Boise State retools secondary with promising junior college safety

Boise State has been active during the 2026 college football offseason, adding 18 transfers from the Division I, Division II and junior college ranks.

With spring practice set to begin next month, Boise State Broncos on SI is taking a look at the five transfer portal additions who are most likely to make an immediate impact as the Broncos transition from the Mountain West to the Pac-12.

The reborn Pac-12, which released its 2026 football schedule earlier this month, will be comprised of current members Oregon State and Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State of the MWC and Texas State of the Sun Belt. West Coast Conference power Gonzaga is also joining as a non-football member.

We began our Boise State instant-impact transfer series with a breakdown of running back Juelz Goff and running back wide receiver Akeem Wright. We will now move on to a promising safety from the junior college ranks.

Kyle Hall, safety (College of San Mateo)

Much like the wide receiver position, Boise State has several slots to fill in the defensive backfield heading into the 2026 season.

Starting cornerbacks A’Marion McCoy and Jeremiah Earby and safety Zion Washington are all out of eligibility. Fellow safety Ty Benefield—the Broncos’ leading tackler last year—transferred to LSU, leaving the Broncos with four starting roles to fill in the back end.

Kyle Hall, a transfer from College of San Mateo, has a clear path to early playing time for Boise State.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hall helped lead College of San Mateo to back-to-back 3C2A state championships at the junior college level. Hall notched 27 total tackles, three interceptions, four pass breakups and a fumble recovery as a freshman while recording 34 total tackles, one pick, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery last year.

Hall, a first-team all-Bay 6 selection as a sophomore, was tabbed as a three-star JUCO prospect by 247Sports. He was rated the No. 68 overall JUCO recruit nationally and the No. 7 safety by 247Sports.

Hall chose Boise State over reported offers from Fresno State and Oregon State, among others.

Coming out of the California Bay Area’s Rocklin High School, Hall was an unranked prep prospect. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining with a redshirt year available.

Hall, fellow transfer Roman Tillmon (South Dakota) and returning junior Derek Ganter Jr. are the top candidates to start at safety in Boise State’s rebuilt secondary next season.