Bronco Breakdown: Boise State has a plethora of big men who know how to plug the middle
Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in a series breaking down Boise State’s likely starters and the top players in the Mountain West at each position.
Depth on the interior of Boise State’s defensive line was once a constant thorn in the Broncos’ side.
In 2020, the team had so few options because of COVID-19 and injuries that offensive lineman Ben Dooley had to switch to defense for a game against Colorado State.
Those days are in the past. The Broncos head into this season with a plethora of experienced big men who know how to plug up the middle of the field.
Boise State has four battle-tested linemen to rotate between its nose tackle and defensive tackle positions.
The team’s top option at nose tackle is 6-foot-1, 310-pound fifth-year senior Herbert Gums, who has started 26 games the past two seasons.
The native of New Orleans, who survived Hurricane Katrina and overcame homelessness as a child, posted career highs in tackles (25), tackles for loss (3.5) and sacks (1.5) in 2022. He finished last year with 21 tackles and one tackle for loss, but said in April that he feels better than ever and is ready to best those numbers this year.
“This was probably the best spring I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Gums said. “My footwork is better, I’m more explosive and I have a lot left in the tank.”
The Broncos also can turn to 6-3, 325-pound fifth-year senior Sheldon Newton at nose tackle. He transferred to Boise State last year after three seasons at Northern Arizona. He finished his first season as a Bronco with 22 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss, two of which he posted in the Mountain West championship game.
Boise State has plenty of experience to lean on at defensive tackle, too. Junior Braxton Fely (6-1, 297) started all 14 games last season and ended his first year as a starter tied for No. 1 in the Mountain West with three forced fumbles. He also posted 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
He’ll be backed up once again by Michael Callahan, who returned for his sixth season after playing in a career-high 14 games last year. The 6-4, 292-pound native of Yorba Linda, California, finished last season with career highs in tackles (19), tackles for loss (2.5) and sacks (1).
The Broncos also have a pair of intriguing youngsters who could see some snaps on the interior of the line this year after both were disruptive during the spring game in April.
Redshirt freshman Michael Madrie (6-3, 270) joined the team last year as a three-star recruit. He posted 78 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a senior at Argyle High in Texas. Freshman Lopez Sanusi, a 6-3, 295-pound native of Dublin, Ireland, joined the team this year after he was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 prospect to come out of the NFL Academy in England.
The top three prospects from NFL Academy-England were offensive linemen Pape Sy and Daniel Akinkunmi, who signed with Boston College and Oklahoma, respectively, and cornerback Timi Oke, who signed with Northwestern.
Projected depth chart
Starters: NT Herbert Gums, 5-yr., 6-1, 310, Diboll (Texas) High, New Orleans, Louisiana; DT Braxton Fely, Jr., 6-1, 297, Timpview High, Orem, Utah.
Backups: NT Sheldon Newton, 5-yr., 6-3, 325, San Jacinto (California) High; DT Michael Callahan, 6-yr., 6-4, 292, Yorba Linda (California) High.
Sleeper: DT Michael Madrie, R-Fr., 6-3, 270, Argyle (Texas) High
Mountain West DTs to watch
Jordan Bertagnole, Wyoming — The 6-4, 290-pound sixth-year senior ranked No. 5 at Wyoming last season with 57 tackles and added five tackles for loss and two sacks, earning second-team All-Mountain West honors. Bertagnole has started 34 games since 2020 and racked up 175 tackles and 10.5 sacks in his career. He was named to the preseason All-Mountain West team earlier this month.
Soane Toia, San Jose State — The 6-foot, 280-pound junior posted career highs in tackles (37), tackles for loss (7) and sacks (5) last season while earning second-team All-Mountain West honors. He has started 23 games since 2020 and posted 94 tackles and 7.5 sacks in his career. Toia was named to the preseason All-Mountain West team earlier this month.
Cam Bariteau, Colorado State — The 6-foot, 300-pound fifth-year senior is expected to become the Rams’ top defensive tackle this season after the team lost top interior linemen Grady Kelly (transfer) and Matt Thomas (graduation). Bariteau played in every game last season and posted 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Payton Zdroik, Air Force — At 6-foot and 275 pounds, Zdroik is one of the smallest interior defensive linemen in the Mountain West, but the senior has also been one of its most productive the past couple of seasons. He has posted 62 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks the past two years. He finished with 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks last year despite missing three games because of an injury.
Alexander Whitmore, UNLV — Whitmore is expected to start this season after he appeared in every game last fall as part of the Rebels’ defensive line rotation. He made the first start of his UNLV career in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Kansas, and finished his first season as a Rebel with 31 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The 6-2, 290-pound senior transferred to UNLV last year after two seasons at FCS Austin Peay.
