Exciting newcomers, fall camp subplots, and the return of Boise State football

Boise State football is back. High five!



The Broncos take the field for the start of fall camp on Monday, and not a moment too soon. The offseason has been a difficult one, considering the way that last season ended for BSU. Two losses in a row is quite a different pill to swallow than a Fiesta Bowl win. But we swallowed it nevertheless, washing down the sucker with a tasty brew of early commits and media love. Mmmm, media love.

Now we can start over-evaluating players again. Woohoo! Here are the newcomers who will be in camp on Monday, listed in order of how stoked we are to see them.

1. LB Daron Mackey. Juco transfers are our weakness.
   
2. LB Byron Hout. The Hout era begins in earnest.
   
3. OT Tom Swanson. The biggest incoming lineman. Might eat Chris Potter.
   
4. WR Chris Potter. Fast, which should prevent Tom Swanson from eating him.
5. S Tyler Jackson. Young safeties out the wazzoo.

But of course, what would a Division I-A offseason be without drama. It would be a Division I-AA offseason probably. With the Broncos becoming more and more of a big deal every year, they have more and more questions to answer heading into the season. Here are some the most intriguing subplots to watch for when fall camp kicks off on Monday.

• Who will be starting quarterback?
• Will the offensive linemen be any bigger or any more experienced?
• What's the deal with that "Q" formation?
• Will playing in the shade of the Mothership make the Broncos complacent?
• Can Bob Behler pick Tanyon Bissell out of a crowd?
• Is Ryan Winterswyk human?
• How soon can we talk about Doug Martin again?
• Ian Johnson: overrated or not rated enough?
• Will bloggers receive press credentials?
  

Naturally, all these issues will sort themselves out by the time Idaho State comes to town on August 30. And if they don't, at least it's only Idaho State.

But for now, football is back. Life is complete. And the world is right again.

Friday: Links with Fall Camp

Story of the day:

Bronco recruits hit double digits [Press-Tribune]

The tenth verbal commitment for the Boise State Broncos came yesterday from Saguara (Arizona) defensive end Justin Jungblut. The senior-to-be is 6'6", 250 pounds, and he should feel right at home when he hits campus next fall.

Jungblut will join former Saguaro teammate Joe Kellogg on the Boise State roster. Kellogg is a freshman offensive lineman. Jungblut said he had 40 tackles, 15 for losses, and also had two sacks last season.

Jungblut also said that he had, like, 50 fumble recoveries.

Fight Fight BSU has the scouting report on Jungblut, who sounds like a keeper. Don't they all? He spurned offers from Idaho (good choice), Utah, UNLV, Air Force, and Wyoming. Coach Pete's penmanship sealed the deal.

“They did the best job of making me feel welcome, by far,” Jungblut said. “Coach Petersen has written me two letters — hand-written, so I thought that was pretty great.”

For some reason, Robb Akey's singing telegram just didn't do it for Jungblut.

Other links:

USA Today's preseason poll released [USA Today]
Boise State comes in at #34.

Murphy picks best offensive players in WAC [Statesman]
Not surprisingly, no Utah State players make the list.

KTVB 24/7 to air Bronco classics [Bronco Country]
Good luck finding KTVB 24/7.

USC #1 in Rivals countdown [Rivals.com]
Mark Sanchez must know someone at the Rivals office.

Fantasy CFB takes it up a notch [Wall Street Journal]
Now with names!

Coach Pete among up-and-coming coaches [Coaches Hot Seat]
Then again, so is Derek Dooley.

Unique shots of stadium expansion [Statue Left]
It looks so huge!