Another wide receiver has left Boise State. Who’s left at that position?
Boise State football’s wide receiver room took another hit over the weekend.
Five-year veteran and Borah High School product Austin Bolt left the program, BSU football spokesperson Chris Kutz confirmed to the Idaho Statesman.
Kutz did not say why Bolt decided to leave. The football spring transfer portal closed in April, meaning Bolt won’t be eligible to play for another school in the 2025 season.
He’s the third loss at wide receiver in 2025, after Cam Camper graduated and Prince Strachan transferred to USC.
Bolt signed with Boise State in 2020, with then-head coach Bryan Harsin seeing Bolt as a tight end/H-back hybrid. A multisport athlete in high school, Bolt arrived after winning the 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year honor, but the injury bug really derailed his career with the Broncos.
Bolt moved to wide receiver ahead of the 2022 season, but didn’t make his first catch until November 2023 in a 37-30 loss at Fresno State. He had six catches in 2023 and ended 2024 with 16 receptions for 196 yards.
Who’s left at wide receiver for Boise State?
With Bolt’s departure, Boise State has six receivers on its 2025 roster who caught a pass last fall, and only two recorded at least 10 receptions: sixth-year player Latrell Caples (38) and redshirt senior Chase Penry (14).
In mid-April, Boise State wide receivers coach Matt Miller said the coaching staff was looking for a “mature” wide receiver in the transfer portal. Head coach Spencer Danielson doubled down on that goal following the Broncos’ spring game, saying his staff was actively recruiting a receiver as long as “he fits culturally who we are.”
Two players who should see an opportunity to break out in the fall are redshirt junior Chris Marshall and sophomore Cameron Bates.
Marshall joined Boise State in 2024, having started his college career at Texas A&M before going to a junior college. He impressed in limited action, but injuries kept him on the sidelines for most of the season. He had limited participation through spring camp, with Danielson saying Marshall was dealing with a soft tissue injury.
Bates featured primarily on special teams last fall, but he impressed the coaching staff in the spring.
“(Bates) does it all,” Danielson said in April. “I mean, he’s going to be doing kickoff return. He’s doing everything on offense. … He’s going to have a much bigger role this year, and he’s earned it.”
The Broncos have multiple freshman receivers joining the program, but Miller has said he doesn’t expect them to be called upon much in 2025.
“I don’t think it’s fair for those four freshmen coming in to have all those expectations,” Miller said. “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.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 1:24 PM.
