‘Where’s No. 99?’ With Matlock gone, Boise State needs leader to emerge on defensive line
Boise State coach Andy Avalos said he couldn’t help but notice someone was missing when he stepped on the field for the Broncos’ first spring practice.
“You go out there on the first day of spring ball and it’s like, ‘Where’s No. 99?,’” Avalos said. “That’s the thing about college football. You have guys graduate. You have guys go on to the NFL. That’s what it’s supposed to look like, and it provides an opportunity for new guys to step up and ... lead themselves and then start to lead the room in their own way.”
Former Boise State defensive tackle Scott Matlock, who wore No. 99, was one of the stars of the Broncos’ Pro Day on Monday.
He posted a personal-best 29 reps on the bench press, which would have tied for No. 3 among defensive tackles at the NFL Scouting Combine — had he been invited. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.81 seconds, which would have tied the second-fastest time in his position group at the event.
Matlock, a former standout at Homedale High in Southwest Idaho, started 32 games on the Broncos’ defensive line since 2020. He led the team with seven sacks in 2021 and finished his college career with 115 tackles, 11.5 sacks and two touchdown catches, which he earned as an extra tight end on goal line packages.
Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said Matlock was a driving force on the field, having barely missed a snap the past three seasons. Danielson also said he was a mentor for his teammates.
Now Matlock’s college career is over, and the Broncos are left to figure out who is going to become the leader of the defensive line.
“Our big thing right now is prove it,” Danielson said. “This isn’t the time for you to tell me. This isn’t the time for you to tweet about it. This is the time to prove it with your actions.”
Matlock isn’t the only player the Broncos lost on the defensive line. Tackle Divine Obichere also declared for the NFL Draft, and nose tackle Jackson Cravens transferred to BYU.
New Boise State defensive line coach Erik Chinander has been working with an inexperienced group of interior linemen at spring practice. He said he’s been impressed with the players’ willingness to learn, and he’s going to take his time to make sure they develop the chemistry needed to play as a unit.
“It has to be an unselfish group that rushes the passer together and plays the run together,” said Chinander, a former defensive coordinator at UCF and Nebraska who joined the Broncos in December. “Sometimes the play is going to come to you and sometimes you just have to know you did your job and allowed someone else to make a play.”
As far as finding a leader, Chinander said that will come with time. He also echoed Danielson’s sentiments about the need for players to prove it on the field, not just in the meeting room.
“When you’re a new coach, it’s important to take everyone’s opinion in the building into account, but you also have to find out for yourself,” he said. “I see a lot better than I hear, and it’s just about finding a guy who is the total package: a student of the game in the building and someone guys want to go to war with on the field.”
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The Broncos’ top interior lineman, redshirt junior Herbert Gums, just returned to practice in a limited role this week. The 6-1, 305-pounder is still recovering from offseason surgery, but he is the Broncos’ most experienced returning starter on the line.
Gums, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, started 13 games last season. Most of his snaps were at nose tackle, but he can also play defensive tackle on the Broncos’ three-man front, said Chinander, who has high expectations for the former high school running back.
“He’s been out there helping me coach up the younger guys,” Chinander said. “His demeanor and personality are great, and I’m excited to get him back out there full time.”
Chinander said players that most fans may not be that familiar with have been rotating on the defensive line, including 315-pound junior college transfer Sheldon Newton. He joined the team in January after three seasons at Northern Arizona.
“He’s big, strong and powerful, and he can really run,” Chinander said. “Once he gets his footwork and technique down, he has a chance to be a really good football player.”
Sophomore Braxton Fely (6-2, 285) has also been working at nose tackle, Chinander said. He verbally committed to BYU before signing with the Broncos last year. He played in every game during his freshman season, lining up on defense and special teams.
Redshirt freshman JJ Talo (6-2, 286) and redshirt senior Michael Callahan (6-4, 282) have been taking most of the snaps at defensive tackle, Chinander said. Callahan has played in 28 games and started two since 2019. Talo joined the program as a three-star recruit last year but didn’t appear in any games.
Ahmed Hassanein (6-3, 271) has spent most of the spring at defensive end. That’s where he broke into the starting lineup last season, but Chinander called the junior a wildcard.
After years on the international CrossFit circuit, Hassanein has the athleticism to terrorize teams as a defensive end, but Chinander said he can play all three positions on the line.
“What stands out about him is his effort,” Chinander said. “He plays hard all the time. He has a motor that you just don’t see in a lot of big guys. He’ll find his way onto the depth chart. We just have to figure out exactly where.”
