Boise State loses quarterback to transfer portal; softball team hires former All-American
A seat just opened up in Boise State’s quarterback room.
Quarterback Cade Fennegan has decided to transfer, Boise State confirmed Tuesday afternoon. He would have been a redshirt freshman this year after seeing playing time in three games last season and completing 15-of-28 passes for 182 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Fennegan saw the bulk of his playing time during last season’s home loss to BYU. With starter Hank Bachmeier out with COVID-19 and USC transfer Jack Sears exiting the game with an apparent head injury during the Broncos’ first offensive series, Fennegan played the majority of the game and went 15-of-26 for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
The native of Dallas, Texas, signed with the Broncos in February 2020 after he spent two years on a church mission in Argentina. He had a prolific three-year career at Woodrow Wilson High, passing for 6,454 yards and 94 touchdowns and adding 796 yards and 18 more scores on the ground.
He is the seventh player to transfer out of Boise State since the 2020 season ended. He follows defensive end Robert Cooper — who ended up at Eastern Washington — cornerbacks Amari Williams, Marques Evans and Donovan Clark, offensive lineman Brandon Hernandez, wide receiver Khyheem Waleed, who landed at Arkansas State, and tight end Mason Sikes, who is now at Western Illinois.
Bachmeier and Sears are competing to start for the Broncos this fall. It would be Bachmeier’s third year as the starter, but Sears impressed in his only start last fall — racking up 280 passing yards and four total touchdowns in a win at Air Force.
Former Timberline High quarterback Andy Peters is still on the roster after walking on last year, and Boise State signed 6-foot-5 dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green as part of its 2021 recruiting class. Green enrolled early, arrived in January and went through spring ball with the team.
Boise State also picked up a verbal commitment last week from 2022 quarterback Maddux Madsen, who is similar to Fennegan in stature and athletic ability and has also put up prolific numbers in high school with more than 80 touchdown passes the past two seasons at American Fork in Utah.
Academic All-Americans
Boise State defensive back Kekaula Kaniho and linebacker Riley Whimpey were named 2020-21 First-Team Academic All-Americans on Monday.
It is the first time Boise State has had two players earn First-Team Academic All-American honors in the same sport in the same year.
Kaniho (3.96 GPA, health science) was a second-team Academic All-American in 2019, and he was named the FBS Senior CLASS Award winner last year. Whimpey (3.82 GPA, business) earned his first academic accolade. Alabama and Coastal Carolina were the only other teams with two first-team recipients this year.
Kaniho also led the Broncos with seven pass breakups last season, while Whimpey paced the team with 61 tackles last fall and 83 in 2019.
Softball: Broncos add assistant coach
Former All-American and Team USA member Allie Walljasper has been named an assistant softball coach at Boise State, newly hired head coach Justin Shults announced Monday.
A four-year pitcher at LSU, Walljasper spent a year as a student assistant with the Tigers and the last two seasons as an assistant coach at North Dakota State. She’ll work with the Broncos’ pitchers after a college career that included a 64-24 record, 22 shutouts, seven saves and a 1.56 ERA.
“Allie is a huge addition to our staff and brings an enormous amount of elite experience,” Shults said Monday in a news release. “She pitched at the highest level and is a proven winner. I can’t wait to see what she can do for our pitching staff.”
