The atomic number of manganese and the minimum age required for someone to serve as a member of the US House of Representatives, “25” is also the number of days remaining until football season! Today, that means we will be profiling…
#25, Kaden Dudley, RS Sophomore, Running Back
Stats
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs
High school: Palmer Ridge HS (Monument, Colorado)
How’d he get to The Blue™?
Mr. Dudley had been committed to Colorado for a time until Mel Tucker left. Then the Broncos were able to swoop in and get Dudley to sign on the dotted line. Mr. Dudley not only signed during the early period but also enrolled into classes early at Boise State. He came to The Blue™ as a three star recruit that had the distinction of being the no. 8 recruit in Colorado according to ESPN and no. 11 according to 247Sports. 247Sports also had him designated as one of the top 100 recruits in the country at the position of “athlete” and he initially came to Boise State to play wide receiver, although that ultimately changed to running back.
Nickname
“KD”
Sometimes we don’t have to make up a nickname because people already call them one. This is one of those cases. So, consider yourself spared from the deeper recesses of my imagination and let’s roll with “KD”.
Look-alike
That jawline says “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” star, Zac Efron
Career Highlights
After redshirting his freshman year, Kaden converted from wide receiver to running back and appeared in 8 games in 2022. While he only had 8 carries for 16 yards (and 1 reception for 4), he became the team’s primary kick returner by the final four games of the year. On the season, he compiled 199 return yards (28.4 average), which included a 37 yarder vs Utah State.
2023 Prospectus
Alabama and Georgia have the deserved claim of being this decade’s RBUs, but Boise State isn’t all that far behind. As a result, the Broncos have attracted a wealth of talent at the running back position. A lot of that is in the form of some very experienced players that are returning. Barring catastrophe, the top of the rotation will be Jeanty and Holani at 1a and 1b, but Kaden showed some real value as a return man last year. So, I would anticipate that he grows a lot more in that role but also gets more than 9 touches on offense in 2023.
Is he on Twitter?
Yes. And seems to be very excited about the upcoming season.
…relatable.
Completely made up fact
Kaden was a child actor and once had the opportunity to play Zac Efron in a biopic about the actor’s life. But then he was at the park and some kids threw a wayward pass with a football that was in danger of knocking a nest full of baby birds out of a tree. Immediately identifying the danger, he jumped up and speared it out of the air with one hand. It was so life affirming he decided to dedicate his existence to the sport. Even though he no longer plays wide receiver, it was too late. Football already had its hooks in him and there was no turning back…
Move him back to WR. We desperately need a slot man with the ability to find space. Like Shakir(a) or Vinny. Would be a huge benefit to Green. That 1-2 punch we have at running back is going to be too much for him to overcome.
And for what it’s worth, I believe Holani is going to retake the RB1 crown. That kid is a worker. The competition will drive him to be much better. Jeanty is a stud for sure but George has rare blue collar mentality.
I don’t think you can snap your finger and make Dudley a WR or slot receiver. If that’s in the works, well, okay. His return stats look pretty good.
Completely agree with you about Holani. However, Jeanty may be just as motivated. Either way, it’s a win-win for the running game.
Would Austin Bolt fit in as slot receiver?
Bush may have the opportunity to create some unique packages with Dudley. Line him up at running back and sometimes motion him to the slot, or sometimes give him the ball, or a bunch of other stuff I probably don’t know. If he has good hands and can run the ball there seems to be some opportunity there. Of course outside of our current 1-2 punch of Holani and Jeanty.