BOISE, Idaho — During Boise State's bye week, a number of players used a little bit of their down time last Saturday morning to get out inside the community.
Over at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex, the fields were absolutely packed with kids, parents and roughly a half-dozen Broncos showing their support.
Head coach Andy Avalos said Boise State's time with the young players on the gridiron was a way of giving back to Bronco Nation.
"We know how much support we get from Bronco Nation. It's shown in our stadiums on game days and last week was an opportunity for us to give back. We've got great guys in this program. It's awesome," Avalos said. "The impact they want to have, not only in this room for our family and for our team, but this community as well."
Bryce Cleave, Will Ferrin, Joseph Amos, Matt Lauter, Ahmed Hassanein, Mason Jacobsen and Ty Tanner were on scene, rocking their jerseys and enjoying a laugh with the kids they once were.
For Tanner, a redshirt freshman linebacker out of Rocky Mountain High School, the Saturday morning on the grass was especially gratifying.
The Meridian native himself ran up and down those fields at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex years ago.
"Being here and remembering what it's like to play at Optimist, some of my best friends were from those teams growing up and it's pretty cool to remember and to have a day to come back like this … It's been awesome," Tanner said. "It's been pretty cool to come full circle and I owe a big portion of that to my parents, especially my dad. He coached me out here and started my love for football and it's carried all the way through throughout my entire career, so it's been awesome."
As the games got over, the group of Boise State players hovered around all of the fields, encouraging the youth and signing some autographs. The Broncos signed everything from hats, to cleats and even Crocs.
"It's been super awesome to give back to the community, especially for Bronco Nation who does so much for us and comes out and supports us," Tanner said. "You guys give so much time to us and that means more than the world to us. Giving back to the community always feels good, even if it's just smiling and waving and giving a high five. It's been awesome."
When the Broncos return to Albertsons Stadium Oct. 29 against Colorado State, many Optimist players will be in attendance and Boise State will acknowledge their presence at the game.
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