BOISE, Idaho — On the heels of a change in leadership, Thursday's Boise State football depth chart also saw a handful of changes ahead of its Mountain West matchup with Utah State.
The lineup at wide receiver featured the biggest shakeup, with former Borah High standout Austin Bolt and sixth-year senior Billy Bowens listed as starters at different positions than last week. Bolt moves from the 'X' spot to 'Z' receiver, while Bowens goes from the starting 'Z' to the No. 1 'F' receiver.
True freshman standout Prince Strachan, who was listed as the backup to Bolt before the Broncos' win over New Mexico, takes over as the starter at the same 'X' position. Rocky Mountain High School graduate Hunter Steacker now appears on the depth chart as the No. 2 behind Strachan.
On Thursday, KTVB Sports Director Jay Tust confirmed former Boise State wide receiver Eric McAlister won't be rejoining the team despite exploring the option. The team's leading receiver elected to leave the team and enter the transfer portal last week prior to the firing of head coach Andy Avalos.
The tight end two-deep now features an 'OR' tag, with Riley Smith and Matt Lauter both listed as potential starters, rather than Smith sitting above Lauter as the confirmed starter. Smith was ruled out prior to last week's contest on The Blue.
Boise State interim head coach Spencer Danielson on Friday told reporters quarterback Maddux Madsen will have surgery on Tuesday, Nov. 21. He is out of the remainder of the season. Madsen has been removed from the depth chart, with Taylen Green returning to his No. 1 spot behind center and CJ Tiller now appearing as the No. 2.
The defensive depth chart also featured a few notable changes on Thursday. The Broncos' leading tackler in Marco Notarainni, who is expected to be out multiple weeks, is no longer listed. Notarainni had previously appeared alongside DJ Schramm with the 'OR' tag at starting middle linebacker.
Senior Markel Reed is now the backup boundary cornerback behind fourth-year junior Jaylen Clark. Prior to the New Mexico game, Reed appeared with A'Marion McCoy as a potential starter at the opposite field-side cornerback position.
Tust on Thursday learned Reed plans to utilize his additional year of eligibility due to COVID and return to Boise next year, a welcome sight for Bronco Nation.
McCoy is now the clear-cut starter at field-side cornerback, with redshirt sophomore Jalen Neal as the backup. Additionally, Bryce Cleave has been added to the depth chart at free safety, alongside freshman Ty Benefield as the backups behind starter Rodney Robinson.
Rising standout Jayden Virgin now has an 'OR' tag as a potential starter at EDGE with veteran Demitri Washington, who did not play in last week's 42-14 win at Albertsons Stadium. With Notarainni removed from the depth chart, Jake Ripp and Dishawn Misa are the backups to Schramm at middle linebacker.
UPDATED DEPTH CHART:
Boise State looks to earn bowl eligibility and stay alive in the hunt for a Mountain West title game appearance as it visits Utah State on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Check out KTVB's Game Day Guide for more information on Saturday's matchup, how to watch and listen to the game, predictions, series history, a stats comparison, players to watch, a breakdown of KTVB's coverage and more.
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