BOISE, Idaho — After four of Boise State's starting defensive linemen graduated or declared for the NFL Draft, the Broncos are spending their offseason reloading their d-line and finding new players to step up to the occasion.
Curtis Weaver, David Moa, Sonatane Lui, and Chase Hatada accounted for 25 of the Broncos' 40 sacks last season but all left the program at the end of the 2019 season.
To take their places, the Broncos are going to rely on a mixture of new young players, transfers, and budding players that flashed their talent last season.
In terms of what the Broncos have coming back, junior defensive tackle Scale Igiehon leads the way. He's primed to become the Broncos' next breakout player this fall.
Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Spencer Danielson believes if Igiehon follows his development path, he'll become one of the defensive players in the Mountain West Conference.
"It's paramount (his development)," Danielson said, "and I believe this.. if Scale does what he needs to do, he'll be one of the best d-tackles in our conference... I believe that I stand on it, I tell him that."
At the STUD position, sophomore Demetri Washington returns after tallying 4.5 sacks last fall as a freshman. It's a tall task, but Danielson knows Washington is up for the challenge.
"Demetri is one of my favorite players that I've coached," he said. "I'll be honest, he is one of the most diligent, driven young men that I've ever been around, and I don't say that lightly. If he stays healthy, he'll be one of the best football players in our conference and on the West Coast in the next year or two, and I believe that."
While one player can't fill the void left behind Curtis Weaver, after all, Weaver is the all-time sacks leader for the Mountain West with 34 career sacks which is second-most in school history, the Broncos hope Washington can develop and become a similar stand out like Weaver.
Other youngsters set for an increased role include Scott Matlock, Keeghan Freeborn, and Utah transfer Jackson Cravens.
On Matlock, Danielson said, "he's a phenomenal kid to be around, he's very diligent, there's not a lot of people in our program that want to be successful like he does."
The Broncos' defensive line coach said he wasn't ready for how well Craven moves and how violent he is at the point of attack.
While Boise State's coaching staff is finding ways to reload and retool their defensive line, Danielson wants that unit to be better than last season.
"To me, the standard is set, and I want to be better than we were last year and everyone's like that just not going to happen. It's like why shouldn't we?"
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