Boise State football spring practice position battles to watch

A new era of Boise State football will officially begin next week.

The Broncos, who closed their run in the Mountain West with three straight conference titles, are set to begin spring practice on Thursday, March 26. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State are all leaving the MWC for the Pac-12 this summer.

Boise State’s annual spring game will be held on Saturday, April 25.

With spring practice kicking off in nine days, Boise State Broncos on SI is highlighting three position battles to watch as the Broncos transition from the MWC to the Pac-12.

Wide receiver

The Broncos have some serious holes to fill at wide receiver with the loss of Latrell Caples (51 receptions, 617 yards, three touchdowns), Chris Marshall (30 receptions, 574 yards, two TDs) and Chase Penry (30 receptions, 394 yards, one TD).

Sixth-year senior Ben Ford appeared in seven games last year and caught 21 passes for 325 yards and five TDs before suffering a season-ending leg injury. Ford’s status for spring practice is unknown.

Junior Cam Bates and sophomore Quinton Brown were both in the receiver rotation last season and could challenge for starting roles.

The Broncos added a pair of potential instant-impact transfers in Darren Morris (Southern University) and Akeem Wright (DeAnza College). Wright dominated during his two seasons at the junior college level with 112 receptions for 2,137 yards and 25 touchdowns in 22 games. Morris has 77 career receptions for 1,256 yards and nine TDs.

Four-star true freshman Terrious Favors is also a candidate for early playing time.

Left tackle

Boise State’s best offensive player during the 2025 season was left tackle Kage Casey, who recently participated in the NFL Combine.

While the Broncos do return three regular starters on the offensive line in Roger Carreon (right guard), Daylon Metoyer (right tackle) and Jason Steele (left guard), left tackle remains a question mark entering the spring.

Senior Tyler Ethridge, a transfer from Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo, is a candidate to take over for Casey. Ethridge made 29 starts for the ThunderWolves and was a two-time all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection.

Ethridge will likely compete with junior Kyle Cox, who started in place of Casey in the LA Bowl and struggled against Washington’s dominant defensive front.

Redshirt freshman Jacob Tracy could also be in the mix at left tackle.

Safety

The Broncos must replace departed starters Ty Benefield and Zion Washington, and head coach Spencer Danielson hit the portal to add safety depth.

Junior Roman Tillmon, a transfer from South Dakota, is a strong candidate to take over for Benefield. Fellow transfer Kyle Hall (College of San Mateo) could also be in the mix to start.

Junior Derek Ganter Jr., who transferred in from Eastern Washington last offseason, is another potential starter at safety.

Ganter Jr., Hall and Tillmon should all get plenty of reps this spring.