BOISE, Idaho — In an era of college football where players are allowed to move more freely, the Boise State football team experienced a remarkable amount of roster turnover this offseason.
26 players with remaining eligibility off the 2022 roster left the program for one reason or another. At least 10 transferred elsewhere to play, with three deciding to move to Provo, Utah, to play for BYU. Four more declined to use their optional COVID waiver to gain an additional year of eligibility, while two players – JL Skinner and Scott Matlock – successfully tested the NFL Draft waters.
When you include the traditional class of graduating seniors that exhausted their eligibility last season, it meant head coach Andy Avalos and his staff went out and added 41 new players to the roster prior to the start of fall camp. The group includes 27 freshman and 14 transfers.
In all, Avalos – who is kicking off his third season as the head coach at Boise State – has signed 60 of the 85 total players on scholarship.
“We’ve talked a lot about reestablishing the foundation and what it means to be humble and hungry, [to have] low ego and high output, and have fun doing it. It’s really cool to see how this team has come together," Avalos said. “That’s intentional in how we recruit. The more we’re here, we find what fits. We have to be very specific about personnel. It’s really been fun to bring it together.”
INCOMING TRUE FRESHMAN
- Ty Benefield, S
- Demanuel Brown, Jr., DE
- Cayden Dawson, TE
- Jambres Dubar, RB
- Oliver Fisher, TE
- Kyle Fox, OT
- Jackson Grier, WR
- Nick Hawthorne, S
- Franklyn Johnson, Jr., CB
- Michael Madrie, DT
- Wyatt Milkovic, LB
- Carson Rasmussen, OL*
- Jason Steele, OL
- Max Stege, DT
- Gabe Tahir, CB
- Khai Taylor, CB
- CJ Tiller, QB
- Matt Wagner, TE
*Played high school football in Idaho
Note: As fall camp begins, additional players, especially walk-ons, are usually added to the roster. We’ll update this list as necessary.
TRANSFERS
- Chase Penry, WR, R-So.
Transferred from Colorado. The former three-star recruit caught 10 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in 15 career appearances for the Buffaloes.
Eligibility: Has three years to play three years.
- Tyler Wegis, DE, R-Jr.
Transferred from Utah. The former three-star recruit had one tackles in one career appearance for the Utes.
Eligibility: Has two years to play two years, plus an optional COVID-year since he was a true freshman in 2020.
- A'Marion McCoy, CB, Jr.
Transferred from Laney College, a community college in Oakland, Calif. He finished with 62 tackles, six interceptions and nine pass breakups in two years with the Eagles.
Eligibility: Has three years to play two years.
- Titus Toler, S, R-Sr.
Transferred from Wisconsin. The former three-star recruit has seven tackles and an interception in seven career appearances for the Badgers.
Eligibility: Has one year to play one year, plus an optional COVID-year since he was a redshirt freshman in 2020.
- Milo Lopez, S, Jr.
Transferred from Cerritos College, a community college in Norwalk, Calif. He finished with 101 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups and appeared in all 22 games for the Falcons over the last two seasons.
Eligibility: Has three years to play two years.
- Kivon Wright, EDGE, R-Fr.
Transferred from Boston College. The former three-star recruit didn’t appear in a game during his redshirt season last fall.
Eligibility: Has four years to play four years.
- Brett Tommasini, LB, R-So.
Transferred from Idaho. The former two-star recruit appeared in five games for the Vandals over the last two seasons. Tommasini was the 5A SIC West Defensive Player of the Year at Eagle High School in 2020.
- Nikolai Bujnowski, OL, R-So.
Transferred from Virginia Tech. He walked on to the Hokies in 2020, but never appeared in game. He briefly committed to Rutgers this offseason before flipping his commitment to Boise State.
Eligibility: Has three years to play three years.
- Ethan Carde, OT, Sr.
Transferred from Texas Tech. The former three-star recruit appeared in 29 career games for the Red Raiders, including nine starts.
Eligibility: Has two years to play one year because he never redshirted. This is his COVID-year.
- Favor Komolafe, OL, So.
Transferred from Los Medanos Community College in Pittsburg, Calif. Appeared in seven games on the offensive line as a true freshman for the Mustangs last season.
Eligibility: Has four years to play three years.
- Tyler Keinath, OL, R-So.
Transferred from Western Illinois. Appeared in five games for the Leathernecks last season.
Eligibility: Three years to play three years.
- Sheldon Newton, NT, Sr.
Transferred from Northern Arizona. He finished with 65 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, 5.0 sacks and two fumble recoveries in three seasons for the Lumberjacks.
Eligibility: Two years to play one year because he never redshirted.
- Howard Brown, NT, R-So.
Transferred from Iowa State. The former three-star recruit appeared in six games and finished with three tackles for the Cylones last season.
Eligibility: Three years to play three years.
- Zach Holmes, OL, R-So.
Transferred from Oregon State. The former two-star recruit never appeared in a game for the Beavers.
Eligibility: Three years to play three years.
LEFT THE PROGRAM
- Joseph Amos, OL
- Hank Bachmeier, QB (Transferred to Louisiana Tech)
- Isaiah Bagnah, EGDE (Transferred to BYU)
- Isaiah Bradford, S
- Russell Corrigan, TE (Transferred to Concordia St. Paul)
- Jackson Cravens, NT (Transferred to BYU)
- Justus Del Rio, CB
- Will Ferrin, K/P (Transferred to BYU)
- Brandon Hawkins, WLB (Declined to use optional COVID year of eligibility)
- Kekaniokoa Holomalia-Gonzalez, C (Declined to use optional COVID year of eligibility)
- Tyneil Hopper, TE (Transferred to Michigan State)
- Cord Kringlen, OL
- Tyric LeBeauf, CB (Declined to use optional COVID year of eligibility)
- Scott Matlock, DT (Entered NFL Draft)
- Chip Mitchell, CB (Transferred to College of Idaho)
- Tyson Molio’o, OL
- Elelyon Noa, RB
- Andy Nwaoko, EGDE (Transferred to Stony Brook)
- Connor Riddle, WR (Declined to use optional COVID year of eligibility)
- Julian Simpson, OL
- JL Skinner, S (Entered NFL Draft)
- Ty Tanner, LB (Going on a Mission)
- Rejhan Tatum, MLB
- Sam Vidlak, QB (Transferred to Montana)
- Gavin Wale, P
- Deven Wright, EDGE (Transferred to Texas State)
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