Offseason tracker: Which Boise State players are transferring? Who is coming back?
The Boise State football team is in for what is sure to be another crazy offseason.
The opening of the first of the NCAA’s two transfer windows created a mad dash for the portal just as bowl season is heating up.
Teams haven’t even started thinking about which seniors to bring back for the extra eligibility offered by the NCAA because of COVID-19, and the NFL Draft is right around the corner.
News is already swirling at Boise State. Here’s a look at which players have accepted invitations to all-star games, who is in the transfer portal and which seniors plan to come back next year.
Check back often as this tracker will be updated all offseason.
Players declared for the NFL Draft
LB Ezekiel Noa — Noa declared for the draft on Tuesday (Jan. 3). He played in 43 games since joining the Broncos in 2017, and he ended his college career with 230 tackles, nine sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions, both of which he snagged last year. He also tied edge rusher Demitri Washington with a team-high four sacks.
CB Caleb Biggers — Biggers officially declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday (Dec. 23, 2022). He appeared in all 12 of Boise State’s games in 2022, making eight starts. Biggers totaled 36 tackles, including five for loss, to go with one fumble recovery, one interception and four pass breakups. He was a 2022 All-Mountain West Honorable Mention pick.
DT Scott Matlock — Matlock threw his name in the hat on Thursday (Dec. 22, 2022). The Homedale native has posted 112 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his five-year career. He also caught two touchdown passes. CBS Sports ranked Matlock as the No. 9 NFL Draft prospect from the Group of Five in August.
S JL Skinner — Skinner made it official and declared for the draft on Tuesday (Dec. 20, 2022). A lot of mock drafts have projected that he’ll come off the board in the late first or early second rounds. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has Skinner ranked just outside of his top 10 safeties. Skinner was named first-team All-Mountain West after leading Boise State with four interceptions and finishing second on the team with 63 tackles this season.
CB Tyric LeBeauf — In a surprise move, LeBeauf was the first Boise State player to officially declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Most probably expected it to be Skinner, who is pretty much a lock to hear his name called in April. LeBeauf announced Monday (Dec. 19, 2022) that he’ll test the waters in the NFL. The redshirt senior had the option to return to Boise State for an extra season of eligibility because of COVID-19, but he decided to move on after appearing in 36 games since joining the Broncos in 2018. He finished his college career with 43 tackles and four interceptions, including one he returned 100 yards for a touchdown in Boise State’s 2021 season opener at UCF.
Players who are transferring
DE Andy Nwaoko — Nwaoko is only a redshirt sophomore, but he earned his degree in three years and is transferring as a graduate student. He joined the Broncos in 2020 after graduating from Blue Ridge School in Virginia. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder appeared in the first three games of his college career last season. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Offers: Weber State, Utah Tech, Monmouth, Southern, Rhode Island
P Gavin Wale — Wale has appeared in one game since joining the Broncos in 2019, Boise State’s loss to BYU in 2020. He hasn’t punted in a regular-season game in two years and watched freshman James Ferguson-Reynolds win the job last year. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
LB Rejhan Tatum — Tatum passed on scholarship offers from Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to join the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2021. The middle linebacker hasn’t appeared in a game the past two seasons after a productive career at Del City High School in Oklahoma that included posting 125 tackles and four sacks as a junior.
OL Dallas Holliday — A career backup at Boise State, Holliday is a redshirt senior with one year of eligibility remaining. He announced Wednesday (Dec. 21, 2022) that he was in the portal. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound guard appeared in 33 games since joining the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2018.
DT Jackson Cravens — Cravens put his name in the portal on Tuesday (Dec. 20, 2022). He has one season of eligibility left. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound native of Provo, Utah, joined the Broncos in 2019 after one season at Utah. Playing mostly nose tackle, he appeared in 11 games last season and 10 this fall.
Committed to BYU (Dec. 27, 2022)
QB Sam Vidlak — Vidlak officially put his name in the portal on Tuesday (Dec. 20, 2022). The redshirt freshman joined the Broncos this year after one season at Oregon State. After competing with Taylen Green to open the season as No. 2 on the depth chart, he appeared in three games this season at Boise State, completing 9-of-14 passes for 86 yards. Vidlak was the Offensive Player of the Year as a junior at Hidden Valley High School in Oregon.
Committed to Montana (Jan. 9)
QB Hank Bachmeier — Bachmeier decided to transfer following the Broncos’ loss at UTEP in September. He won the starting job at Boise State four years in a row, and he ranks in the top 10 in program history in career passing yards (6,605, No. 7) and touchdown passes (41, No. 7). He has two years of eligibility remaining.
LB Isaiah Bagnah — Bagnah’s decision to transfer came as a surprise to many. His announcement came just hours before the Broncos kicked off against Colorado State on Oct. 29, 2022. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Bagnah bounced between edge rusher and weakside linebacker in fall camp, but the redshirt junior never saw consistent playing time this year. He led the Broncos with six sacks in 2021, and he leaves Boise State with 10 in his career. Bagnah visited BYU on Tuesday.
Offers: Montana, Jacksonville State, Northern Colorado, Hawaii, Eastern Washington, BYU.
Committed to BYU (Dec. 21, 2022)
TE Tyneil Hopper — Hopper announced he was transferring on Sunday, the same day the Broncos’ matchup against North Texas in the Frisco Bowl was announced. The fifth-year senior has appeared in 45 games since 2018, and he has one year of eligibility remaining. Hopper has posted 25 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns the past two seasons.
Offers: Georgia State, UConn, USF, Marshall, Troy, JMU, Michigan State.
Committed to Michigan State (Dec. 15, 2022)
K Will Ferrin — The redshirt freshman put his name in the portal not long after the conference title game. He opened this season as the Broncos’ kickoff specialist and handled a few punts in Boise State’s regular-season win over Fresno State, but the last time he appeared in a game was a win at Air Force on Oct. 22, 2022. He missed the rest of the season for undisclosed reasons.
Committed to BYU (Dec. 15, 2022)
Edge Deven Wright — Wright’s departure came as a surprise. He joined the Broncos this year after transferring from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and his snaps increased in the latter half of the season after injuries to Demitri Washington and George Tarlas. Wright recorded his first sack as a Bronco at Nevada on Nov. 12, 2022, but he put his name in the portal on Sunday. Wright has at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Offers: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Texas State.
Committed to Texas State (Dec. 19, 2022)
OL Jacob Golden — Golden announced he was transferring not long after he was suspended from the team following an arrest for suspicion of DUI in June. The 6-5, 300-pounder appeared in 12 games between 2020 and 2021 and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Committed to New Mexico State (Oct. 19, 2022)
RB Taequan Tyler — Tyler left the team for personal reasons just before fall camp began, according to Boise State football coach Andy Avalos. Tyler announced he was transferring not long after the season began. He joined the Broncos in 2020 after transferring from Tyler Junior College in Texas but missed that season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. Tyler only appeared in three games in 2021 and has at least two years of eligibility remaining.
S Semaj Verner — Verner announced Jan. 25, 2022, that he was transferring with four years of eligibility remaining. The product 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.
Committed to UC Davis (May 11, 2022)
Edge/TE Casey Kline — The former four-star recruit moved from edge rusher to tight end this spring, but he hit the transfer portal before the season began.
Offers: Lamar, Central Missouri, Central Oklahoma.
Committed to Central Oklahoma (Dec. 17, 2022)
WR Jalen Richmond — Richmond joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2021, but he didn’t see the field last year before entering the transfer portal in August.
Offers: UT Martin, Wyoming, Northwestern State
Committed to Northern Arizona (Jan. 16)
S Roman Kafentzis — After five years at Boise State, Kafentzis put his name in the portal this summer. He appeared in 25 games for the Broncos since 2017, playing mostly on special teams. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Players coming back
K Jonah Dalmas — Dalmas confirmed on Jan.5 that he’ll return for his senior season. He set Boise State’s single-season record with 26 field goals in 2021 and went 23-of-27 and tied his career-long field goal of 51 yards last season. The former walk-on ranks No. 2 all-time at Boise State with 56 career field goals.
TE Riley Smith — Smith announced on Twitter on Jan. 2 that he plans to return for his sixth and final season of eligibility. The 6-5, 245-pounder from St. Augustine, Florida, contributed 25 receptions for 214 yards and one touchdown in 2022.
RB George Holani — Many expected the redshirt junior to declare for the NFL Draft, but Holani announced Jan. 1 his intention to return for his senior season. The 5-11, 208-pounder finished the 2022 season with 1,157 yards and 10 touchdowns on 221 carries. He also added 24 catches for 151 yards and three more TDs.
OL Cade Beresford — Beresford confirmed in the days leading up to the 2022 Mountain West championship game that he plans to return next season for his final year of eligibility. The 6-7, 305-pounder joined the Broncos this year after four years at Washington State. Beresford started 12 games at right tackle this season.
WR Stefan Cobbs — Cobbs confirmed in November 2022 that he plans to return to Boise State for his sixth and final season of eligibility. The native of Fort Worth, Texas, has posted 70 catches for 946 yards and eight touchdowns since 2019.
Seniors not returning
C Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez — The fifth-year senior announced Tuesday (Jan. 3) that he plans to “move on to a new chapter” of his life outside of football. He missed the 2021 season with an injury, and he missed three last season. Holomalia-Gonzalez started two games in 2019 and six in 2020.
Seniors heading to all-star games
S JL Skinner, Senior Bowl — Skinner accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, which is scheduled for Feb. 4. He was named first-team All-Mountain West after leading Boise State with four interceptions and finishing second on the team with 63 tackles this season.
DT Scott Matlock, NFLPA Bowl — Matlock will play in the all-star game held at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 28. The native of Homedale has posted 112 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his five-year career. He also caught two touchdown passes.
Edge George Tarlas, NFLPA Bowl — Tarlas will join Matlock in Pasadena after his only season with the Broncos was cut short. Tarlas suffered a season-ending hip injury in a win at Air Force on Oct. 22, 2022. He posted 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and one forced fumble in seven games this fall. Tarlas joined the Broncos this year after he racked up 17 sacks in four seasons at Weber State.
OT John Ojukwu, East-West Shrine Bowl — Ojukwu will play in the East-West Shrine Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 2, 2023. He was also invited to the NFLPA Bowl. Ojukwu has been the Broncos’ iron man. The sixth-year senior from Boise has appeared in 55 games and started 50 since joining the program in 2017. He started 32 straight games at left tackle since Ezra Cleveland was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
S/CB Tyreque Jones, East-West Shrine Bowl — Jones will join Ojukwu in the East-West Shrine Bowl at Allegiant Stadium after a six-year career at Boise State that included 59 games, 157 tackles and four interceptions. He played safety until moving to nickel this fall and posting 34 tackles and one interception in 12 games.
This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 4:45 PM.
