Contributors

By: Grant Michael

On 3/27/2025 Bronco Nation got some unfortunate news with star linebacker Andrew Simpson leaving for the transfer portal. In this new era of NIL schools like Boise State University have seen an increasing number of players leave for more money. Boise State does not have the resources of big donors like SEC schools and Oregon. Boise State Football has about 2 million dollars in NIL but is competing with schools with up to 20 million dollars. Players like Ashton Jeanty and Tyson Degenhart are a dime a dozen. Ashton Jeanty could have easily left Boise State last year and made 3x the amount he did here. We don’t know any reasons why star linebacker Andrew Simpson hit the transfer portal, but one thing is for sure and that is that he will get a nice payday. Let’s look at how the Boise State linebacker core will look to replace 45 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception of Andrew Simpson. 

Notable Names

Left: Andrew Simpson (Transfer Portal), Jake Ripp (Move to Edge Position), 

Returning: Marco Notarainni (R-Sr), Chase Martin (Jr), Clay Martineau (So), Syncere Brackett 

(G-Fr)

New: Mana Tuioti (Fr), *most likely one transfer portal addition*

Marco Notarainni has been the backbone of this linebacker core for the last two years. He might not be the flashiest of players, but he is a player who is exceptionally smart on and off the field. Marco is a player who is always a step ahead of the offense and always in a position to make plays or set up the defense pre-snap for success. In the last 2 years, Marco has racked up 113 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. I see Marco getting an increased number of snaps due to Andrew Simpson’s departure. I expect Marco to take this young group of linebackers under his wing and lead them to success. 

A young player that I see making a jump in production is Clay Martineau. Clay was a four-star linebacker out of Oregon City, Oregon in the Boise State 2024 recruiting class. Last year Clay saw little playing time playing behind Andrew Simpson and Marco Notarainni. Clay tallied 2 tackles and 1 sack last year mostly contributing on special teams. Clay would bring some length in this rotation standing at 6’3” 220lbs. I expect Clay to make a bigger impact in the linebacking core this year.

Linebackers are some of the most important and versatile positions on the defensive side of the ball. Typically, Linebackers are the ones who set up the defensive lineman and call out movement or defensive audibles to the rest of the team. It takes brains and guts to play linebacker and it will be interesting to see who will be beside Marco Notarainni on opening day for your Boise State Broncos. 

Lastly, I want to thank everyone at Bronco Nation Updates, Chirs Van Sickle, and all of Bronco Nation for all the support I have received from these articles. I am beyond grateful to share some insight and opinion on Boise State sports with this community. If you or anyone you know would like me to write about a certain topic, sport, etc. please reach out to me on any of my socials.

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By: Grant Michael
This week I want to discuss a position group that received a lot of heat last year. The defensive back position was a serious source of angst for the fanbase in 2024. The pass defense of the Boise State Broncos gave up an average of 241 passing yards per game, ranking 106 th of 133 teams nationally.  The Broncos’ pass defense also only had 7 interceptions last year, one of which was by linebacker Andrew Simpson. The Broncos, at times, seemed to struggle to find the ball on deep routes which turned out to be an open invitation for game changing big plays. Let’s take a look at who may turn this defensive back group in to a force instead of a liability.

Who’s gone: 

Alexander Teubner, Markel Reed, Rodney Robinson, Kaonohi Kaniho, Seyi Oladipo

Who’s returning: 

Ty ‘Buck’ Benefield (Jr), Jeremiah Earby (Sr), A’Marion McCoy (5th year), Franklyn Johnson Jr. (R-So), Davon Banks (R-Sr), Zion Washington (R-Sr)

Who’s new: 

Dominik Calhoun (Fr), Ja’Bree Bickham (Fr), Arthur de Boachie (Fr), Demetrius Freeney (R-Jr) transfer Arizona, Jaden Mickey (R-Jr) transfer Notre Dame, Tahj Crutchfield (Fr), Jaylen Webb (Jr)

A player I expect to make another jump in both leadership and coverage skills is Ty Benefield. Benefield made a noticeable leap from his Freshman to his Sophomore year.  Benefield led the team in tackles, interceptions, and was tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries last year. Benefield is already a big contributor on the back half of this defense. With the loss of Ahmed Hassanein and Alexander Tuebner, who were the captains and leaders of the defense, I would expect Benefield to take over this role and continue to be the defensive statisticalleader.

My under-the-radar pick for defensive backs who may make an impact this year is a player you may have never heard of. His name is Franklyn Johnson Jr. and last year he was a redshirt freshman who saw very little playing time but showed much potential and growth in practice last year and at this year’s Spring Camp. Johnson isn’t the biggest defensive back at 5’ 10” and 172 pounds, but he has long arms and a high-speed motor. The biggest problem Boise State defensive backs had last season was losing receivers in the secondary and being unable to close the gap when the pass was directed at them. Johnson has the speed to close those gaps with opposing wide receivers and create some pass breakups. I fully expect Johnson to see the field a lot more this year.

A strong defensive back core can certainly help boost the pass rush since the linebackers are more able to free up for blitzes and plug rushing holes. I’m sure the coaching staff is looking to maximize the potential of this new and talented group.

By: Grant Michael

This week we’re diving into the offensive side of the ball. Let’s take a look at the Boise State Broncos’ Quarterback room. Who has left… Who is returning…and a few that might make an impact.

Quarterbacks: 

Gone: Malachi Nelson

Returning: Maddux Madsen (R-Jr), Max Cutforth(R-So), Kaleb Annett (R-Fr)

New: Zeke Martinez (Fr), Trenton Giles (Jr), Jack Benson (Jr)

No big splashes this offseason for the BSU QB room.  Unlike last year, Madsen will start in ’25 without much controversy. The highly touted 5-star QB Malachi Nelson failed to beat out Maddux Madsen. Nelson was one and done after entering the transfer portal before the Broncos Fiesta Bowl appearance. Nelson is nowheaded to the University of Texas at El Paso(UTEP).We wish him the best of luck and thank him for helping light a fire under Madsen!

This year Madsen is working with a new Offensive Coordinator in Nate Potter who was the Tight End coach and Assistant Offensive Coordinator last year.Potter is taking over for the retired Dirk Koetter and looks to add a new touch to this offense. It will be interesting to see how much Potter takes from theKoetter offensive template and how many new schemes he will add.

Madsen is also working with a new but familiar face to us in QB coach Zak Hill. Hill served as the OC/QB coach for BSU from 2016-2020. In 2021 Hill left Boise to become the OC/QB coach at Arizona State under Herm Edwards.  After the 2021 season, Hill left afterstaff got in trouble for a recruiting scandal. Hill is still dealing with that issue and won’t be able to recruit off campus for the Broncos.

A QB I am keeping my eyes on to make a splash this Spring is Kaleb Annett. Annett is a redshirt freshman who enrolled last year but sat behind Madsen and Nelson. The staff decided that it would be a smart idea to redshirt him to save a year of eligibility.  Annettplayed his high school ball at Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, CA. Annett had a pretty good senior year gaining over 2,750 yards and 35 total touchdowns. Watching Annett’s film shows his potential as a pocket passer.  In addition, when moved out of the pocket, he’s calm under pressure and not afraid to sling it down the field.

Unfortunately we won’t have any answers to these questions until August 28th when Boise State faces off against the University of Southern Florida. Besides, what good is the off-season if we can’t day dream about what our boys in blue and orange may look like this coming season!

By: Grant Michael

Well ladies and gentlemen, it’s already that time of the year. It feels like just a couple of weeks ago we were watching BSU in the Fiesta Bowl.  Now we are just days away from Spring practice for the Broncos.  With the new season just around the bend, I want to break down one position group each week until the Boise State Spring game.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at who has departed us and who might be making an impact at the Defensive End/Edge group.

Defensive End:  No longer with us… Ahmed  Hassanein, Tavon Woodard, Gabe Hunter

Returning: Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Max Stege, Jake Ripp, Joseph Marsh, Roman Caywood, Troy Grizzle

New: Jaden Williams, Bol Bol, Malakai Williams (Transfer from Idaho), DeShawn Toilolo, Markell Bowens, Ryder Swanson

With the loss of Hassanein, who not only was a productive player on the field but a leader of this defense, I expect Virgin-Morgan to assume a leadership role and take another big leap this year in production. The question this leaves me with is who will step up across the line from Virgin-Morgan?

Another player to keep an eye on is Jake Ripp.  Ripp was a linebacker last year that we heard a lot of good things about in spring camp but he didn’t get much playing time behind Marco Notarainni and Andrew Simpson.  According to the new 2025 roster for the Broncos, Ripp has been moved to the Edge. It will be interesting to see Ripp’s transition from Linebacker to this fresh spot.

A dark horse player to watch this year is Max Stege.  Stege, like Ahmed, is an international player.  Stege is a German player who is still a project for Boise State but has shown some potential.  Stege had limited playing time last year, but when he was on the field, he was a force rushing the passer. I will be very curious to see if  Spencer Danielson and company can turn this product into the next Ahmed Hassanien.

The Edge is all about speed and power. I fully expect Coach Frazier and Danielson to have this group running on all cylinders. If they do, I would expect another top 10 production in sacks this year.