico.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
