For the third time in as many years, Boise State football entered the 2024 season with no clear indication of how its receiving corps would shake out.
Ahead of Saturday’s home opener, there’s still a lot to learn.
The Broncos had a clear-cut No. 1 receiver in 2021 in senior Khalil Shakir, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Shakir either had big games or drew attention from the other players, allowing them space to shine.
Since then, there have been players who have flashed potential, only to have something stand in the way.
Latrell Caples was the team’s leading receiver in 2022 in a run-heavy offense, and ahead of the 2023 season seemed poised to break out, only to have a torn Achilles tendon end that year before it began.
The Broncos then turned to emerging receiver Eric McAlister, but he left the team scrambling when he departed with four games remaining in the regular season, and eventually entered the transfer portal.
Heading into 2024, Caples returned as part of a deep group, with a lot of speculation as to which players would emerge. The thought was the Broncos could best be served by using that depth week to week, but so far that hasn’t really happened.