Boise State puts teams in ‘bubble’ after COVID-19 scare; Broncos add LBs to 2022 class

Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey went to Twitter late Wednesday night to explain why the university decided to close fall football practices to all guests, including media.

Dickey said a surge in positive cases of COVID-19 in the athletic department led to the decision, and the intention is to create a “bubble” around teams to limit the risk of exposure to the virus. That means football practice may not be open any time soon.

The Broncos have 29 fall practices to prepare for their season opener on Sept. 2 at UCF.

“In addition to closing practices to guests, athletics staff will follow testing and masking guidelines outlined by (the) NCAA, and will suspend, as appropriate, non-team activities held in athletics facilities until further notice,” Dickey wrote on Twitter.

“We understand the uncomfortableness around this as this impacts our department more than anyone could ever imagine,” he continued. “Like you, we were looking forward to returning to normal.”

Dickey declined to go into specifics about how many players or coaches tested positive for the virus, but he did confirm that it was a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. He also said the athletic department was aware of some cases before closing practice, but additional positive results prompted the move.

Unvaccinated players or coaches have been tested regularly since returning to campus, and those who are vaccinated have been tested if they show symptoms, according to Dickey.

“The world is not over this pandemic, and we are not immune to it here, especially as new variants present themselves,” he wrote. “We will continue to follow the guidance of our health professionals. We will control what we can control, including continued education on vaccinations.”

On Wednesday, the NCAA released its updated COVID-19 guidelines, detailing different protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated players and coaches. Dickey said Boise State will continue to follow the NCAA’s recommendations on testing and masking moving forward, as well as work with university, local and state health officials.

“We continue to test every symptom, which puts us in a different category than most,” Dickey wrote on Twitter. “Some symptoms could come across as allergies, and we test them. The more you test, the more you find. Our situation will continue to remain fluid due to what we are navigating.”

Dickey hasn’t been shy about his goal of selling out all six of the football team’s scheduled home games this season, and Boise State announced in May that it was planning to welcome up-to-capacity crowds to Albertsons Stadium this fall and for all other sports moving forward.

But with the athletic department already dealing with new cases of the virus and the number of new cases around the state growing by the day, one has to wonder if that goal is in jeopardy. Only about 1,100 fans were allowed to attend two of the Broncos’ home games last season: a blowout win against Colorado State and a loss to rival BYU.

Boise State’s Avalos on return to normalcy after COVID-19 season: ‘We’re not there.’

Boise State to conduct facility review

Boise State announced Thursday that it has partnered with AECOM’s sports practice to conduct a comprehensive analysis of all of the university’s athletic facilities over the next four to six months.

“From a facilities standpoint, this is our first step in determining what our programs need in order to be successful, and to be able to recruit and compete at a national level across the board,” Dickey said in a statement. “From there, we will prioritize and chart the course for the future of Bronco Athletics. This process will position our programs for long-term success and assure we are providing the best student-athlete experience we can offer.“

Following complete venue assessments, AECOM will present recommendations to the athletic department, taking into account the impact it will have on athletes, budget restrictions and timeline.

Renovating the east side of Albertsons Stadium has been a topic of discussion at Boise State for a long time. In 2019, former athletic director Curt Apsey confirmed the university reached out to a local firm for an estimated price on the project.

The hope was that it would be done in time for the 2020 season, but Boise State announced last July that the project had been put on hold as the university was anticipating a budget crisis due to revenue lost because of COVID-19.

Boise State conducts Title IX evaluations on an annual basis and hires an outside consultant to assess the program every three to five years. An evaluation of the department for the 2017-18 school year was completed by Good Sports Inc. in the spring of 2019. That evaluation called for facility upgrades for softball, women’s soccer and beach volleyball as well as improved women’s locker rooms for many sports.

Broncos add LBs to 2022 class

Boise State added a pair of linebackers to its 2022 recruiting class on Thursday.

Jake Ripp — a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder who also plays tight end at Los Gatos High in California — announced his verbal commitment on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. Gavin Hambrick — a 6-2, 220-pounder from Apple Valley High in California — wasn’t far behind him.

Ripp is a three-star prospect, who also had scholarship offers from San Jose State, UC Davis, Sacramento State and Cal Poly, according to 247Sports. This spring, he racked up 69 tackles, seven for loss, one forced fumble and one sack while helping the Wildcats finish with a 5-0 record.

Hambrick isn’t rated by 247Sports, but he had scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Fordham, Northern Arizona and Southwest Minnesota State. He visited Boise State’s campus and picked up an offer from the Broncos on July 29. This spring, Hambrick racked up 32 tackles, six for loss, a sack and an interception while helping Apple Valley finish with a 5-0 record.

The Broncos now have verbal commitments from four linebackers in the 2022 class. Ripp and Hambrick are joined by fellow California native Jayden Virgin and Hawaii’s Kaeo Akana.

Boise State 2022 recruiting class

CB Dionte Thornton, 6-3, 185, Lawndale (California) High

OT Kage Casey, 6-6, 250, Clackamas (Oregon) High

TE Austin Terry, 6-5, 230, Tumwater High (Olympia, Washington)

LB Kaeo Akana, 6-3, 205, Theodore Roosevelt High (Honolulu, Hawaii)

WR Keenan McCaddy, 6-4, 180, Moanalua High (Honolulu, Hawaii)

OT Roger Carreon, 6-5, 295, Jal (New Mexico) High

DL JJ Talo, 6-3, 250, Kearns High (Salt Lake City, Utah)

LB Jayden Virgin, 6-3, 220, Mt. Carmel High (San Diego, California)

OT Hall Schmidt, 6-7, 300, Peninsula (Washington) High

WR Zamondre Merriweather, 6-2, 200, Valencia (California) High

QB Maddux Madsen, 6-0, 185, American Fork (Utah) High

DL Mason Graham, 6-4, 295, Servite High (Anaheim, California)

LB Jake Ripp, 6-3, 215, Los Gatos (California) High

LB Gavin Hambrick, 6-2, 220, Apple Valley (California) High