Boise State releases depth chart ahead of opener, Oregon State names starting QB
There weren’t many surprises when the Boise State football team released its initial depth chart of the season on Monday.
Quarterback Hank Bachmeier will officially become a four-year starter when the Broncos take the field Saturday for the season opener at Oregon State (8:30 p.m. Mountain time, ESPN).
Running back George Holani is healthy and listed as the starter at running back, and he’s backed up by freshman Ashton Jeanty, who enrolled early, joined the program in January and did enough this offseason to earn a spot in the two-deep.
“George is going to carry our offense, and anybody that knows us knows it’s going to start with him,” Boise State offensive coordinator Tim Plough said. “But it’s great to have a guy that can come in and bring some electricity and change things quickly.”
Holani is also listed as the Broncos’ starting punt returner, which would probably give some coaches pause considering he’s struggled with injuries the past two seasons, but Plough said he wants the ball in Holani’s hands.
“I’m going to hope I can get a good spot on the sideline to see him return it,” Plough said. “You want your best players to touch the ball as much as possible, so if he’s the best punt returner, that’s one more opportunity for him to have the ball in space, and I say have at it.”
There were several position battles that didn’t come to an end until the release of the chart on Monday.
Redshirt freshman Taylen Green won the backup quarterback job after a camp battle with Oregon State transfer Sam Vidlak. Head coach Andy Avalos said Green has shown vast improvement in his understanding and command of the offense in the past year.
“It’s not just his assignment, it’s running the whole show from the time he gets on the field,” Avalos said. “A lot of that has to do with his preparation and how that’s grown.”
Green is 6-foot-6 and one of the fastest players on the team, according to his coaches. Plough wouldn’t rule out creating some packages to get Green on the field this year, but he also said the staff has to be careful not to put too much on the young quarterback’s shoulders too quickly.
“That’s something every week that we have to look at as a staff,” Plough said. “He’s one of the most athletic guys on the team, and we want to use every guy possible to score as many points as we can. At the same time, we have to prepare him to be the backup, so he has to know the whole game plan.”
Cornerback Markel Reed won a hotly contested camp battle with Tyric LeBeauf and Kaonohi Kaniho, and will start opposite Bowling Green transfer Caleb Biggers. Reed missed most of last season with a knee injury, was held out of spring camp and was limited early in summer/fall camp.
“There’s a progression when these guys come off a big injury like he had,” Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said. “But it’s been awesome to see him little by little get to where he is now, and he’s moving at a high level and playing at a high level.”
Redshirt sophomore Rodney Robinson beat out sophomore Seyi Oladipo to replace Tyreque Jones at field safety after he moved to nickel.
“He really stood out in regards to how much he’s picked up and how much he studies and preps,” Danielson said of Robinson. “He’s a very savvy football player. He plays tough and he plays bigger than he is, and with his understanding of the game, he also plays fast.”
Redshirt senior DJ Schramm will replace five-year starter Riley Whimpey at weakside linebacker after winning a camp battle against fellow redshirt senior Brandon Hawkins and redshirt freshman Andrew Simpson.
“He showed up every single day and was able to lead and communicate and help run the defense,” Avalos said of Schramm. “He’s done his job at a really high level.”
Redshirt junior Isaiah Bagnah was also in the mix at weakside linebacker, but Avalos confirmed Monday that he has moved back to edge. Bagnah and junior college transfer Deven Wright will back up redshirt senior Demitri Washington.
Danielson said the staff was confident enough in the depth at linebacker to move Bagnah.
“Isaiah is going to be playing a lot, and he’s going to be in a lot of different spots,” Danielson said. “We can put him in a lot of different situations.”
Wide receiver Stefan Cobbs will open the season as the Broncos’ top kick returner. He’s also the favorite to replace former Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir as Bachmeier’s top target this season. Cobbs and redshirt senior Billy Bowens will start on the outside Saturday, with redshirt sophomore Latrell Caples starting in the slot.
Freshman James Ferguson-Reynolds is replacing Joel Velazquez as the starting punter this year, and his Aussie punting style is going to help the Broncos win the field position battle, Avalos said.
“Hidden yardage within the game is a big deal,” Avalos said. “It brings a lot of energy to the team knowing we have a guy who can punt the ball the way he does.”
Redshirt freshman Will Ferrin is handling kickoffs this season, and fellow redshirt freshman Mason Hutton has replaced Daniel Cantrell at long snapper.
Oregon State names starting QB
A camp battle to name Oregon State’s starting quarterback came to an end on Monday.
Redshirt junior Chance Nolan will start the season, Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith said during his weekly press conference.
“Week 2, Week 3 of camp, he started playing at a really high level,” Smith told The Oregonian on Monday. “You could see his confidence, his comfort in the scheme. (You could see him) being a little bit more accurate, taking care of the football.”
Nolan started 12 games last season, when the Beavers went 7-6 and made their first bowl game in eight years. He posted 2,677 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air and 286 yards and three more scores on the ground.
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound native of Menifee, California, beat out sixth-year senior Tristan Gebbia and redshirt freshman Ben Gulbranson to win the job.
BOISE STATE AT OREGON STATE
When: 8:30 p.m. MT Saturday
Where: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
TV: ESPN (Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Stormy Buonantony)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Series: Boise State and Oregon State have played nine times, and the Beavers own a 5-4 advantage in the series. The Broncos won their last meeting, beating Oregon State on the road 38-24 in 2016.
Vegas line: Oregon State by 3
Weather: High of 85 degrees, 7% chance of rain, 11 mph winds
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 5:33 PM.
