Welcome to a fun off-season series that Michael, Hunter (both of FKWG), Zach, and Mike (both of MWCConnection) are rolling out for your viewing enjoyment (hopefully). Back in February, excitement was at an all time high for fans and coaches alike as the 2023 class was officially signed. Like every year, fans often tout a class as potentially one of the best on paper. However, once players get on campus and actually on the field, the true story begins to reveal itself. It can often take years for a class to truly be judged as the impact of many players won’t be seen for a few seasons. That being said, this series will aim to revisit and evaluate Boise State’s 2019 class. There has now been enough time that many members of the class have either left or are entering their final seasons, which means players are able to be looked at for their production (or lack thereof) rather than projection and hype.

Anyway, each week, the four of us will look at a different position group from the class. While we will contribute two posts each week over the next month, the location of the posts will change. The start of the week will feature a post on FKWG while the end of the week will see a post up on MWCConnection, that way readers of both sites can follow along. Each post will have all of us weighing in on the same talking points for each season: our expectations of the player from when they signed, the production they gave each season on the team, and their overall impact. The impact will fit into one of 3 categories (exceeded expectations, met expectations, or below expectations). We will each keep a running tally of our totals and then at the end we can each determine the over impact the 2019 class had. It should be a fun and interesting study to see what kind of careers each player had and revisit some names that may have been forgotten.

The 2019 recruiting class was arguably the best in Boise State history and one of the best classes by a Group of 5 school ever. It was flooded with four-stars and other highly-rated players and seemed poised to make a big impact on the field for the Broncos. It definitely raised the ceiling for what the coaching staff could do on the recruiting trail. Perhaps more importantly, this class raised the floor for BSU recruiting as well, as not many players would be labeled as projects or under-the-radar types. But how has it translated on the field? To hear our thoughts on specific players from the class, read below.

Part 5: Offensive Line

The offensive line has long been a position that is under scrutiny for Boise State and recruiting the position always brings hope for the Broncos. This class saw two new signees on the offensive line, with one becoming a future starter and the other meeting an early end. 

Ben Dooley

Michael

Expectations when he signed: I didn’t really have many, to be honest. Offensive line is tough because there’s not a ton of video on them. Usually there’s a short highlight reel with some pancake blocks and a couple of exceptionally athletic pulls, but it’s hard to draw conclusions from what’s usually a small sample size on Hudl. So, I just take note of a guy’s dimensions and then hope he can develop. Which, under Bedell…they mostly didn’t 🙄.

2019 Season: Redshirt year

2020 Season: Not much on offense, but he filled in on defense for a couple games during the COVID season. He didn’t make any splash plays, but he had a couple tackles and–most importantly–he wasn’t a liability there. 

2021 Season: He didn’t stay in the same place all season–he moved from right tackle to right guard in the back half of the season–but he started all 12 games and performed fairly well. 

2022 Season: Got bit pretty hard by the injury bug in 2022. He only started two of the six games he played. He did the best he could but it was a very frustrating season for him, I’m sure. 

Overall Impact: When healthy, he’s an above-average component to the offensive line. And even before he got the chance to start there, his willingness to help out the defense in a pinch says good things about his football character. Exceeded expectations. 

Hunter

Expectations when he signed: He seemed like a solid get for the Broncos. Offensive line data doesn’t exist for high school (and barely for college), so I don’t usually over-hype o-line recruits too much. On the other hand, we did snatch him from Cal and some Mountain West rivals, so it felt good. 

2019 Season: Redshirt season. 

2020 Season: After the covid onslaught on our depth, he found a way onto the field as a defensive tackle. He represented his temporary new position well, logging 2 (defensive) tackles. 

2021 Season: 2021 was a huge leap forward for Ben. He was a bright spot for a line that mostly struggled, earning 2nd team All-Mountain West honors for his efforts. 

2022 Season:  Phil Steele had him as a preseason 1st Team All-Mountain West selection leading up to the year. Sadly, he was kept out for most of the season with an injury, playing 6 and only able to start 2 games. He was certainly missed at times. 

Overall Impact: Not every recruit turns into a starter. When healthy, Ben is an impact player on the line and deserves some good credit for that. Since the injury doesn’t seem like something that’s gonna come back around, I feel pretty good about his health going forward. I’m gonna go with “exceeded expectations”.

Zach

Expectations when he signed: It is always hard to get a good read on offensive line recruits. But in terms of hype, Dooley was expected to be a key contributor and receive early playing time.

2019 Season: Redshirted

2020 Season: Saw some playing time on the defensive line thanks to an onslaught of injuries and COVID related illnesses.

2021 Season: Dooley was arguably the most consistent player on the offensive line and a second team all-conference performer. Dooley played in multiple positions over the course of the season.

2022 Season: Dooley missed the majority of the season with injuries and saw limited action in the games he did play in.

Overall Impact: Dooley is really difficult to evaluate. He still has two seasons of eligibility remaining and is expected to be one of the anchors on the offensive line. His solid 2021 season was great, but he hasn’t done enough to exceed expectations. For that reason, I will say he has met expectations.

Mike

Expectations when he signed: Dooley was a highly-ranked offensive line recruit coming out of high school. He didn’t get a ton of big offers coming out of Nevada, but it felt like he had the chance to be something special. 

2019 Season: Like most offensive linemen, he redshirted. 

2020 Season: During the shortened season, Ben played in three games. Actually, due to depth purposes and covid cases, he played on the defensive line. He didn’t do poorly, even getting two tackles. 

2021 Season: Dooley stepped into the starting lineup on the offensive line, starting all 12 games. He began the year at right tackle, but when the o-line struggled and needed to be reshuffled, he moved to right guard, where he played the final eight games. 

2022 Season: Ben had a mysterious injury to being the season, which later ended up being an infection in his foot. It kept him out most of the first half, but he ended up playing six guards and started two, one at each of the guard spots. 

Overall Impact: Dooley still has a year (or two) to go to cement his legacy, so this isn’t a final grade. He’s been a great run-blocker for the Broncos and when healthy, has been one of their better linemen. On the other hand, he’s really only played one full season and had to move from tackle to guard, which diminishes his value a bit. Still, Boise State hasn’t had too many reliable offensive linemen, so I’ll go meet expectations. 

Jacob Golden

Michael

Expectations when he signed: “Mid”, as the youths say. He seemed to have ideal size, but he wasn’t have a ton of buzz that I can recall. 

2019 Season: Redshirt year

2020 Season: Played in three games. 

2021 Season: Tripled his games played, getting into 9 contests on a frequently shuffling O-line. 

2022 Season: Aaaaand it’s gone. The positive trajectory, that is. He got a DUI before fall camp and promptly transferred away. He was last seen at New Mexico State. 

Overall Impact: More than “zero”, but he definitely did not meet expectations.

Hunter

Expectations when he signed: Probably average. He had great size at 6’5 285, but his only other FBS offer was Air Force. Perhaps cautious optimism?

2019 Season: Redshirt. 

2020 Season: Played 3 games, making his debut in the Jack Sears game. 

2021 Season: I don’t think he started in any, but his impact certainly started to rise. 9 total game appearances. 

2022 Season: He got a DUI in June, hit the portal in August, and is now at New Mexico State as of about 5 months ago. 

Overall Impact: Golden had the signs of a player that could’ve been impactful on the line, but an off-the-field issue ended that. Failed to meet expectations.

Zach

Expectations when he signed: Golden had the size and tape to warrant some hype before he stepped foot on campus. For that reason, I expected him to be a multi-year starter.

2019 Season: Redshirted

2020 Season: Saw action in three games during the COVID shortened season.

2021 Season: Saw some significant relief duty and seemed like a candidate to start in 2022.

2022 Season: After having some off-the-field issues, Golden entered the transfer portal.

Overall Impact: All signs pointed toward Jacob Golden having an impactful career as a Bronco. Unfortunately, some off the field issues led to him failing to meet expectations.

Mike

Expectations when he signed: Golden was an early commit in this class and had good size. I had some optimism he would become a multi-year starter in the latter half of his career. While I didn’t think he would be the top OL in this class, I thought he would be pretty good. 

2019 Season: Redshirt, as expected

2020 Season: Jacob saw some action earlier than I would have thought, which was a good sign. He saw action in three games. 

2021 Season: Golden took another step forward, playing in nine games.

2022 Season: He seemed primed for a bigger role entering this season, but was arrested last June for driving under the influence. He was kicked off the team prior to the start of fall camp and entered the transfer portal, eventually committing to New Mexico State. 

Overall Impact: Golden got into some games, which is nice. But he did not seem to make a huge impact when he was on the field, mainly because if he did, he likely would have taken a starting spot from someone else, given the OL struggles the past few years. He fails to meet expectations. 

Running Totals:

Michael: 2 exceeded expectations,  1 met expectations, 9 failed to meet expectations

Hunter: 0 exceeded expectations,  2 met expectations, 9 failed to meet expectations

Zach: 0 exceeded expectations, 2 met expectations, 9 failed to meet expectations.

Mike: 0 exceeded expectations, 3 met expectations, 8 failed to meet expectations. 

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