BOISE, Idaho — (Tom Scott’s column will return Friday, August 29)
Friday Special…August 22, 2024.
The buzz for Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is kind of overwhelming. And a lot of it has to do with what will happen after the season. We’re about eight months away from the NFL Draft, but here we go. One of the prognosticators worth following is Dane Brugler of The Athletic, and he has unveiled his first “NFL Draft 2025 Big Board,” his top 50 prospects. Jeanty is No. 25, the highest-ranked running back on the list, first-round territory. You’ve gotta love Brugler’s narrative: “I have watched tape on almost 1,000 draft-eligible prospects, but I can comfortably say Jeanty has been one of my favorites, because of the frequent magic acts he pulls with the football in his hands. The man hates to be tackled. Factor in his impressive receiving skills, and Jeanty has separated himself as my RB1 entering the 2024 season.”
JEANTY’S WATCH LIST HAUL
Jeanty has been named to six preseason watch lists, including the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the nation’s best receiver. He’s the only running back on that docket and is believed to be the first non-Power 5 running back to be named to the Biletnikoff watch list since at least the turn of the century.. Longtime AP college football writer Ralph Russo has Jeanty winning the Doak Walker Award. He’d be the first non-power conference to win that honor in 23 years.
This isn’t a watch list—it’s Bruce Feldman’s annual college football Freaks List in The Athletic—players who are strong beyond reason. And it’s an appropriate one for Jeanty, who’s No. 54. Feldman gives us the stats you don’t often hear: “Jeanty repeatedly has topped 22 miles per hour in games and squatted more than 605 pounds before Broncos strength coaches wouldn’t allow him to go any heavier. He power cleaned 340 pounds. The strength coaches calculated that he has a strength-to-bodyweight ratio of 6.23.”
WATCHING THIS ONE
We talked earlier this month about a particular postseason watch list that counts—the Senior Bowl watch list. It’s out now, and four Boise State players are on it: Jeanty, offensive linemen Kage Casey and Mason Randolph and defensive end Ahmed Hassanein. Obviously, they include underclassmen—Hassanein is the only actual senior in the group. There is one clear snub here. Is not Jonah Dalmas worthy of watching, Senior Bowl? Their website says, “To all players not listed, please know this is just a starting point.” Some consolation for Jonah, I guess.
QB CUPBOARD FULL FOR THE TIME BEING
Alas, Boise State isn’t going to skip getting a quarterback for the 2025 recruiting class, even though the Broncos already have one for 2026. Hezekiah Millender, a three-star prospect from Athens, GA, gave the program his verbal on Tuesday night. He’s a 6-4, 210-pounder, according to 247 Sports, and he just moved to Georgia with his family from Arizona. Millender, who also plays basketball, appears to be an athletic dual-threat guy. Last week the Broncos picked up a quarterback for the 2026 class, Jackson Presley of Kalispell, MT. Add Millender and Presley to true freshman Kaleb Arnett, and the Broncos have a full QB room. But, of course, beware the transfer portal down the line…
LATRELL ‘BEEN THERE, DONE THAT’ CAPLES
When I saw the stats (the ones that were released) from last Saturday’s Boise State scrimmage, I did a double-take. Latrell Caples had seven catches for 184 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown. Hey, the Broncos’ record for longest catch is 98 yards—Lawrence Bady from Ryan Dinwiddie back in 2003. Sure, it was a scrimmage, but Caples was working against a pretty good defense. Here’s the deal. The Boise State wide receivers room has been reconstructed this year. Transfers Cam Camper and Chris Marshall have big-time pedigrees but are new to the program. Austin Bolt and Prince Strachan didn’t get going until late last season. Because of injury, we never got to see Chase Penry at his best. Boise State needs a lead character, and Caples has done it before. After an unfortunate year off, he can do it again.
ANOTHER STANDOUT FROM ACROSS THE SEAS?
I, for one, am anxious to see how Max Stege contributes to Boise State at defensive end this fall. Does he have a chance to build an Ahmed Hassanein-type story, at least on the field? He could if he can work his way into the D-line rotation. Stege is from Germany and started playing football when he was 14. Next thing you know he was captain of Germany’s U19 international team, and he got a scholarship offer from Boise State.
Stege made his official visit in September two years ago and committed almost immediately. He had never seen anything like it in Germany—the crowd, the tailgating, the atmosphere. And that was a day game against UT Martin. Fast forward to this year. Stege missed spring football with an injury, but he was one of the players coach Spencer Danielson mentioned at the outset of fall camp. Danielson dropped his name again after last Saturday’s scrimmage, where he had five tackles and a sack.
BACHMEIER STILL BATTLIN’
Boise State is idle in Week 0, so let’s use the calm before the storm to check in on a former Bronco, quarterback Hank Bachmeier. It’s been almost two years since Bachmeier jumped into the transfer portal. He ended up at Louisiana Tech last season, where he threw for 2,058 yards with 10 touchdowns against five interceptions. Bachmeier’s completion percentage was a career-high 67.7 percent. Now he’s at Wake Forest, where fall camp ended on Monday. But coach Dave Clawson still hasn’t named a starter between Bachmeier and Michael Kern, who was a reserve last season. Here’s the most ominous stat for Hank: Wake Forest, which went 4-8 last year, was third-to-last in the FBS with 4.08 sacks allowed per game. Bachmeier needs protection in the pocket, lest he be faced with a sour sixth-year.
COOL UNDER THE LIGHTS
You’d think a 7 p.m. kickoff on August 31 would be a brilliant anti-heat move. But College of Idaho might recommend jackets to its fans Saturday night for the season opener against Lincoln University. Not that it won’t be great football weather. C of I is billing it as the first night game in Simplot Stadium history. The Yotes, coming off a 10-3 campaign that saw them make the semifinals of the NAIA Playoffs, are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA Preseason Poll. C of I lost a lot off last year’s squad, but it didn’t lose quarterback Andy Peters. The senior from Timberline High threw for a school-record 3,442 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2023.
FEELS LIKE OLD TIMES AT HILLCREST
More Rachel Garceau-type sportstalk for you. Remember when the Albertsons Boise Open used to be played in late September? It’s going to feel like that tomorrow and Sunday. Temps in the low 70s? Players probably won’t mind, unless there’s some unexpected rain to accompany it. Scores were typically low Thursday at Hillcrest Country Club. Korn Ferry Tour veteran Kevin Roy was the first-round leader after matching his a career-low with a nine-under 62. The 34-year-old Roy is No. 19 on the Korn Ferry points list. Three players were tied for second, one stroke back, including points leader Matt McCarty.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by HAMMER & HINGE CONSTRUCTION…why fix it yourself?
August 23, 1999, 25 years ago today: The South-Central Boise All-Stars begin play at the Little League World Series with a 4-0 loss to Tom’s River, NJ. The Boise kids would go 1-2 in pool play, falling to Phenix City, AL, 12-0 before finishing on a high note with a 2-0 victory over Brownsburg, IN. Much of the South-Central team would form the nucleus of Borah High’s state championship team in 2005. The roster included Stephen Fife, who went on to the University of Utah and made the big leagues in 2012 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
