He grew up a Boise State fan. Now this former Fruitland High star is on scholarship.
Former Fruitland High star Tyler Eiguren’s goal was always to play college football, and his dream was to play for Boise State.
Eiguren has been living that dream for more than two years now after joining the team as a walk-on tight end, but his family doesn’t have to worry about paying tuition anymore thanks to his blue-collar mentality.
Eiguren, a redshirt sophomore, was awarded a scholarship on Saturday after the team hiked Table Rock in Boise, which has become a tradition at the end of fall camp.
“A lot of hard work has finally paid off,” Eiguren told reporters on Monday. “Less important to me was the scholarship. The concept behind the scholarship — the coaches believing in me and all that — is more what I was worried about.”
On top of Table Rock, the team gathered around nickel Kekaula Kaniho and wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who gave a short motivational speech before asking Eiguren to pull his phone out and read a text message out loud to the team.
“Good morning, Tyler,” the text read. “Your team wants you to know they appreciate your ability to compete every day and the impact you are having. You have earned yourself a scholarship.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Eiguren’s teammates mobbed him in celebration.
“I kind of blacked out a little bit,” he said. “It was a pretty cool moment.”
Eiguren’s parents only live about an hour from Boise in Fruitland, and the players had the rest of Sunday off, so he drove home to deliver the good news in person.
“My mom screamed,” he said. “My dad gave me a hug me and said: ‘This is what you get for keeping your head down and just getting it done.’ My brothers freaked out. It was super fun.”
Blue collar lifestyle
Eiguren has been putting his head down and getting things done most of his life. His family lived on a ranch in Jordan Valley, Oregon, until he was seven, when they moved to Fruitland.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end grew up digging post holes for fences and clearing fields of heavy rocks. He made a little extra money last summer by going home to Fruitland and helping his father ride horses.
“Physical labor is kind of how I was raised,” Eiguren said. “It taught me how to work hard and not worry about the little things, but just get the job done.”
Wearing his cowboy hat, boots and spurs, Eiguren looks the part of a blue-collar worker, Boise State tight ends coach Kent Riddle said, adding that his work ethic shows up on the field.
“We talk about blue collar all the time around here, and it’s awesome to see a guy like that rewarded,” Riddle said.
Fruitland forever
Spending his middle and high school years in Fruitland, Eiguren grew up a huge Boise State fan. His family has had season tickets for years.
He remembers watching the Broncos beat Oregon in Albertsons Stadium in 2009, and rooting for former Boise State wide receivers Titus Young, Austin Pettis and Matt Miller, who is now the Broncos’ wide receivers coach.
Riddle said there’s just a different level of dedication from players who join the team after growing up in small towns around Idaho, dreaming of suiting up for Boise State.
“They’re so bought in when they get here,” Riddle said. “There’s a commitment from them when they get here where it’s like, ‘I’m going to make this work. I’ve seen other guys like me do it,’ and that’s probably the coolest thing about it.”
Eiguren is the latest in a long line of talented players the Broncos have plucked out of Fruitland. He follows linebacker Joe Martarano, who started seven games for the Broncos between 2014 and 2016, and Alec Dhaenens, who started 24 games at tight end in 2016 and 2017.
The player from Fruitland who most recently made an impact at Boise State was center Garrett Larson, who started 34 games between 2017 and 2019.
Eiguren is the only player from Fruitland currently on the roster, but players from the small town near the Oregon border have made such an impression at Boise State that former head coach Bryan Harsin’s mantra about recruiting in Idaho was “Fruitland Forever.”
“A lot of guys get caught up in this and that and who’s talking and what they’re saying, but coming from a small town, you don’t worry about that,” Eiguren said. “You learn how to dial in to whatever matters.”
Will he play?
Eiguren is part of a tight end group that is led this year by former quarterback Riley Smith. He’s the favorite to replace John Bates, who was picked in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft by Washington.
Boise State also added 6-7 Nebraska transfer Kurt Rafdal this offseason, and former Borah High star Austin Bolt and redshirt junior Tyneil Hopper are both itching to get on the field.
After redshirting in 2019, Eiguren appeared in five games last season and made his collegiate debut in a win at Air Force. He may not trot onto the field with the starters in the season opener Sept. 2 at UCF (5 p.m. MT, ESPN), but Riddle said not to count him out when it comes to playing time.
“You’ll see him out there,” Riddle said. “One thing he definitely brings is a physical presence. He’s always been a tough guy and a bigger guy, but he’s doing a great job in the pass game.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 3:14 PM.
