Changes coming to Boise State’s secondary? Broncos torched in Week 1 loss

Boise State entered the 2025 season with an experienced secondary featuring three returning starters — cornerback A’Marion McCoy, cornerback Jeremiah Earby and safety Ty Benefield — and a pair of seasoned players in Zion Washington (safety) and Davon Banks (nickel). 

Pass defense was an issue for the Broncos last year as opponents threw for 241.1 yards per game. Boise State ranked 106th out of 133 Division I teams in the statistic. 

With several secondary players back and the addition of two highly-rated transfers in Jaden Mickey (Notre Dame) and Derek Ganter Jr. (Eastern Washington), the Broncos’ pass defense was expected to be much-improved in 2025. But last week’s game against South Florida featured more of the same. 

Bulls senior Byrum Brown completed 16 of 24 passes for 210 yards while backup quarterback Locklan Hewlett threw a 45-yard touchdown on a fake punt in the 34-7 victory over the Broncos. Brown hit on a pair of 37-yard passes and connected with Chas Nimrod for a 55-yard gain. 

After seeing multiple breakdowns in the secondary, Boise State (0-1) head coach Spencer Danielson said personnel changes could be coming for Friday’s home opener against Eastern Washington (0-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time at Albertsons Stadium. 

“If someone doesn’t play the way we need them to from an effort and mentality standpoint, they can’t play,” Danielson said. “And will they be given second chances? I think everything is a balance. I always want to give every young man an opportunity to grow to be the best version of themself. But if they fight that standard, there’s a lot of places they can play that will be OK with that. Not here, and that’s on me for letting that slip.”

Banks, the Broncos’ starting nickelback, and McCoy both received personal foul penalties during the loss. Banks’ was especially costly as it extended a South Florida drive that led to a touchdown. 

Despite being listed as a co-starter on the depth chart alongside Banks, Mickey played just one snap against South Florida to Banks’ 53. 

“Jaden Mickey is going to compete this week to play more,” Danielson said. “Up and to that game, Davon Banks did some good stuff in practice. Obviously by no means perfect, but did some good stuff in practice. But in the game, there were some plays where he didn’t do what we needed him to do. 

“And it’s not just Davon Banks, I want to make sure I’m very clear. There are a lot of players on our team that maybe people don’t see from the TV, but there’s a lot of plays on film that are not up to our standard in terms of effort and mentality. … I’m excited to get it fixed.”