Promising Boise State freshman running back returns to practice

Boise State’s running back room got a bit deeper on Friday with the return of Sire Gaines, who sat out the first four practices of fall camp with an unspecified soft tissue injury. 

Gaines, a redshirt freshman, practiced in a limited role on Friday and is expected to be a full participant in the near future. 

“I think he’s ready to roll, so we’ll see,” Broncos offensive coordinator Nate Potter said. 

Gaines is a candidate to take over the starting running back position from Ashton Jeanty, who ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last season en route to a second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. Jeanty is now with the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The 6-foot, 209-pound Gaines made an immediate impact as a true freshman last year, recording 151 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in Boise State’s 56-45 Week 1 victory at Georgia Southern. Jeanty ran for 267 yards and six touchdowns in the win. 

The two-headed monster at running back came to a screeching halt in September when Gaines suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Portland State. Gaines reaggravated the injury during winter workouts and missed all of spring practice, but the versatile back was a summer standout for the Broncos. 

“Sire Gaines is very similar to Ashton in that he’s wired the right way,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said at Mountain West football media days. “Loves football, loves his team.

“He’s ready. Getting hurt the third game of the season … when football is taken from you — especially a guy like Sire Gaines, who is so passionate about this game, passionate about this team — that’s hard. Seeing him battle through, seeing him go through it, seeing where he is mentally and how he’s grown, I think Sire Gaines is going to come on the scene in a major way.”

Fresno State transfer Malik Sherrod, another preseason standout for Boise State, has been impressed with Gaines’ leadership. 

“When I first came here, I was really surprised by Si,” Sherrod said. “For him being one of the youngest guys in the room, when I came in I thought he was a leader, I thought he was one of the older guys. It’s just the way he carries himself, how he talks to us and how he brings everyone around him together. He’s in the leadership group, so that should tell you a lot about how he lives on and off the field. He does everything the right way.”

Sherrod expects Gaines to have a monster season in the Boise State backfield.

“He can do a lot, I couldn’t even put it into words,” Sherrod said. “He just has such a great build. He’s powerful, he’s strong, he’s explosive. I think me and him are going to be a real problem.”