Offseason tracker: Boise State loses safety to portal; 7 Broncos declared for NFL Draft
The Boise State football team’s roster is going to look a lot different when the Broncos open the 2022 season at Oregon State.
Some players will leave to begin careers in the NFL. Some will transfer, and others will be forced to seek opportunities elsewhere as the team tries to get under the NCAA’s limit of 85 scholarship payers, which has been reimposed for the 2022 season after it was lifted this year. The Broncos carried more than 90 scholarship players this year.
Complicating matters is the extra year of eligibility the NCAA offered all players who were on the 2020 roster because of the impact COVID-19 had on last season. Boise State’s season was initially reduced to eight games, and two were canceled during the season.
Boise State carried seven so-called super seniors this season, and another group will return next year. The question is how many?
Several players have already announced their intentions, and more will follow in the coming weeks. Check back frequently as this story will be updated with each announcement.
Seniors coming back in 2022
DL Divine Obichere — Obichere announced on Wednesday (Jan. 12) that he’ll be back as a fifth-year senior. He joined the program in the summer of 2020 after transferring from Long Beach City College, and he was thrust into action because of injuries and absences related to COVID-19. The 306-pound defensive tackle finished his first season as a Bronco with 18 tackles and two sacks. He appeared in nine games in 2021 and posted 16 tackles and one sack.
S Tyreque Jones — Jones announced on Christmas that he plans to return for a sixth season. Boise State has not announced which players will return as super seniors in 2022, but it’s hard to imagine he won’t be among them. He redshirted in 2017 and has started 26 games the past four seasons, including all 12 contests this season. He finished this season No. 4 on the team with a career-high 53 tackles and tied for No. 2 with two interceptions.
Moving on to the NFL Draft
WR CT Thomas — Thomas became the seventh Boise State player to declare for the NFL Draft on Jan. 7. He left the team for undisclosed reasons in October, but the native of Lancaster, Texas, finished his career with 127 catches for 1,610 yards and 10 touchdowns. Thomas finished second on the team in the seven-game 2020 season with 20 catches for 347 yards, and scored two touchdowns. He also scored a rushing TD in in 2019 and threw a touchdown pass in 2020.
WR Khalil Shakir — Shakir made the announcement Boise State fans have been dreading, but expecting, on Jan. 3. He not only declared for the NFL Draft but announced he has hired an agent: Steinberg Sports. Shakir is a three-time All-Mountain West pick who earned first-team honors the past two seasons. He led the Broncos with 77 catches for 1,117 yards and seven receiving touchdowns this season. His 208 career receptions and 2,878 receiving yards both rank No. 5 in Boise State history. He’s tied for No. 9 with 20 touchdown catches.
The senior played as a true freshman, so he still had both a redshirt year and the COVID-19 year at his disposal, but the allure of the NFL Draft was too much for him to resist. Shakir said in November that he was 99.9% sure this was his final season of college football. He is the sixth Boise State player to declare for the draft.
WR Octavius Evans — Evans declared for the draft on Thursday. He was lumped in with the Broncos’ super seniors, but the fifth-year senior still had the COVID year at his disposal. He set career highs in receptions (34) and receiving yards (409) this fall, and matched the two receiving touchdowns he caught during his true freshman campaign in 2017.
OL Jake Stetz — A fifth-year senior, Stetz joined the Broncos as a walk-on in 2017. He started 21 games since 2019 and was a second-team All-Mountain West pick the past two seasons. On Wednesday, he confirmed that he plans to enter the 2022 NFL Draft. Stetz started at three different positions this year. After opening the season at right guard, he moved to left guard to replace injured teammate Garrett Curran and took over at center after Will Farrar was injured. Stetz suffered an injury in Boise State’s 37-0 win over New Mexico and missed the regular-season finale at San Diego State.
LS Daniel Cantrell — Cantrell announced Wednesday on Instagram that he’ll test the NFL waters instead of returning next season. The fifth-year senior has been Boise State’s primary long snapper since 2018. He joined the program in 2017 and didn’t see any action that year, but he was named the Broncos’ Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year.
RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio — Habibi-Likio joined the Broncos after spending four years at Oregon, including a redshirt year in 2017. He has the COVID-19 year available, but he caught many off-guard on Christmas Eve when he became the first Bronco to officially declare for the NFL Draft. Primarily used as a short-yardage back at Oregon, Habibi-Likio came to Boise State with 21 career rushing touchdowns. He finished this season No. 2 at Boise State with 374 yards and had two rushing TDs. He also caught 23 passes for 213 yards.
DB Kekaula Kaniho — Kaniho joined Habibi-Likio and threw his name in the hat for the 2022 NFL Draft on Christmas Eve. A five-year starter at Boise State, Kaniho appeared in a program-record 60 games and started 46 since his true freshman year in 2017. He finished his college career with 217 tackles, six interceptions and five sacks. He also scored four touchdowns: one on an interception in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl, two on fumble returns and one on a blocked field goal attempt last season against Colorado State. He finished this season fifth on the team with 52 tackles.
Transfers
QB Jack Sears — Sears put his name in the transfer portal on Dec. 1. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Sears joined the Broncos in 2020 after three seasons at USC. He started just one game for the Broncos. Playing in place of starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier, Sears racked up 280 passing yards and four touchdowns in a win at Air Force last season. He appeared in four games this season, throwing just six passes.
RB Andrew Van Buren — Van Buren announced on Dec. 16 that he’ll spend his final season of eligibility elsewhere. He rushed for 1,027 yards and 21 touchdowns in four seasons with the Broncos. With starting running back George Holani injured, Van Buren helped carry the load for the Broncos in 2020 and led the Mountain West with eight rushing touchdowns. He added nine more rushing scores this year, most of which were scored from inside the opponent’s 10-yard line.
WR Maclaine Griffin — Griffin hit the transfer portal on Wednesday. The redshirt junior joined the Broncos as a walk-on in 2018 and he leaves with one year of eligibility remaining. Griffin mainly contributed on special teams during his career, but he made one start at wide receiver last season and caught two passes for 12 yards. He appeared in nine games this season and recorded three tackles but no offensive statistics. Griffin played quarterback and wide receiver at Chaminade Prep in California and led the team to a Mission League championship in 2017. Griffin visited Portland State on Jan. 30.
WR Matt Greenwald — Greenwald joined Griffin in the transfer portal, and he announced Thursday (Jan. 6) that he will enroll at Colorado State. He took a grayshirt year in 2019 and joined the Broncos as a walk-on in January 2020. The redshirt freshman did not appear in any games during two seasons at Boise State, and he confirmed Wednesday afternoon that he plans to enroll at another school by January. As a senior at Fairview High in Colorado, he caught 60 passes for 1,181 yards and 12 touchdowns.
S Semaj Verner — Verner announced Jan. 25 that he was transferring with four years of eligibility remaining. The native of Lakewood, California, joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2020 and redshirted after not appearing in any games that year. He appeared in one game last season, but didn’t record any statistics. Verner was rated No. 44 nationally at his position by ESPN and No. 60 by 247Sports in high school.
Eligible seniors not returning
OL Donte Harrington — Harrington announced Monday night on Twitter that his playing career is over. He was initially lumped in with the Broncos’ super seniors, but he was actually taking advantage of a medical redshirt year after he missed the 2019 season with a knee injury. He still has the COVID year available, and if he did return, he would have been a rare seventh-year senior next season. Harrington played both guard and center during his career. He started five games at center this season, including the finale at San Diego State.
Seniors eligible to return
OL John Ojukwu — Ojukwu has started 37 games since 2018. He moved from right tackle to left last season, and he’s the only member of the Broncos’ offensive line who started every game in the same position in 2021. Ojukwu redshirted in 2017 and still has the COVID-19 year available.
CB Caleb Biggers — Biggers joined the team this year after transferring from Bowling Green, and he took over as a starter after fellow cornerback Markel Reed went down with a season-ending injury in the Broncos’ win at BYU on Oct. 9. Biggers appeared in every game and posted 34 tackles and five pass breakups. He said in November that he plans to return next season if given the opportunity.
OL Will Farrar — Farrar joined the Broncos after four years at Texas Tech, but he redshirted in 2017. This would have traditionally been the last year of his college career, but he still has the COVID year available. He played guard in the Broncos’ first four games of the season and replaced Harrington at center following Boise State’s loss to Nevada. Farrar was injured before the Broncos’ win at Colorado State and missed the rest of the season.
DL Shane Irwin — Irwin began his college career at San Diego State in 2017 before redshirting the following year and spending the 2019 season at Long Beach City College. He has the COVID-19 year available and said earlier this month that he wants to return if given the option. He led the Broncos with 6.5 sacks last season and finished the 2021 campaign with 35 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks.
WR Davis Koetter — Koetter, the son of former Boise State coach Dirk Koetter, joined the Broncos after three seasons at Portland State, including a redshirt year in 2017. After not playing in 2020 because Portland State’s season was canceled by COVID-19, he finished this season with 14 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. Koetter said earlier this month that he wants to return next season.
LB Ezekiel Noa — Noa has started 26 games since joining the program in 2017. He started the first four games of the 2018 season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The redshirt senior started all 12 of the Broncos’ games in 2021 and ranked No. 3 on the team with 66 tackles. He added 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
CB Damon Cole — A former wide receiver, Cole moved to cornerback in 2019. The fifth-year senior appeared in the Broncos’ first six games of this season but was injured in their win at BYU on Oct. 9 and didn’t play again. He joined the team as a three-star recruit in 2017 but didn’t see any action that year.
TE Kurt Rafdal — Rafdal joined the Broncos after he spent four years at Nebraska, including a redshirt year in 2017. He appeared in all 12 of Boise State’s games this season and finished with eight catches for 95 yards, including the first touchdown catch of his career. Rafdal said earlier this month that he hopes to return next season.
Draft-eligible underclassmen
S JL Skinner — Skinner made Boise State fans very happy when he announced on Dec. 19 that he plans to return for his senior season. He considered entering the NFL Draft but said in November that keeping a promise to his mother and graduating is important to him. He’s on pace to do so next spring. He led Boise State this season with 92 tackles and added seven tackles for loss, two interceptions and five pass breakups.
DT Scott Matlock — Matlock confirmed before the Arizona Bowl was canceled that he plans to return next season. The redshirt junior is coming off the most productive season of his career, but Matlock said he’s focused on graduating next spring. He led the Broncos with seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss and added 41 tackles this season. Matlock also blocked a field goal and caught the first touchdown pass of his career during Boise State’s 27-3 win at Utah State, which went on to win the Mountain West championship.
RB George Holani — Holani, a redshirt sophomore, said in November that he needs at least one more season of college ball under his belt before trying his hand at the NFL. Holani has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons. He missed all but the season opener with a knee injury last fall. This season, a hamstring injury kept him out of three games and left him to play in a limited capacity in several other contests. Holani still led the Broncos with 569 rushing yards. He has posted 1,691 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground at Boise State.
Out of eligibility
LB Riley Whimpey — Whimpey appeared in 54 games and started 42 during a five-year career with the Broncos. He led the team with 83 tackles in 2019 and with 61 in seven games last season. He finished second on the team with 71 tackles this season, and he finished his college career with 287. After initially planning to pursue a career in the NFL, Whimpey announced before the Arizona Bowl was canceled that he will retire from football because of a multitude of concussions — the latest of which he suffered in the Broncos’ regular-season finale at San Diego State.
OL Uzo Osuji — Osuji joined the team last summer after spending four years at Rice, including a redshirt year in 2016. He appeared in all seven of the Broncos’ games last fall, making one start. He took over at right tackle in the Broncos’ home loss to Nevada this season and held on to the position for the final seven games of the season.
P Joel Velazquez — A sixth-year senior, Velazquez appeared in 56 games since joining the program in 2016. He finished this season averaging a career-high 43.1 yards per punt and ends his college career averaging 40.9.
Medically retired
DL Aisa Kelemete — An Idahoan from Highland High in Pocatello, Kelemete announced in October that he was retiring because of a string of shoulder injuries, which required five surgeries in five years. He appeared in six career games, including the first three of this season before injuring his shoulder against Oklahoma State.
LB Tyler Visser — Visser also played his high school ball in Idaho, suiting up for Rocky Mountain in Meridian. He retired because of recurring shoulder injuries. The redshirt senior linebacker joined the Broncos last summer after spending two years at Sierra College.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 12:29 PM.
