Experience, experiments: Here’s what Boise State is trying in the secondary this spring
Boise State’s pass defense has come under scrutiny in recent years.
In the turbulent 2023 season that saw then-defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson replace Andy Avalos as head coach, Boise State’s pass defense ranked 106th in the country, allowing 241.4 yards per game.
A year later, with Danielson at the helm of the program and Erik Chinander as defensive coordinator, the Broncos’ pass defense slid backward, ranking 107th in the country and allowing 250.4 yards per game.
So why should Boise State fans expect improvements in 2025?
“We have a gem underneath all that dirt,” junior defensive back Ty Benefield said Tuesday.
The gem in question? A pass defense that’s got the experience to help support an offense that likely won’t have the same output now that Ashton Jeanty is heading to the NFL.
Sure, the Broncos lost some starters from their 2024 squad that made it to the Fiesta Bowl, such as Alexander Teubner, Rodney Robinson and Seyi Oladipo.
But the guys replacing them are hardly unfamiliar.
Of the expected starters in the Broncos’ secondary next season, there are Benefield (27 Division I games played), redshirt senior Zion Washington (40), fifth-year senior A’Marion McCoy (28), senior Jeremiah Earby (14) and senior Davon Banks (28).
The Broncos also have two strong linebackers returning right in front of them, in Marco Notarainni (25) and Andrew Simpson (40).
The McCoy, Earby and Banks trio is of unique interest this spring.
McCoy and Earby were the Broncos’ two starting corners last season, while Banks backed them up in all 14 games. McCoy was expected to graduate, allowing Banks to slide into his starting role. However, an NCAA waiver granting student-athletes who played at least one year of junior college an extra year of Division I eligibility meant McCoy — who spent two years at Laney College in California — could return for a final season.
“Having that experience is going to be huge for us,” cornerbacks coach Demario Warren said Tuesday. “(McCoy) did a great job in getting us a lot of (pass breakups), but trying to get him to make sure that he finishes some of those plays.”
That leaves Banks, who transferred from Washington ahead of the 2024 season, on the outside looking in.
Chinander said Monday that he wants to get Banks on the field, and the solution is moving him into the nickel spot.
“I think when you have a guy with his cover skills at nickel, you can do some more things with that position,” Chinander said.
In Chinander’s blitz-heavy defense, Banks could be part of the solution in replacing the quarterback pressures and sacks lost after Ahmed Hassanein’s graduation. Banks didn’t partake in many blitz packages last season, but when he did, he was effective: He picked up one sack for 14 yards and had several QB pressures.
Banks has already been putting weight on, he told reporters Tuesday. He was 180 pounds last season and aims to reach 195 by the start of the new season.
“I’ve been running a couple of blitzes and stuff like that in the spring, and I’ve been feeling good,” Banks said. “So I feel like it’s gonna be a good challenge, but I feel like I’m getting done.”
