BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…December 15, 2011:
After a stellar four-year career, Nate Potter becomes Boise State’s second consensus All-American in the FBS era. Potter, the senior left tackle out of Boise’s Timberline High, was named a first-team selection by the Sporting News, the final of the five All-America squads that go into the NCAA’s consensus equation. Potter had already made the Football Writers Association of America first team and the AP and Walter Camp second teams.
You could label Potter as “Kellen Moore’s left tackle,” as the two stars’ Boise State careers mirrored each other. Potter helped keep Moore’s jersey clean from 2008-11, a stretch during which the Broncos allowed only 34 sacks combined. Potter was mild-mannered off the field and a competitive technician on it. Coach Chris Petersen was not worried about anything going to Potter’s head leading into his career finale against Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. “He’s handled the hype a lot like Kellen,” said Petersen. “You wouldn’t know whether he’s a first-team All-American or third string on a J.V. team.”
Interestingly enough, Boise State’s first consensus FBS All-American, Ryan Clady in 2007, was also a left tackle (Avery Williams became the third in 2020, as a kick returner). Potter followed Clady at that “blindside protector” spot—the duo was part of a streak of five straight Broncos starting left tackles drafted into the NFL. The run began with Daryn Colledge, who went in the second round in 2006 to Green Bay. Clady was Boise State’s initial first-rounder, taken by Denver in 2008, Potter was a seventh-round pick by Arizona in 2012, Charles Leno Jr. was chosen in the seventh round by Chicago in 2014, and Rees Odhiambo went in the third round to Seattle in 2016.
Potter played 21 games with six starts over two seasons for the Cardinals before embarking on his coaching career, beginning with four seasons as a quality control assistant and graduate assistant at Boise State. He then spent one season at College of Idaho (2018) and three years at Montana State (2019-21). Potter, of course, is now the tight ends coach with the Broncos and is prepping for Saturday night’s LA Bowl against UCLA. He was inducted into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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