Ashton Jeanty can’t be replaced, but Boise State’s offensive coordinator works on a plan
Boise State will head into 2025 with a new offensive coordinator and without one of the best college running backs of the past 20 years.
Don’t expect that to change the identity of the Broncos.
Nate Potter met with the media for the first time as offensive coordinator on Monday, having taken over for Dirk Koetter, who stepped down at the end of last season to become a senior analyst with the program.
Potter has been on the Boise State staff since 2022, and he played for the Broncos from 2007-11. He served as the tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2024, when Ashton Jeanty ran roughshod over opponents behind a strong offensive line.
Despite some significant changes this offseason, Potter said he still expects Boise State to play a “physical brand” of football.
“I think the DNA of who we are offensively is not going to change,” Potter said. “In order to be a successful offense, to win football games, you have to run the football. So that is not going to change.”
Boise State ranked 8th in the nation in 2024 for rushing yards per game (240.4), buoyed by the historic effort of Jeanty, who had 2,601 rushing yards — the second most in a single season in college football history.
So if the offense is going to have success running the ball down defense’s throats in 2025, what will that look like?
The Broncos entered spring practice with four running backs: returning players Jambres Dubar, Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley, and Fresno State transfer Malik Sherrod. Incoming freshmen running backs Greg Ard and Ja’Bree Bickham, both from McKinney, Texas, will join the team in the summer.
“Those guys have been competing tremendously hard, and they’re making a ton of plays,” Potter said. “Malik Sherrod has been a great addition to our program. Dylan Riley, as a young guy, is exploding and doing all sorts of things — not just in the run game, but every aspect: special teams, protection.”
But there are still things to be worked out in the backfield alongside redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen. Potter said they’ve not even decided whether there will be a designated RB1 or it will be running back by committee.
Gaines, a redshirt freshman, is perhaps the most exciting prospect. In his collegiate debut last year against Georgia Southern, he had 154 total yards and two touchdowns, including 110 yards on the ground. But he played just three games before suffering an injury that left him sidelined for the rest of the season to preserve his redshirt.
He continues to recover from a lower-body injury, and Potter couldn’t provide a timeline as to when Gaines would be ready.
Sherrod arrived in the Treasure Valley after four years at Mountain West foe Fresno State, where he accumulated 1,554 career rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He played just four games in 2024 before missing the rest of the season with an injury.
“I think that experience shows. I think he’s played a lot of football, and you can tell when you watch him on the field,” Potter said. “I think he’s very confident, and I love that about him. He’s also a very smart player and very versatile.”
The Broncos also can keep working with Riley, a sophomore, and Dubar, a junior. The pair have been at Boise State since they arrived in college, but a mixture of injuries and Jeanty’s dominance has meant that neither has had much chance to impress.
Dubar appeared in seven games last season as he struggled with injuries, while Riley featured primarily on special teams. Riley showed off his speed with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Utah State.
The incoming freshmen will give the team a half-dozen players in the running back room.
“As an offensive coordinator, that’s what you want,” Potter said. “I think the running back position takes a toll on guys’ bodies, so having guys and having depth in that room is huge for them, but it just helps us offensively. And it creates competition, and that’s what drives everybody to get better.”
