Boise State’s star linebacker has 2026 NFL Draft aspirations

The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone, and draft analysts have already moved on to next year’s class. 

Coming off a 12-2 season and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, Boise State is loaded with future NFL talent on both sides of the ball. 

Boise State Broncos on SI is highlighting Boise State’s top 10 draft-eligible prospects for 2026.  

We have already covered cornerback A’Marion McCoy and wide receiver Chris Marshall and are moving on to the Broncos’ No. 8 draft prospect for 2026: Linebacker Marco Notarainni. 

Linebacker Marco Notarainni, senior

Notarainni’s playing time ebbed and flowed last season as the Broncos regularly deployed a dime package with six defensive backs and one linebacker. 

The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Notarainni was effective when he saw the field, recording 60 total tackles (tied for fourth on the team with A’Marion McCoy), 3.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Despite starting just four of Boise State’s 14 games, Notarainni was voted first-team all-Mountain West Conference. 

“I think I’ve been forced to learn a lot of patience in my career,” Notarainni said during spring practice. “I’ve always been a team-first guy, whatever is best for the team. I knew that when my number was called, the team was going to need me, and I never wavered from that.”

A three-star prospect for the class of 2021, Notarainni signed with Boise State out of Southern California’s Torrey Pines High School over offers from Columbia, New Mexico, Oregon State and Utah State. He redshirted in 2021 and became an impact player for Boise State the following year. 

Entering his final season with the Broncos, Notarainni is slated to be the team’s top option at interior linebacker in all defensive packages. Andrew Simpson, who made 11 starts at linebacker last season, entered the transfer portal last month.

Head coach Spencer Danielson said Notarainni stepped up as a leader after Boise State’s College Football Playoff loss to Penn State. He is one of the top returning players on a defense that is replacing several key contributors from last season. 

“Marco is an extremely, extremely good football player,” Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said of Notarainni. “He’s valuable to us because he gets everybody lineup up, is a very clear communicator and takes it very seriously.”

Notarainni has proven to be a strong all-around linebacker with 115 career tackles (12 for loss) and 6.5 sacks. He can also be used as a coverage linebacker with four career pass breakups.