Boise State depth chart: Who will start at right tackle when Broncos open season at UCF?
After Boise State finished last in the Mountain West with 107.1 rushing yards a game last season, the offensive line went back to square one this year.
“We didn’t get it done. It’s simple,” center Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez said. “Last season, I didn’t have the season I wanted to. I can make a bunch of excuses, but that’s not the person I am. Regardless of what was going on, that wasn’t where I wanted to be, and that’s the same for a lot of other guys on the team.”
The linemen weren’t alone in trying to learn new offensive coordinator Tim Plough’s scheme this year. But Holomalia-Gonzalez said the big men also had to revert back to square one in terms of the first thing they learned when becoming offensive linemen: It’s a group effort.
“It’s more of a mentality because we know we have the guys on the field,” Holomalia-Gonzalez said. “We just need to put it all together and know that the person to your right and left is going to have your back and truly believe that, not just say it.”
Unlike last fall when the Broncos were breaking in four new starters, there is no lack of experience on the offensive line this year. Four starters are back, and Boise State’s two-deep is likely to include a sixth-year senior, another in his fifth year with the program and two transfers with plenty of experience.
“We have a strong group, and these guys see the game through a different lens than most people,” Boise State offensive line coach Tim Keane said. “They’ve been through it. They’ve been through the struggle and the wars. They’re smarter because of it, and I can’t wait to see that pay off.”
Back for his fourth season as a starter and second since replacing Minnesota Vikings lineman Ezra Cleveland at left tackle, redshirt senior John Ojukwu has grown from a soft-spoken freshman to a leader in the trenches.
“That dude is a full-course meal, and you gotta be ready every single day when you go against him,” Boise State edge Demitri Washington said. “He’s a workhorse, and nobody loves this team more than John.”
Garrett Curran started at left guard last year, but he has some competition this fall. Dallas Holliday — a 318-pound redshirt junior — is in his fourth season with the program, and sixth-year senior Donte Harrington has played guard and center during his career.
The Broncos also added 6-foot-5, 322-pound Texas Tech transfer Will Farrar this fall, and he’s made an instant impact at guard.
“It’s very obvious that he’s going to help us in a lot of ways,” said Boise State coach Andy Avalos, adding Farrar isn’t limited to playing guard. “He’s a swing man. He has the ability to retain information and play those different positions.”
Harrington and Holomalia-Gonzalez are competing to start at center again this season, but Holomalia-Gonzalez has worked with the starters more in practice.
Redshirt senior Jake Stetz is back at right guard for what is likely the final season of his college career. He’s one of eight super seniors, who took the NCAA up on its offer of extra eligibility, and he already got some NFL Draft buzz from former Boise State offensive line coach Brad Bedell.
Stetz isn’t thinking about the NFL, though. He’s focused on how the Broncos’ streak of 11 straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher was snapped last season, which was shortened to seven games because of COVID-19.
“I think everybody on the O-line has that on the back of their mind,” he told reporters on Monday. “That’s just not our standard, and we’re pushing hard to raise that back up and get back to where we want to be.”
The position on the line most up for grabs this fall is right tackle, where former Bronco Nick Crabtree and Rice transfer Uzo Osuji split time last fall. Crabtree opted not to join Boise State’s super seniors in returning, which leaves Osuji to compete for the job again this season.
His top competition is redshirt sophomore Ben Dooley, who saw limited action on the offensive line last season and played defensive line in a home game against Colorado State because the team was struggling to dress enough linemen to fill the Mountain West’s roster minimums.
Dooley has been earning praise from the coaching staff since spring ball, and his teammates have taken notice.
“He’s a really good run blocker,” Osuji said. “He’s powerful and he’s strong. He’s been learning the offense, and he’s been very dialed in this fall. He’s been working for it, and he deserves everything that’s coming for him.”
Projected depth chart
Boise State’s offensive line returns four starters from last season, and this year’s group includes a pair of graduate students and two experienced transfers, one of which came from a Power Five program. Here’s who I think will get the start in the trenches when the Broncos take the field Sept. 2 for the season opener at UCF.
Left tackle
Starter: John Ojukwu, R-Sr., 6-6, 303 — A four-year starter, Ojukwu may be the next in a long line of star left tackles at Boise State. Last season, he replaced Ezra Cleveland, who the Vikings picked in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Ojukwu is a veteran of 25 starts, and he has the frame and long arms that pro scouts love to see in a left tackle.
Key reserves: Uzo Osuji
Left guard
Starter: Garrett Curran, R-Jr., 6-5, 305 — Curran was a mauler in the run game at times last season while starting all seven games at left guard and earning honorable mention All-Mountain West honors. After joining the team as a three-star recruit in 2018, he appeared in all 14 games in 2019 and made his first collegiate start at right tackle that year against Portland State.
Key reserves: Donte Harrington, Nathan Cardona
Center
Starter: Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez, R-Jr., 6-2, 300 — The former two-star recruit started six games at center last season, and two the year before. He made his first career start in 2019 against Portland State.
Key reserves: Donte Harrington
Right guard
Starter: Jake Stetz, R-Sr., 6-2, 311 — Perhaps the unit’s best run blocker, Stetz has started 11 games the past two seasons, including all seven last year. He was a second-team All-Mountain West pick last fall, and he was named preseason all-conference this year by Mountain West media members, Pro Football Focus and Athlon.
Key reserves: Will Farrar, Dallas Holliday
Right tackle
Starter: Ben Dooley, R-So., 6-5, 305 — Dooley redshirted in 2019. He appeared in three games last season, including one on the defensive line. He was rated as the No. 11 overall prospect in Nevada by ESPN and No. 12 by 247Sports coming out of Churchill County High.
Key reserves: Uzo Osuji, Jacob Golden
