Boise State hit the transfer portal hard. Which newcomer sees the field first this fall?

Idaho Statesman reporter Ron Counts and Boise State super-fan Jacob Bleymaier discuss which of the Broncos' 14 transfers will see the field first this season.
Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment of a series exploring the top 10 questions surrounding the Boise State football team this season. Articles will run every week in July and will be accompanied by a video online featuring Idaho Statesman reporter Ron Counts and Boise State super-fan Jacob Bleymaier. The videos will also appear on his Bronco Bleymaier YouTube channel.
The Boise State football team hasn’t shied away from the transfer portal since the end of last season.
The Broncos added 14 transfers to the roster, and some will become household names in a couple of months. Some will toil in obscurity, devoting hours to the weight room and practice.
They come from the Big 10, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12, and FCS and junior college levels. No matter their role, every transfer who was added has a purpose, Boise State coach Andy Avalos said.
“We don’t just bring people here to practice,” Avalos said during Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. “We bring people here to practice and develop, and become an elite player and an elite team.”
Avalos said the focus as of late has been using the portal to build depth on the offensive and defensive lines. He pointed to the fact that the Broncos played 12 defensive linemen last season.
The third-year head coach, a former linebacker at Boise State, said he expects just as many to see the field this year. He also said that depth in the trenches is needed for the Broncos to practice the way they need to.
Avalos said the Broncos spent half of spring practice in 2021 playing 7-on-7 because they didn’t have enough linemen to run full team sessions.
In an effort to keep that history from repeating, Boise State added five transfers on the offensive line, including center Nikolai Bujnowski, a walk-on at Virginia Tech originally, and guard Zach Holmes, a walk-on from Oregon State.
The Broncos added four transfers on the defensive line, counting edge rushers. That group includes former Iowa State tackle Howard Brown and Northern Arizona nose tackle Sheldon Newton, both of whom top 300 pounds.
“This game is won up front,” Avalos said. “If you’re going to run the ball, you’ve got to be able to move the line of scrimmage. If you’re going to throw the ball, you have to protect the quarterback. If you want to win championships, you have to stop the run and pressure the quarterback.”
Three defensive backs, a wide receiver and a linebacker make up the rest of the transfer class. Here’s a look at which players have the best shot to be on the field on game day.
Edge Tyler Wegis, R-Jr., 6-7, 242 — Utah
Wegis, who has been on campus since January, looked the part of a Division I defensive end during spring ball. He posted just two tackles in the spring game in April, but he was one of the most disruptive defenders on the field.
He’ll cycle between defensive end, where he’ll split time with junior college transfer Cortez Hogans Jr., and edge rusher, where he’s joined by sixth-year senior Demitri Washington. The positions are interchangeable in the Broncos’ scheme.
Boise State had has good luck finding transfers to fill this spot the past couple of seasons. Shane Irwin, a transfer from Long Beach City College, posted a team-high seven sacks in 2020 and three more in 2021. Weber State transfer George Tarlas racked up four sacks last year before a hip injury sidelined him.
Wegis appeared in just one game in three years at Utah, but don’t be surprised if he’s on the field in this year’s season opener at Washington.
OT Ethan Carde, Sr., 6-8, 300 — Texas Tech
Like Wegis, Carde has a chance to fill a need at Boise State. The Broncos have to figure out how they’re going to replace John Ojukwu, who started 33 consecutive games at left tackle.
Unlike Wegis, Carde joined the team this summer with starting experience. After beginning his college career at Coffeyville Community College, he played in 29 games and started nine in three seasons at Texas Tech, where he played both right and left tackle, as well as right guard.
Avalos shed some light on what Carde’s role will be this season at media days. He said Cade Beresford — a transfer from Washington State who started 13 games last year — will stay at right tackle. He also said Carde and redshirt freshman Kage Casey will compete for time at left tackle during preseason camp, which begins on Aug. 2.
CB A’Marion McCoy, Jr., 6-0, 167 — Laney College
McCoy showed he has a nose for the ball by finishing spring practice with the most interceptions on the team, and he showed impressive coverage skills during the spring game.
McCoy also plays a position where there’s uncertainty.
Markel Reed is the favorite to start at one cornerback spot, but he’s trying to bounce back from back-to-back season-ending injuries. Jaylen Clark is a young corner who made the first start of his career in the Frisco Bowl and snagged his first interception. Kaonohi Kaniho has started 17 games the past two seasons.
McCoy’s ball skills give him a chance to start the season opener at Washington. At worst, he should be one of the first corners off the bench.
S Titus Toler, R-Sr., 5-11, 197 — Wisconsin
Toler has the most impressive pedigree of the Broncos’ transfers. He was a four-star recruit coming out of St. John Bosco High School in California and appeared in five games for Wisconsin last season. He led Boise State with five tackles and notched a sack in the spring game.
The questions surround what position he’ll play.
He could fill JL Skinner’s shoes at field safety, where he’ll compete with redshirt senior Alexander Teubner, who spent the past three seasons as Skinner’s backup. He could play nickel, but junior Seyi Oladipo has been the favorite to win that job. Toler played both positions during spring practice.
There’s a good chance that Toler cracks the starting lineup before the end of the season. At worst, he’ll serve as a quality backup at multiple positions.
NT Sheldon Newton, Sr., 6-3, 328 — Northern Arizona
Nose tackle could be one of the Broncos’ deepest positions by the end of the season. Herbert Gums (6-foot-1, 315 pounds) is back after starting 13 games in 2022, although he missed spring practice while rehabbing from surgery.
He’s joined at the position this year by Newton and Howard Brown (6-2, 300). Gums and Brown both put their impressive athleticism on display in high school. Gums was a 250-pound running back, and Brown was a quarterback who rushed for more than 4,000 yards and threw for more than 3,000.
Newton isn’t quite as explosive as the other two, but he has more game experience — albeit at the FCS level. He played in 27 games and started 17 in three years at Northern Arizona, and he posted 36 tackles and three sacks last season.
Newton may not beat Gums out for the starting job, but he could start the season as No. 2 on the depth chart, and his size will make him valuable in goal line and short-yardage packages.
Here’s the rest of the transfer class.
Edge Kivon Wright, R-Fr., 6-3, 234 — Boston College
S Milo Lopez, Jr., 6-2, 295 — Cerritos College
WR Chase Penry, R-So., 6-1, 194 — Colorado
LB Brett Tommasini, R-So., 6-1, 231 — Idaho
OL Favor Komolafe, So., 6-4, 300 — Los Medanos Community College
OL Tyler Keinath, R-So., 6-2, 305 — Western Illinois
OL Zach Holmes, R-So., 6-2, 290 — Oregon State
C Nikolai Bujnowski, R-So., 6-1, 310 — Virginia Tech