Two Boise State players receive preseason All-America honors

Preseason honors continue to roll in for some of Boise State’s top players.

Offensive tackle Kage Casey and edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan were both selected as preseason All-Americans by Athlon Sports, the publication announced on Tuesday.

Casey was placed on the second team offense while Virgin-Morgan made the fourth team defense.

The 6-foot-5, 316-pound Casey is entering his junior season with the Broncos. He started all 14 games each of the past two years and is a two-time all-Mountain West recipient.

Casey earned a Pro Football Focus blocking efficiency grade of 99.3 as a sophomore, the third-best mark among FBS tackles. He notched a team-high 947 snaps last year and did not allow a sack in 440 opportunities.

With Casey and others leading the way up front, Boise State’s run-heavy offense ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing yards per game (240.4), total yards per game (466), scoring average (37.3) and third-down conversion percentage (49.5 percent). Tailback Ashton Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Casey was previously named to preseason All-America teams by Phil Steele and Walter Camp.

The 6-foot-3, 253-pound Virgin-Morgan is also entering his junior season.

The edge rusher recorded a team-high 10 sacks a season ago while also tallying 40 total tackles (15.5 for loss), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was a first-team all-MWC selection.

Virgin-Morgan was a key piece of a Boise State pass rush unit that led the country in sacks last year with 55.

Boise State edge rusher coach Jabril Frazier expects Virgin-Morgan to have a monster junior season.

“He’s a guy who’s been putting in the work constantly, day in and day out,” Frazier said of Virgin-Morgan during spring practice. “He had a really good spring in the weight room. He’s put on some more weight, more mass. He’s got more strength and I feel is even more explosive now.

“The one thing you see now with Jayden is the confidence he has in himself in his game and his leadership role. He’s been stepping up each and every day. The guys look up to him. When you’re able to make plays on the football field, guys are like ‘I want to look up to that guy.’”

On Monday, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson was named to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list.

The Dodd Trophy is awarded annually to a coach who succeeds on the field while also emphasizing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity — the three pillars of Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.

Danielson holds a career 15-3 overall record (83.3 winning percentage) at Boise State. The Broncos finished 12-2 overall last year and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

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