The football transfer portal closes this week. Here’s what Boise State wants
The college football spring transfer portal closes Friday, but Boise State is still hoping to bring in some new players by week’s end.
Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson met with the media following Boise State’s spring game Saturday and outlined his team’s needs in the portal.
“We’re going to actively recruit a receiver to be here, as long as he fits culturally who we are,” Danielson said. “We’re going to recruit a defensive tackle, and then we’re recruiting kind of the best available on defense, depending on what package we want to use more.”
A note on Danielson’s last want: Boise State has already been busy this week fulfilling its defensive needs. The program announced Monday afternoon the signing of former Eastern Washington redshirt sophomore safety Derek Ganter Jr.
Ganter arrives with three years of eligibility. A breakout season in 2024 saw him lead the Eagles with 95 total tackles, while also posting a sack and four pass breakups. He earned FCS Freshman All-American honors and was also a second-team All-Big Sky selection.
But with less than a week left until the portal slams shut, time is running out to find a wide receiver and defensive tackle.
Not including redshirt senior tight end Matt Lauter, the Broncos are returning just one of their top three receivers from 2024: sixth-year player Latrell Caples. Boise State lost leading receiver Cam Camper (903 yards) to graduation and soon-to-be junior Prince Strachan (304 yards) to the portal, where he decided to go to USC.
Sophomore receiver Cam Bates has impressed through the spring, and four freshmen will arrive this summer. Otherwise, the Broncos will be working with redshirt seniors Austin Bolt, Ben Ford and Chase Penry. Redshirt junior Chris Marshall is also back, but he missed most of 2024 and the spring game due to injury.
“I don’t think it’s fair for those four freshmen coming in to have all those expectations,” wide receivers coach Matt Miller said last week. “I think they are four really talented kids, but they’re not here right now. And we have some guys who maybe haven’t lived up to their expectations in that room.”
The Broncos also lost their top two interior defensive linemen this offseason. Redshirt junior defensive lineman David Latu, a transfer from BYU, impressed during the spring game, prompting Danielson to say Latu will be a “big-time defensive lineman for us.”
Danielson didn’t mention punting as an immediate need, but Boise State will have to find a replacement for senior punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, who entered the transfer portal last week. He was the only healthy punter on the roster this spring.
Incoming freshman Roland Podesta is listed as a kicker and punter, but was limited this spring with a leg injury. Danielson didn’t say if Boise State would be looking to find a new punter in the transfer portal, instead saying, “We are going to continue to go build up the guys we have and find someone that wants to be part of our team.”
