Bronco Breakdown: Lots of options for No. 1 receiver to ‘compete and help each other’
Editor’s note: This is the third installment in a series breaking down Boise State’s likely starters and the top players in the Mountain West at each position.
The Boise State football team struggled to find a consistent deep threat in the passing game in 2022 after the Buffalo Bills picked wide receiver Khalil Shakir in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
The Broncos found one last season in Eric McAlister, who posted 873 yards and five touchdowns in nine games, but he left the team with four games left in the regular season and eventually transferred to TCU.
Boise State is again searching for a true No. 1 receiver who can stretch the field and demand a double team from time to time. The difference this year from the past two seasons is there’s no shortage of options, thanks to a veteran getting healthy, a couple of players who put on breakout performances late last year and some intriguing transfers.
“I talked to the guys before we got into winter workouts about how there’s a lot of positions and we don’t know who’s going to play where,” fifth-year senior Latrell Caples said. “We’re here to compete and help each other, because you don’t want to be the guy who competes just to take someone’s spot.”
Caples is back on the field after a torn Achilles tendon cost him all of last season. He led the Broncos with 51 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, and he should see plenty of passes because of his ability to play on the outside or in the slot.
Fifth-year senior Austin Bolt and sophomore Prince Strachan both stepped up in McAlister’s absence late last year. They hauled in a combined five passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the Broncos’ win over New Mexico. Strachan racked up 128 yards on just three catches, including a 74-yard touchdown.
Both players also looked explosive in the spring game in April. Strachan caught two passes for 48 yards, including a 32-yard reception that set up a rushing touchdown. Bolt also hauled in a long pass that set up a score. He missed the 2022 season after suffering a broken leg in the opener at Oregon State.
Boise State turned to the transfer portal to shore up its group of receivers, and that’s where the Broncos may have found the player most likely to become the quarterbacks’ favorite target.
Chris Marshall joined the team in January after one season at Kilgore College in Texas, where he posted 449 yards and five receiving touchdowns. He was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and the No. 3 receiver in the 2022 class. He was also the No. 1 junior college recruit in the country this year, according to 247Sports.
Marshall has the frame and athleticism of an NFL-caliber receiver, and he was USC transfer quarterback Malachi Nelson’s favorite target early in the spring game. Nelson’s first pass went to Marshall, and he finished the game with three catches for 35 yards, all in the first half.
Boise State also added former Indiana wide receiver Cam Camper this year. He missed spring practice while recovering from knee surgery, but he posted 63 catches for 854 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons with the Hoosiers. Like Caples, whom he grew up with in Texas, Camper can play on the outside or in the slot, and he has a chance to be a weapon.
Projected depth chart
Starters: Latrell Caples, 5-yr Sr., 6-0, 190, Lancaster (Texas) High; Prince Strachan, So., 6-5, 212, John Carroll High, Freeport, Grand Bahama; Chris Marshall, Jr., 6-3, 208, Fort Bend Marshall High, Missouri City, Texas.
Backups: Austin Bolt, 5-yr Sr., 6-3, 210, Borah High, Boise, Idaho; Cam Camper, 5-yr Sr., 6-3, 203, Lancaster (Texas) High.
Sleeper: Chase Penry, R-Jr., 6-0, 195, Cherry Creek High, Denver, Colorado.
Mountain West WRs to watch
Ricky White III, UNLV — The fifth-year senior joined the Rebels in 2022 after two years at Michigan State. He led the Mountain West last season with 1,483 receiving yards and led UNLV with 88 catches and eight touchdowns. He has racked up 139 catches for 2,102 yards and 12 touchdowns the past two seasons.
Tory Horton, Colorado State — Horton surprised many when he spurned the NFL Draft and the transfer portal, and returned to Colorado State for his fifth season. He led the Rams and ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West with 96 catches for 1,136 yards last season, and hauled in a team-high eight touchdown passes. He led the conference with eight catches per game and ranked No. 2 with 94.7 receiving yards a game. Horton heads into his final season of eligibility with 3,262 yards and 26 career touchdowns.
Jalen Royals, Utah State — The senior burst onto the scene last season with a program-record 15 receiving touchdowns, which ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 2 nationally. He led the nation with seven touchdown catches that covered at least 50 yards. Royals set career-highs in receptions (71) and receiving yards (1,080), and posted at least 100 receiving yards in four games.
Jalen Moss, Fresno State — The redshirt sophomore had a breakout season, posting 55 catches for 706 yards and six touchdowns. He was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards and was the first freshman at Fresno State to post multiple 100-yard games in a season since now-NFL star Davante Adams did it.
Nick Nash, San Jose State — The sixth-year senior posted career-highs in receptions (48), receiving yards (728) and receiving touchdowns (8) last season, earning second-team All-Mountain West honors.
This story was originally published July 17, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
