This edge rusher passed on full rides to walk on at Boise State. His gamble is paying off

Boise State edge rusher Gabe Hunter bet on himself.

Hunter had 14 scholarship offers to choose from as a senior at Hendrickson High in Texas. His mom, Ana, wanted him to go to SMU because it was one of the first programs to offer him a full ride. His dad, Bryan, wanted him to go to a service academy.

Hunter also had his choice of Ivy League schools, including Yale and Princeton. Instead, he decided to walk-on at Boise State in 2020.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to be on the travel roster,” Hunter said. “I just knew if I out worked the guy in front of me, that’s what was going to get me to that next level.”

Hunter, now a redshirt sophomore, stayed the course through his freshman season, which was full of interruptions because of COVID-19. He kept working through a shoulder injury that kept him out of the lineup early this season, and his gamble is finally paying off.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound native of Pflugerville, Texas, was forced into action this season because of injuries to pass rushers George Tarlas and Demitri Washington and Isaiah Bagnah’s decision to transfer. Hunter played extended snaps in the Broncos’ last six games of the season, and he made the most of his opportunities.

He snagged the first interception of his career late in the Broncos’ lopsided win over Colorado State. The second pick of Hunter’s career ended Utah State’s hopes of a comeback in the regular-season finale.

“Since he got here, he’s just been working his tail off,” Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said. “He didn’t know it was going to be this year that his number was called, but like a lot of guys on this team, he kept working in the dark, and now the hard work he’s done is in the light.”

Hunter will experience another career first on Saturday when Boise State takes on North Texas in the Frisco Bowl (7:15 p.m., ESPN). It will be the first time that he takes the field for a bowl game since joining the Broncos.

Boise State has been eligible to play in bowl games the past two years, but the Broncos haven’t because of COVID-19. The players voted to skip the postseason in 2020. The team was forced to pull out of the Arizona Bowl last year because of a spike in cases of the virus.

“Guys in my class have never had this opportunity,” Hunter said. “This bowl game is big time. We really need it, and we’re fired up to send the seniors out on a good note.”

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The Frisco Bowl will be a homecoming of sorts for Hunter. Pflugerville is only about three hours south of Frisco, Texas. He expects to have 20 family members in attendance at Toyota Stadium, including his father, who hasn’t been in the stands to watch him play since he was in high school.

Hunter has a chance to help Boise State win a bowl game for the first time since 2017 in front of his family.

“I just wanted to have a chance to play for a big-time program,” Hunter said. “Boise State told me they didn’t have enough scholarships left, but I didn’t care. I said, ‘I’m going to bet on myself and get one.’”

Hunter doesn’t know if he’ll ever earn a scholarship. He said he hasn’t talked to Boise State football coach Andy Avalos about it, but after getting on the field this season, he at least knows what it takes.

“I knew after the Air Force game that if I kept doing my job and kept being a glue guy, I would keep my job,” Hunter said. “I’ve always tried to bet on myself and out-work everybody. That’s the only way I know how to survive.”

Former Hendrickson High coach Chip Killian said he wasn’t surprised to see Hunter pass on a long list of scholarship offers and take the long road to college football.

“That’s just Gabe,” said Killian, who now coaches linebackers at Southwestern University in Texas. “He’s that guy who takes on all challengers. He doesn’t mind hard work and trials and tribulations because of how he was raised.”

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Ana Hunter said her son’s perseverance has been evident since he was young. He is the youngest of three children, and he always had to fight to get out of the shadow of his older sister, Bryana.

Bryana starred in soccer, volleyball, basketball and track at Hendrickson. Now, she’s a fifth-year senior on the Arkansas women’s soccer team, and medical school is in her future.

“Some of his friends used to ask, ‘Are you as tall as your sister yet?’ And he’d get so mad,” Ana said with a giggle. “But those two were always really close. Gabe confides in his sister a lot.”

Bryana said she and her little brother grew up competing in everything, and added it “usually got out of hand.” Being a Division I athlete and navigating a demanding class load, she also knows how hard Hunter worked just to get on the field.

“Not everybody can make it as a walk-on,” Bryana Hunter said. “He’s very dedicated, passionate and resilient, and I’m really proud to see his hard work pay off.”

FRISCO BOWL: BOISE STATE VS. NORTH TEXAS

When: Dec. 17, 7:15 p.m. MT

Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas

TV: ESPN (Dave Neal, Deuce McAllister, Andraya Carter)

Records: Boise State 9-4, 8-0 MW; North Texas 7-6, 6-2 C-USA

Series: Boise State is 3-3 all-time against North Texas, but the programs haven’t played since 2000.

Vegas line: Boise State by 10

Weather: High of 50 degrees, 12% chance of rain, 7 mph wind