Boise State roster breakdown: Defensive Line

Our second installment of Blue-Turf’s positional breakdown takes a look at the defensive line. The oh so young defensive line. Here’s a little preview of the what to expect from this group for the upcoming season.

Departing Players:

Everyone, or at least they will need to replace all four starters from last year and nine total players: Tyler Horn, Justin Taimatuia, Deuce Mataele, Armand Nance, Antione Turner, Rondell McNair, Robert Ash (graduated), Kamalei Correa (left early for NFL) and Dereck Boles (dismissed from team).

Newcomers:

Daniel Auelua (JUCO), Curtis Weaver, Jabari Watson, Kayode Rufai, Derriyon Shaw, Chase Hatada, and Emmanuel Fesili.

Projected Starters:

Sam McCaskill and Elliot Hoyte look to be the senior leaders at Defensive End and Defensive Tackle respectively. At STUD, Gabe Perez and Jabril Frazier should form a nice tandem with no drop off regardless of which one is on the field. David Moa impressed during spring ball and seems to be the front-runner at the other tackle spot, at least according to the depth chart released at Media Days. Although JUCO transfer Daniel Auelua isn’t slated to start, he should be a factor in the rotation as well.

True Freshmen Who Could Play:

Fesili and Rufai are all but locks at this point. Coach Harsin singled out Rufai as someone who is ready to play and he could go a long way solidifying the end position for the future. Fesili is the only high school player brought in who is a true Nose Tackle and the only one of the group over 300 lbs. His size and talent will be desperately needed on an interior line thin in both weight and experience. It is possible another player could find their way onto the depth chart and the trio of Weaver, Watson, and Hatada will be competing for one or two spots. Shaw will redshirt due to an ACL injury. It is also important to note some players will need to redshirt to balance the classes in order to avoid another massive turnover on the D-line in four years.

Biggest Question(s):

Can the talent and potential of the defensive line overcome the lack of experience and end up stopping the run and controlling the line of scrimmage for the Broncos, especially in games against the triple option teams? If they can, they will set the tone for the rest of the defense. If not, they will allow a lot of easy yards and put pressure on the other units to make up for their shortcomings.

Outlook for 2016:

The defensive line will enter the year as a bit of an unknown, filled mostly with freshmen and players who have been waiting a few seasons for their opportunity to have a bigger role. Only McCaskill and Perez have started more than one game in their college careers but neither of them started last season (Hoyte started one game last season). Look for the two of them and Hoyte to be relied on heavily at the start of the year for production and leadership. Frazier has the potential to have a breakout year and the undersized Moa could be a surprise. Whichever freshmen do play this year will be expected to contribute and develop on the fly. A reasonable expectation for the unit as a whole is to be solid if not spectacular, and to improve as the season goes on.

Blue-Turf Boise State roster breakdown

Part One - Wide Receivers