Scott Slant: The transfer gateway gives more than it takes.
Where do we start with all that has transpired in the last few days? That would be Saturday night, with transfer quarterback Malachi Nelson from USC, who is considered as the highest-rated prospect in Boise State history, making a commitment. Everything happened so quickly; on Thursday, news of Nelson’s campus visit surfaced.
Then, on Sunday morning, wide receiver and Indiana transfer Cam Camper committed to the Broncos. Meanwhile, Ball State defensive end Tavion Woodward delivered another on Sunday afternoon. This comes after Cal cornerback Jeremiah Earby made a statement on Thursday night. Suddenly, the story surrounding Boise State’s 2024 season was no longer relevant. Bronco Nation should avoid getting ahead of itself, even though the news could not be better.
Malachi Nelson
Nelson, though, is a Bronco these days. After graduating from high school, Nelson had 25 offers from several universities, including Oklahoma (where he was initially committed) and USC (where he signed). But the present is more crucial than everything else. Who else was pursuing him on the transfer portal? From 247 Sports, this:
“He heard from some of the bigger brands across the country, including Alabama, Miami and Texas A&M to name a few, but Boise State was the one who immediately jumped to the forefront.” “Welcome mate, just remember me when and if you get to 3rd down and want a break,” tweeted James Ferguson-Reynolds, a punter for All-Mountain West, with Nelson included. It was the tweet of the weekend.
CAMERA CAMPER
Camper caught 63 passes for 854 yards and three scores in 15 games during his two seasons at Indiana. After an ACL tear ended his 2022 season, he had to miss the remaining four games of the current season due to an ACL cleanup procedure. That being said, it will be intriguing to see if Camper plays spring football.
Upon joining a wide receivers room that already contains 6-5 Prince Strachan and 6-3 Austin Bolt, his size of 6-2 and 195 pounds jumps out. Not only that, but 6-1 Latrell Caples is expected to be Boise State’s top receiver in 2022. The hometown of Caples is Lancaster, Texas, where Camper is from.
TAVION WOODARD
A pass rusher from Ball State was reportedly going to be brought by Tyler Stockton, the recently hired safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator at Boise State. The 6-4, 265-pound defensive end Woodard was the embodiment of that.
For the Cardinals, Woodard recorded 80 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 41 games across the course of four seasons. The inclusion of Woodard is crucial because Demitri Washington is no longer available (he missed the final eight games of the previous campaign). Ahmed Hassanein, an All-Mountain West defensive end, will be able to play with him for the Broncos.
Former Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox coached Earby while he was a player at Cal. Certainly, we can be in the minority if we don’t know anything about him. Earby informed 247 Sports shortly after via the portal, “I’ve heard from Boise State, Nevada, Virginia, TCU, Baylor, Oregon State, Michigan State, UNLV, UAB, Stanford, and UCLA.”
According to reports, Michigan State was the early favorite. Two interceptions, seventeen pass deflections, sixty-two tackles, and two fumble recoveries (including a scoop-and-score against Oregon State in 2022) were all records during Earby’s two seasons with the Bears. Size and skill are what he provides to a secondary that could use more of them at 6-2.
JONAH DALMAS IS THEN THERE
A sneak peek at Jonah Dalmas’s announcement on Fridayโthat he will be returning to Boise State for a fifth seasonโwas tucked in among all the explosive news. With regard to field goals, the Rocky Mountain native already holds the franchise and single-season records for the Broncos.
In order to surpass Christopher Dunn of North Carolina State’s 97 career NCAA career record, Dalmas needs to boot 80 during the following season. Dunn has held the mark for the last four years. While Dalmas will have enjoyed five seasons, some may wish to add an asterisk to that. However, keep in mind that Boise State played just seven games in the 2020 COVID-19 season, which left Dalmas underutilized.
WINS BY A wide margin.
It’s important to treasure any road victory in the Mountain West, and Boise State’s performance in the last minutes of their 78-69 victory over San Jose State on Friday night was noteworthy. It would have been detrimental to have lost against the Spartans, nevertheless. With just 2,287 people reporting in attendance, the Events Center appeared to be deserted, lulling the Broncos back to slumber.
Halftime saw Boise State down by seven points due to turnovers and a hot Spartan shooter. In less than four minutes, the Broncos managed to regain the lead after it was lost three minutes into the contest. However, O’Mar Stanley put up an incredible 30-11 double-double, while Tyson Degenhart added 17 points in the second half.
GETTING TOUGHER ONLY
Tuesday night’s matchup between Colorado State and the Pioneers is the first of several major contests in ExtraMile Arena this winter. As the AP Poll had the Rams at No. 13 heading into the weekend, they fell short on Saturday night, falling 77-72 at Utah State (which, as it turned out, was no shame). An aside to this: Oral Roberts was defeated 83-78 at home by Weber State on Saturday.
Thus, Boise State presently holds the longest home winning streak in the nation with 21 games. When playing CSU, if the Broncos manage to make it to 22? It would be quite amazing.
COPYING AND DRAGGIN
It will take the Broncos circling some wagons to finish it. According to the team’s party line, this season’s roster would be much deeper than the one from previous year. Early on, when coach Leon Rice was using a rotation of up to ten players, that seemed feasible. Only eight players, including two who played quite sparingly, were used by Rice at San Jose State; only four of them managed to score.
Even though Marcus Shaver Jr. used to be the dominant point guard for Boise State, O’Mar Stanley has proven to be an excellent post player. As of yet, Jace Whiting has not stepped forward to take Roddie Anderson III’s place. It’s really concerning because Rams star Isaiah Stevens will be joining. Nevertheless, the Broncos are determined to find a method because there are several ways to shine a penny.
NOW IN SPORTS…Exactly fifteen years ago, on January 8, 2009:
A fellow Heisman Trophy winner is defeated by Tim Tebow in a championship game, something he could never accomplish later in the NFL. Florida defeated Sam Bradford and Oklahoma 24โ14 under Tebow’s leadership in the BCS National Championship Game in Miami.
In addition to running for an extra 109 yards, Tebow completed 18 of 30 passes for 231 yards and two scores. With 256 yards and two touchdowns, Bradford concluded 26 of 41. All quarterbacks intercepted two passes. After four seasons under head coach Urban Meyer, it was the Gators’ second national championship.