After departures, where will Boise State turn for depth at linebacker behind Whimpey, Noa?
Boise State linebacker Riley Whimpey was prepared to hang up his cleats last year in what was supposed to be the final season of his college football career, but COVID-19 changed that.
Whimpey is one of eight super seniors who took the NCAA up on its offer of an extra year of eligibility, and he’s not shy about setting lofty goals for the Broncos. This season, those include winning another league title and making it back to a New Year’s Six bowl game for the first time since 2014. He’s not really into personal goals.
“For me individually, I could care less, to be honest,” Whimpey said. “I want it to be for the betterment of the team. I want to be able to win a Mountain West championship. I want to be able to go to a New Year’s Six bowl game and celebrate with my teammates.”
Whimpey — a fifth-year senior — has been there and done that when it comes to conference titles. Boise State has played in the Mountain West championship game every year since he joined the team as a three-star prospect in 2017, and he helped the Broncos win titles in 2017 and 2019.
Another shot at a conference title and a bowl game aren’t all that convinced Whimpey to come back for another year, though. He also couldn’t pass up the chance to once again play for the coach who recruited him out of San Clemente High in California — Boise State head coach Andy Avalos.
Avalos was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator during the first two years of Whimpey’s college career before he left in 2018 to assume the same role at Oregon. Avalos was also a linebacker at Boise State from 2001 to 2004, and he was hired as the head coach at his alma mater in January.
“He was a huge reason why I decided to come to Boise State in the first place,” Whimpey said. “He’s done a great job of forming relationships and guys really do want to work hard because we love him and want to succeed for him.”
Whimpey (6-foot-1, 231 pounds) has found success on and off the field. On it, the veteran of 33 career starts led the Broncos with 83 tackles in 2019 and 61 last season, earning second-team All-Mountain West honors both years. Off the field, he’s a four-time academic all-conference pick, and he was one of five Broncos named to the Division I CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 Team in June.
“To look back and see how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come is huge,” said Whimpey, a business administration major, who has a 3.82 GPA and plans to attend dental school after graduating.
Whimpey, who has primarily lined up on the weak side, will be playing alongside another veteran this season in middle linebacker Ezekiel Noa (5-11, 240). Noa, a redshirt senior, appeared in just four games in 2019 before suffering season-ending injuries, but he bounced back last season, starting all seven games and finishing third on the team with 40 tackles.
Whimpey and Noa were expecting to have some help from N.C. State transfer Brock Miller, but Boise State announced last week that he and former Oregon pass rusher Andrew Faoliu left the team for personal reasons.
Their absence leaves the Broncos a little thinner at the position than was expected, but it also opens the door for young linebackers to get some snaps. Here are a few to keep an eye on:
Middle linebacker
DJ Schramm, R-Jr., 6-0, 231 — A native of Fresno, California, Schramm has appeared in 14 games the past two seasons, mostly on special teams. He scored his first career touchdown last season after former Bronco Avery Williams blocked a punt that Schramm returned 20 yards for a score against Colorado State. Schramm was ranked the No. 10 linebacker in California by 247Sports when he joined the Broncos in 2018.
Rejhan Tatum, Fr., 6-0 225 — 247Sports ranked Tatum the No. 17 overall 2021 recruit in Oklahoma, and he passed on scholarship offers from Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to join the Broncos. In 2019, he led Del City High with 151 tackles, and added four sacks and three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Boise State also signed middle linebacker Jai Jones in its 2021 class, and Whimpey mentioned how impressed he’s been with former Rocky Mountain linebacker Ty Tanner, who joined the team this summer as a walk-on.
Weakside linebacker
Brandon Hawkins, R-Jr., 6-2, 220 — Hawkins is in his fourth season with the program. He appeared in 14 games the past two years, mostly on special teams, and recorded the first sack of his career in 2019 against Portland State. Coming out of Georgetown High in Texas, he was rated as one of the top 50 linebackers in the country by ESPN after racking up 125 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and four sacks as a senior.
Andrew Simpson, Fr., 6-0, 218 — Simpson was a late addition to Boise State’s 2021 class. The Broncos signed him in April out of St. John Bosco High in California — the same school that produced Boise State running back George Holani and former quarterback commit Katin Houser, who flipped to Michigan State.
Simpson originally signed with Kansas last December, but he was released from his letter of intent. This spring, he led Bosco with 35 tackles and added one sack and three pass breakups in a season that was shortened to six games because of COVID-19. Whimpey mentioned last week how impressed he was with how quickly Simpson has absorbed the Broncos’ defensive playbook.
