Boise State star offensive lineman Kage Casey opts out of LA Bowl for NFL Draft
Boise State redshirt junior left tackle Kage Casey has opted out of Boise State’s LA Bowl matchup against Washington, coach Spencer Danielson announced on Friday afternoon.
Casey is the only Bronco to have opted out of the game, with the expectation that he’ll declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
“It’s something that me and him worked through,” Danielson said at a press conference ahead of the LA Bowl. “And we love Kage, he’s a Bronco forever, but he prayed about it and felt that his time had come to an end.”
Washington coach Jedd Fisch confirmed none of his players have opted out of the game.
Redshirt sophomore Kyle Cox is listed as the backup left tackle on Boise State’s depth chart and looks in line to start against Washington on Saturday evening. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Mountain Time at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Casey is projected as a day 2 selection in the NFL Draft, having entered the season surrounded by draft buzz and projected as high as the first round.
He was selected to the All-Mountain West First Team earlier this month, becoming the only current Bronco to earn the honor in back-to-back years.
“(Casey) is going to focus on the NFL,” Danielson said. “He’s a Bronco, I love Kage and wish him nothing but the best, but this week we’ve been just focused on our guys and this team and finishing what we started.”
Casey’s absence will put extra pressure on the Boise State run game to perform against the Huskies, whose defense has impressed against the run this season. Washington allows just 103.6 rushing yards per game and kept Oregon and Ohio State to below their season averages earlier this year.
Danielson said earlier this week that the Huskies have “two of the better edge guys” that Boise State has played all season.
Boise State vs Washington
- When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
- Where: SoFi Stadium (70,240, turf), Inglewood, California
- TV: ABC (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM / 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 9-4, 6-2 Mountain West; Washington 8-4, 5-4 Big Ten
- Series: Washington leads the series 4-2
- Betting line: Washington by 9.5
- Weather: 68 degrees, cloudy, 14% chance of rain
