Key players among Boise State’s super seniors, early enrollees. 3 veterans off roster
The Boise State football team released its updated roster on Monday, which included 12 early enrollees and 11 so-called super seniors.
The NCAA offered all players who were on 2020 rosters an extra year of eligibility because of the impact COVID-19 had on that season, which was reduced to seven games in the Broncos’ case.
Returning for an extra season this year are offensive linemen Will Farrar and John Ojukwu, wide receiver Davis Koetter, tight end Kurt Rafdal, cornerbacks Caleb Biggers and Jared Reed, defensive end Shane Irwin, safety Tyreque Jones, nickelback Roman Kafentzis, linebacker Ezekiel Noa and defensive tackle Divine Obichere.
Ojukwu is a four-year starter who has spent the past two seasons at left tackle. Noa is also a four-year starter who was third on the team with 66 tackles last season.
Farrar (Texas Tech), Biggers (Bowling Green), Koetter (Portland State) and Reed (Utah State) transferred into the program last year, and Jones returns after finishing fourth on the team with 53 tackles last season.
After announcing 10 early enrollees following the early signing period in December, Boise State actually welcomed 12 newcomers to campus in January.
The group includes Washington State transfers Cade Beresford (offensive line) and his brother, Jack Beresford (defensive line); former Weber State linebacker George Tarlas; former Oregon State quarterback Sam Vidlak; and junior college transfers Cortez Hogans Jr. and Deven Wright, both of whom play on the defensive line.
They’re joined by six incoming freshmen who graduated high school early: offensive lineman Kage Casey, defensive lineman Braxton Fely, punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, running back Ashton Jeanty, defensive lineman JJ Talo and tight end Austin Terry.
Boise State will put the finishing touches on its 2022 recruiting class during the traditional signing period, which begins on Wednesday.
Igiehon won’t return
Three names were absent from the roster Boise State released on Monday.
Nose tackles Scale Igiehon and Keeghan Freeborn, as well as tight end Tyler Eiguren, are no longer on the team, a Boise State spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
Igiehon left the team for personal reasons last September and did not return during the season. His name remained on the Broncos’ online roster then, but his Boise State career appears to be over now. He still has two years of eligibility remaining.
Igiehon (6-foot-2, 290 pounds) came to Boise State with what many described as a skill set built for the NFL. He appeared in 25 games while playing behind a veteran group of defensive linemen during his first two seasons, and he transformed his body last summer in anticipation of what many expected to be a breakout year.
Freeborn and Eiguren both played at local high schools. Freeborn was a standout at Rocky Mountain and was ranked as the No. 4 recruit in Idaho by 247Sports before joining the Broncos in 2018. He appeared in three games in 2019 and three in 2020 before a knee injury cost him the rest of that season. He did not appear in any games in 2021.
Eiguren, a Fruitland native, appeared in five games in 2020 and just two last year before an injury sidelined him. He walked on at Boise State in 2019 and was put on full scholarship last August.
Kline to tight end
Former Boise State pass rusher Casey Kline is listed at a new position on the Broncos’ updated roster. The redshirt junior will open the 2022 season at tight end.
Kline joined the Broncos’ as a four-star recruit and was rated No. 19 nationally at his position by ESPN and No. 20 by 247Sports after posting 68 tackles and six sacks as a senior at Brawley Union High in California. He also played quarterback, running back and tight end during his junior and senior seasons.
The 6-4, 248-pounder has appeared in 14 games the past two seasons, including nine last fall, but has recorded just two tackles.
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
