Boise State Football: Three Early Standouts from Spring Practice

Spring practice is mainly for teams to get a good idea of what they have as a football team and where the weaknesses are. For Boise State, these practices and the spring game that will take place on April 14 are probably more important than any other team.

The reason is that the Broncos are only returning nine starters. That's over half of last year's team that has moved on, including quarterback Kellen Moore.

With Boise State nearly having to start over as a football team, there are several players that must step up in order to speed up the rebuilding process. Certain players must grow up and learn the ropes quickly for this program not to fall off the face of the earth.

Here are three players that have shown some positive signs throughout camp for the Boise State Broncos.

S, Jeremy Ioane

Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Ioane has stepped up his game at the safety position, which is great considering the Broncos are missing seven starters on the defensive side of the ball. That includes both starting safeties, which gives Ioane the opportunity to step in and replace one of them. 

“We’ve definitely noticed him, and he’s taken a step forward,” coach Chris Petersen said. “There’s no question his game is improved.”

Ioane started one game last season, but never really touched the field after that and finished his freshman season with six tackles.

WR, Kirby Moore

Boise State no longer has Kellen Moore, but they do have his younger brother Kirby Moore, who could be a big part of the offense this year. With nearly every key member of the offense no longer around, Moore has impressed coaches in the spring and may see the field a lot more often.

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“[Moore] is another guy who has jumped out,” Petersen said. “I really think of him as kind of your prototype inside receiver because he’s big, tall, physical, good hands. You can throw it kind of behind him, a little too high, those types of things, and he’s got the range to make those types of plays. He’s doing those things this spring, even though we’re playing him outside as well.”

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Moore caught 22 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown last season. You can expect he'll be a lot more productive this season, even with his brother on the sidelines of some NFL team.

RB, Drew Wright

Boise State lost running back Doug Martin, but will get D.J. Harper back thanks to a sixth year of eligibility. That still leaves depth issues at the running back position, but senior Drew Wright may be willing to step up and fill those shoes.

“I think we’ve had five practices so far, and Drew’s shown up very well in all of them,” coach Chris Petersen said. “Not just at the running back position—we’re going to count on him on special teams.”

This doesn't mean that the No. 2 spot will be given to him; other backs such as Jay Ajayi, who's coming off an ACL injury, will also battle for time. Anything positive the Broncos can take from the spring, they'll gladly accept.

Wright had 43 carries last season and rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns.