Boise State tight ends had just one TD last season. Could receiving role grow in 2023?
Until the Boise State football team lines up for its opening drive against Washington on Sept. 2 (1:30 p.m., ABC), there’s no way to predict the vision new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has for the Broncos’ offense.
Players and coaches have hinted that Hamdan has tailored his playbook to the strengths of his players. While much of that vision will no doubt center around the Broncos’ rushing talent at quarterback and running back, there’s another group eager to do its part in 2023 — beyond blocking to help the dynamic running game.
Tight ends accounted for just 18.8% of the team’s total receptions and only 13.6% of its receiving yards last season. The group contributed just one touchdown. Could that role grow under Hamdan?
“The offense is kind of building on a lot of things that we did well at the end of last year,” tight ends coach Nate Potter said. “We got some new complements, and we’re always trying to just continue to progress.
“I think the tight end is such a valuable position in our offense because we ask those guys to do so many different things. They’ve gotta be able to run block, be playmakers in the pass game, be protectors. So I think that role is just going to continue to expand as we progress.”
Riley Smith led Boise State tight ends last season with 25 receptions for 214 yards and that lone touchdown. The Broncos lost Tyneil Hopper and Kurt Rafdal to graduation, opening the door for redshirt sophomore Matt Lauter to play a bigger role in 2023.
The Broncos actually have a total of eight tight ends on their roster — three are true freshmen — but only Smith and Lauter have seen playing time in a BSU uniform.
Lauter, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound San Diego product, got his first taste of playing time with the Broncos on special teams last season. He parlayed that success into his first career catch against UTEP and made his first start against Utah State. He played a limited role in the Broncos’ passing game, finishing with four catches for 40 yards.
Lauter, who also played linebacker in high school, calls himself an “aggressive blocker,” and Potter cited Lauter’s explosiveness and physicality as two of his best attributes.
“I think he showed how he matured and how he grew last year,” Potter said. “It started on special teams having a big impact there and then his role on offense progressed through the season. He’s kind of propelled himself through the spring and through the summer to build on all of that.
“I think athletically he provides a lot of different things for our offense, so I’m excited to see how he continues to ... keep getting better.”
While there’s been much talk about the possibility of running backs George Holani and Ashton Jeanty being on the field at the same time this season, Lauter says the tight ends could do the same.
“Bush loves 12 personnel,” said Lauter, referring to the offensive formation in which one running back and two tight ends are on the field. “ ... But, you know, there’s a lot of things that go on with that. We can run 13 personnel, we can get a lot of tight ends in the game.”
Boise State’s projected tight end lineup
The starter: Smith, a sixth-year senior, has played in 39 games throughout his career and has 26 starts.
The backup: Lauter made his first career catch and first career start last season and appeared in all 14 of the Broncos’ games.
