Boise State football loses recruiting coordinator; Broncos have plan for JUCO WR Marshall

The Boise State football team is losing its coordinator of recruiting relations and player personnel a couple of days after the Broncos put the finishing touches on the top class in the Mountain West.

Deontrae Cooper confirmed to the Idaho Statesman Friday afternoon that he’s leaving Boise State to become the assistant director of player personnel at Arizona State. He’ll reunite with former Boise State recruiting coordinator Jason Cvercko, who left the Broncos last year to become an associate athletic director at Arizona State.

Cooper and Cvercko joined the staff at Boise State in 2022. They helped the Broncos sign the Mountain West’s top class in each of the past two years. Boise State’s 2024 class earned 190.7 points from 247Sports, making it the best in the conference ahead of UNLV (189.6), San Diego State (176.8) and Colorado State (172).

The Broncos’ class is highlighted by two former five-star recruits: former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson and wide receiver Chris Marshall, who is the No. 1 junior college recruit in the country. The class ranks No. 73 in the country and No. 5 among teams in the Group of Five, behind Tulane (67), USF (68), Memphis (71) and Tulsa (72), according to 247Sports. On3.com ranks it No. 3 among non-Autonomous 5 conferences, behind only USF and Tulsa.

Boise State signed 19 recruits during early signing day in December and added two players to the roster Wednesday. Centennial High (California) linebacker Syncere Brackett-Lambey signed his national letter of intent, and the Broncos announced former Mountain View defensive lineman Troy Grizzle is joining the team as a walk-on.

Broncos vetted Marshall

Marshall has already made an impression on at least one of his new coaches.

“In my talks with him, he has a serious dream of being an NFL player and the focus to do that,” Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said Wednesday. “He needs to be a draft pick for us.”

Hamdan said he remembers evaluating the native of Missouri City, Texas, in 2022 when he was at Missouri and Marshall was ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the country.

“I just remember drawing that line,” Hamdan said. “It was him and then a bunch of other guys. He was just that much better than everyone else, and what better environment to bring him into that this one?”

NFL stars and Boise State Hall of Famers: Broncos find success with JUCO transfers

Marshall is a proven deep threat. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder caught 60 passes for 1,475 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Fort Bend High School. He posted 449 receiving yards and five touchdowns in just six games at Kilgore College last season.

He’s bringing an impressive highlight tape to Boise State. He’s also bringing a long history of disciplinary issues.

He began his college career at Texas A&M, but was suspended twice during his freshman season and transferred at the end of the year. He landed at Ole Miss, but he wasn’t there long. Marshall was dismissed from the team in May 2023 because of what the program called a violation of team rules. He enrolled at Kilgore last August.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said Wednesday that his staff did its due diligence before bringing Marshall onboard. He said the staff spoke to everyone in his life, from former coaches to family members, to ensure those disciplinary issues are a thing of the past.

“We will never bring someone here just because they’re a good football player,” Danielson said. “They have to be the right fit because I’m very protective of this locker room and of this place. Who we bring in here is everything to me.”

Danielson said every aspect of Marshall’s life will be structured at Boise State, from where he lives and how he gets back and forth to campus to how much time he spends on schoolwork and how he spends his free time. Marshall has been on campus for a couple weeks now, and Danielson said he’s been nothing but a devoted teammate and dedicated worker. He also said Marshall knows this is probably his last chance at a college career.

“He knows he needs this place,” Danielson said. “We believe this is a place he can come in and develop, and we know we have the right structures in place that he can be successful.”

Danielson knows taking on a player with Marshall’s baggage is a risk. He also knows what he adds to the offense and how far that can take the Broncos this season.

“He’s long, athletic, has a phenomenal catch radius and is a big-time competitor,” Danielson said. “When the ball is in the air, he’s going to find a way to get it.”

The Broncos also brought in former Indiana wide receiver Cam Camper this year. Latrell Caples, the Broncos’ leading receiver in 2022, will be back on the field after he missed last season with a knee injury. Boise State also returns former Colorado receiver Chase Penry, who made an impact when he got healthy in the second half of last season, and young receivers Prince Strachan and Austin Bolt, both of whom showed last fall that they can join Marshall as deep threats.

‘Bronco Stampede’ is coming

Boise State announced its inaugural “Bronco Stampede” tour on Wednesday.

Coaches, including Danielson, administrators and players will greet fans in four Idaho communities this spring before wrapping up the tour with an event in Boise on May 18. Other stops include Twin Falls (April 27), Nampa (May 14) and Coeur d’Alene (May 16). Times and locations will be announced at a later date.

“I look forward to sharing the vision of Bronco football and visiting the communities that raised some of our finest student-athletes,” Danielson said in a statement. “I want to meet as many members of Bronco Nation as possible this spring as we gear up for what should be an exciting 2024 season.”

Note

▪ Boise State spring practice will begin Tuesday, March 5. The spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 13.