With Teubner out on defense, this Boise State ‘alpha’ stepped into helmet-comms role
Even when Marco Notarainni was just a teenager playing high school football about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego, Stacy Collins could tell he was different.
Notarainni led the huddle and checked on his teammates during practice. He was one of the biggest players on the field for Torrey Pines High School and was the most physical at the point of contact.
“You can see that he was the alpha on the field,” Collins told the Idaho Statesman this week.
At the time, he was scouting Notarainni for Utah State, where Collins was the inside linebackers coach and eventual co-defensive coordinator.
Notarainni eventually picked Boise State, where he’s played since his freshman year in 2021. With Collins returning to Boise State for a second stint this year as the inside linebackers and special teams coach — he spent a year coaching at Boise State in 2021 — he finally has the chance to coach the player he scouted half a decade ago.
“He’s done an unbelievable job of growing over those years,” Collins said. “And when I came back, just seeing the growth he’s made was not a surprise to me.”
Now a redshirt junior and middle linebacker, Notarainni is getting the chance to put that “alpha” attitude to work.
In Boise State’s 28-21 victory over Nevada, sixth-year safety Alexander Teubner left the game with an injury. Soon after, he emerged from the medical tent on crutches with a brace on his left leg. Teubner still wore the brace on the sideline last weekend as Boise State won 42-21 at San Jose State.
On Thursday, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said Teubner was “continuing to rehab and work,” and was training with the freshman and sophomores that morning.
Teubner’s injury, and presumed absence for Boise State’s trip to Wyoming this weekend, meant that Notarainni was asked to become the guy with the “green dot” on defense in his place. That indicates the player who has in-helmet communication with the coaching staff, and can then relay messages to the rest of the team.
“Marco’s a guy who can handle that,” Collins said. “He’s a coach on the field, extremely intelligent, able to handle critical and stressful situations right there with great communication.”
Notarraini told reporters Tuesday that he has practiced with in-helmet comms since fall camp. He completed his first full game with that responsibility against San Jose State, describing it as like “having a walkie-talkie in there.”
He said it’s not so much a distraction, but being the point of communication on the field does mean Notarraini needs to have a top-tier knowledge of the playbook and what the coaches need.
“A lot of it is understanding the situations. Talking to guys in the back end to make sure they get everything that they need,” Notarraini said. “It’s not much of a distraction. I think it’s more of a crutch, just to help really fully understand the situation that’s going on right now.”
Giving Notarraini the green dot has also changed how things operate on the field.
For starters, Notarraini played more snaps than usual against San Jose State — Boise State has played a lot of dime defense this season, meaning one more defensive back and one fewer linebacker. But needing Notarraini’s leadership on the field ensured he’d remain there.
Second, having the green dot with Notarainni means he can communicate much more easily with the defensive line and drop back to pass things on to the defensive backs. With Teubner, he’d have to roll in and out of the box to pass on information.
“Marco’s right there,” Collins said. “So as a linebacker between both the secondary and the D line, I do think there’s some proximity with those positions that helps with the communication.”
Boise State at Wyoming
When: 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
Where: War Memorial Stadium (29,181, turf); Laramie, Wyoming
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 9-1, 6-0; Wyoming 2-8, 2-4
Series: Boise State leads the series 17-1
Vegas line: Boise State by 23 points
Weather: High of 55, low of 34, humidity 40%, partly cloudy with gusty winds, 5% chance of rain or snow
