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.

BSU numerical roster revealed

The new BSU numerical roster is available on the BroncoSports website, finally giving us a chance to pre-order our Raphiel Lambert replica jersey. Get BroncoShop on the phone, Jeeves!

The biggest change on the updated roster is RB D.J. Harper's switch from #34 to #6--an obvious ode to Denver QB Jay Cutler. Seriously though, Harper will look pretty awesome running over defenders with a single digit on his back.

Doug Martin will indeed be wearing #22, and the rest of the skill position players stayed put with their same numbers. The only other big changes were CB Brandyn Thompson switching to #13 and DT Billy Winn going to #90.

Lambert and the other incoming freshmen were listed, which really makes them feel like part of the team for the first time. Now we actually have an excuse to get way too amped up about them.

• Bronson Durrant, OG, #79
• Greg Grimes, DL, #68
• Byron Hout, LB, #69
• George Iloka, S, #8
• Tyler Jackson, S, #29
• Joe Kellogg, OG, #61
• Chandler Koch, TE, #86
• Darren Koontz, DT, #95
• Raphiel Lambert, CB, #38
• Brenel Myers, OG, #64
• Chris Potter, WR, #81
• Tommy Smith, LB, #33
• Tom Swanson, OT, #74
• Jamar Taylor, CB, no number
• Faraji Wright, OT, #75

Junior college transfer LB Daron Mackey will be wearing #45.

Roster - Boise State [BroncoSports.com]

OBNUG Roster Update: Linebackers

Spring football gets OBNUG in the mood to speculate, so over the next few weeks, we will be making blind guesses as to who will be starting for the Broncos in the fall. We’ll do it position-by-position. Today: Linebackers.

Linebackers

Ideal candidate: Bobby Boucher


Worst candidate: Gallant from Highlights


Actual candidates: Kyle Gingg, Derrell Acrey, Dallas Dobbs, David Shields, Tim Brady, Ellis Powers, Aaron Tevis, Tommy Smith, Byron Hout, Daron Mackey, Hunter White, Dan Paul

OBNUG's pick: Gingg, Mackey, Dobbs. A position of weakness last year should be a strength for the Broncos in 2008. I mean look at that list! The Broncos could start 11 linebackers if they wanted! We think that might be imprudent, so we'll go with Gingg, Mackey, and Dobbs in the meantime, although we expect many others to contribute.

Welcome to the family, Byron Hout

Over the next couple days, we'll be profiling the new Bronco recruiting class. Enjoy!

Byron Hout

6'1", 225 pounds, 4.6 40, Linebacker

Lake City High School, ID

You can tell a lot about how far Boise State has come in the commitment of Hout. Time was that Idaho’s best high school players would choose to go elsewhere to play college ball, but Hout, a two-time state player of the year, decided long ago to stay put in his home state.

And we could not be happier that he did. He should follow in a long line of great linebackers at Boise State, continuing the tradition of Andy Avalos, Korey Hall, and friends. It will be interesting to see what the Bronco coaching staff decides to do with his eligibility. The team’s linebacking corps returns in tact from last year, so there is really no need to rush Hout into the lineup. Then again, there is no doubt that the 6’1”, 225-pound playmaker would make a difference.

Something to think about:
Could Byron Hout actually kill someone with a tackle?

Chris Berman nickname:

Byron “Who Let the Dogs Hout”

Recruiting Profile [ESPN.com]

Idaho POY--Byron Hout [RISEmag.com]

Photo courtesy Spokesman Review