August 23, 2026

Article By Nick Wade

There is a certain amount of accountability that comes with putting your name behind a breakout-player prediction. Last year, I made that commitment when I selected Boise State running back Dylan Riley as my Nick’s Pick Breakout Player. At the time, Riley had flashed enough in limited opportunities to suggest something bigger was coming. He delivered far beyond a modest breakout.

In 2025, Riley carried the ball 195 times for 1,125 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He added 15 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with 1,274 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns. That pick worked.

Now it is time to put another name on the line. My 2026 Nick’s Pick is Boise State safety Kyle Hall. Hall is not necessarily the obvious choice. In fact, there is a very legitimate argument to be made for Travis Anderson at free safety, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Anderson brings to this Boise State defense. But after watching the competition develop and considering what Hall accomplished before arriving on the Blue, I believe there is too much here to overlook.

The physical comparison immediately stands out. Hall is listed at 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds. Those are almost identical measurements to former Boise State safety Ty Benefield, who was also listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds during his Bronco career. That comparison is not being made because Hall is expected to simply become another Benefield. It is being made because Boise State just lost one of the most productive safeties in the country, and Hall possesses the frame, experience and physical tools to help fill the void.

Benefield had a remarkable 2025 season, leading Boise State with 105 total tackles while earning first-team All-Mountain West honors and Mountain West Championship Game Defensive MVP recognition. He ultimately transferred to LSU rather than entering the NFL Draft. Head coach Spencer Danielson made it clear just how much Benefield meant to the program.

“I absolutely did not see him leaving here,” Danielson said. “I thought it was either going pro or staying.” That departure created an enormous question at safety. It also created an opportunity.

Hall arrived at Boise State with something many young defensive backs do not have: meaningful college experience in a championship environment. Before becoming a Bronco, Hall spent two seasons at the College of San Mateo, helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back 3C2A state championships. His 2025 team finished 12-1 and captured its second consecutive state title.

Hall was not simply a passenger on those championship teams. As a freshman in 2024, he appeared in all 13 games and produced 27 tackles, including 19 solo stops. He intercepted three passes, recovered a fumble and broke up four passes. As a sophomore in 2025, he again played all 13 games and finished with 34 tackles, 22 of them solo, along with one interception, one fumble recovery, one tackle for loss and five pass breakups. He was named first-team All-Bay 6.

That gives Hall 61 tackles, 41 solo tackles, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and nine pass breakups during his two seasons at San Mateo. Those numbers matter. So does the environment in which he produced them. San Mateo has become one of the premier junior college football programs in California, and Hall’s development occurred inside a program that expected to compete for championships. The Bulldogs’ 2025 state championship was their second straight and third in four seasons.

There was even evidence of Hall’s playmaking ability early in his San Mateo career. Against Fresno City College in 2024, Hall intercepted two passes, including a goal-line interception late in a 14-7 victory. The second takeaway helped preserve a one-score game as the Bulldogs’ defense repeatedly came through in critical moments. San Mateo head coach Tim Tulloch described that defensive mentality perfectly after the game.

“Defense played lights out,” Tulloch said. “Came up big.” That championship mentality is one of the reasons I believe Hall has a chance to make a much quicker transition than a typical newcomer. And Boise State’s coaching staff has already noticed. Danielson specifically mentioned Hall when discussing the Broncos’ safety competition, saying Hall is “a guy coming from junior college who has done a really good job.” That quote should not be overlooked.

Neither should the fact that Boise State’s safety room is going to demand versatility. The Broncos lost Benefield and Zion Washington from last year’s secondary, creating two starting positions that needed to be addressed. Derek Ganter Jr. has significant experience and is a legitimate candidate to anchor at strong safety, while Anderson has shown enough ability to warrant serious consideration.

Anderson is the player I understand people gravitating toward. There is something special about the way Anderson played defense in high school. He had the ability to seemingly turn games off defensively, making plays that changed the entire complexion of a game. His instincts and playmaking ability make him a fascinating player to watch as he continues developing at Boise State.

But I keep coming back to Hall. I keep coming back to the 6-foot-2, 209-pound frame. I keep coming back to the two years of college football. I keep coming back to four interceptions, 61 tackles and nine pass breakups. And I keep coming back to the fact that he has already played championship football. That combination is difficult to ignore.

Boise State’s 2026 spring prospectus listed Hall alongside Ganter, Roman Tillmon and Anderson in a safety room featuring a wide variety of experience and physical profiles. The competition is real. Hall is not being handed anything. But that is exactly what makes this prediction interesting.

If Hall is not the starter when Boise State opens the season, I still believe his opportunity will come. Whether it is at strong safety or free safety, I expect his experience and physicality to eventually force his way into the conversation. And once he gets onto the field consistently, I believe the production will follow.

There is another reason I like this pick. Hall does not have to become Ty Benefield. He simply has to become Kyle Hall. Benefield’s departure left a massive statistical hole in the Boise State defense. Hall has the opportunity to establish his own identity while bringing a similar physical profile to the back end of the defense.

Boise State is entering the PAC-12 with a rebuilt secondary and a schedule that will demand communication, discipline and toughness from every defensive back. The margin for error will be smaller, and the Broncos will need players capable of handling the pressure that comes with playing meaningful snaps against quality offenses. Hall has already experienced the pressure of championship football. Now he gets the opportunity to experience it on the biggest stage of his career.

Last year, I picked Dylan Riley because I believed the opportunity was bigger than the number of carries he had accumulated. This year, I am making the same kind of bet on Kyle Hall. The opportunity is there. The physical tools are there. The championship experience is there. The production is there. And perhaps most importantly, the competition should bring out the best in him.

So whether Kyle Hall begins the season as Boise State’s starting safety or has to earn the job over the opening weeks, I believe Bronco fans should pay close attention to No. 20. Because if my Nick’s Pick history is any indication, the next breakout player may already be waiting in the secondary.

Kyle Hall is my 2026 Nick’s Pick Breakout Player.