In case you missed parts 1 and 2, 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 2024 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 or two 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. This year, we are changing up the format a bit on how we discuss each player. The old way of assessing a recruit by categorizing them (exceeded, met, or failed to meet expectations) grew stale, as players basically were a bust, pleasant surprise, or lived up to the hype. Instead, our analysis will be more straightforward. The four of us will each share our thoughts when the player signed, and then share our thoughts over the past four years. The hope is that allows for more freedom in our descriptions rather than trying to fit everything into a pre-designed box. Hopefully, it will still be a worthwhile trip down memory lane, even if it is not always enjoyable. 

This year features the 2020 class, which was the last full class with Bryan Harsin as the coach. It had to follow up the Broncos’ greatest recruiting class ever, but managed to hold its own by bringing in a number of talented players. There seemed to be an emphasis on the defensive line and secondary this time around. Also, Boise State began to lean more into the transfer portal during this cycle. Relive it all while we dive into this series. 

Offensive Line

The Broncos took four players at this position in the 2020 class. Each of them profiled a bit different but all of them profiled as future contributors at one position of another along the o-line. But with recruiting, things don’t often go according to plan, and this was one of those times. Read about why.

OL Nathan Cardona

Thoughts when he signed:

Michael: Cool name; large frame. Not overly large for an FBS lineman, but a giant compared to most mortals.


Hunter: Offensive lineman always seem to be the hardest to judge. He had offers from half the Mountain West + Army, so I took the cautiously optimistic approach here.


Zach: Cardona seemed like a quality add. He had some solid offers coming out of high school and was widely regarded as a good get for the Broncos. I thought he seemed like a good fit at center.


Mike: I don’t recall many thoughts about Cardona from his recruit days, but he seemed like a solid offensive lineman. I figured he would round into form over the course of his career.


Thoughts over the past four years:


Michael: Has not blown the doors off to become undeniable for playtime. Got some action last year but not without significant attrition ahead of him.


Hunter: Largely has not played much for the majority of his career. Started getting some action at the end of last year due to injuries, so it does seem like he’s moving up a bit in the pecking order. Hard to say he’s been a big-time impact, but I’m also not one to diminish dependable depth, and I feel like he’s played well in his opportunities.


Zach: Cardona has played in only five games and made little impact. I am honestly surprised he hasn’t entered the transfer portal. He has failed to meet expectations.


Mike: Unfortunately, what I thought a few years ago has not been the case for Nathan and the Broncos. He didn’t see any action his first two years on campus, which isn’t a surprise at all. The two years following that, Cardona has only managed to play in five games, which has been disappointing. It seems like he’s been passed over for some of the younger players at the position.

OL Brandon Hernandez


Thoughts when he signed:


Michael: Had P5 offers and, while light, had good height. Capacity for growth (literal and physical) seemed good. Medium-high expectations.


Hunter: I hate making snap judgments based on offers (I do it all the time), but Brandon had a host of Pac-12 offers (may it rest in peace). He also had a 6’6 275 frame that really made you think this guy was probably a pretty safe bet.


Zach: As far as offensive line signings go, this was widely considered one of the best in program history. Hernandez was highly recruited and seemed like he could be the rare lineman who would immediately contribute.


Mike: Hernandez was a great get at OL and had all the potential to be a multi-year starter with all-conference potential. He was the best OL recruit in the class and one of the best recruits for Boise State this cycle.


Thoughts over the past four years:


Michael: I could type words here, but the truth is there’s nothing to write them about. He came and was gone in fewer  365 days.


Hunter: Really nothing to say about him. 0 stats as a player, and he was gone after a year. I don’t exactly remember what happened with him (if that information got out at all), but it’s safe to say we did not get what we were hoping for.


Zach: Hernandez was only on the roster for one year. This has to be one of the more disappointing outcomes we have had in this series. He seemed like a sure thing. But as we have learned, there is no sure thing in the wild world of recruiting. He failed to meet expectations.


Mike: Brandon and the Broncos were not meant to be. After the assumed redshirt season, it was pretty surprising that he announced he was going to transfer. It doesn’t look like he caught on anywhere else, so his college career was over before it ever really got started.

OL Kyle Juergens

Thoughts when he signed:


Michael: Seemed like a very solid add and came with the added cred of having decommitted from USC.


Hunter: Kyle decommitted from USC in December of 2019, then signed with the Broncos in January of 2020. It’s more fun to think we flipped him from Trojans, but regardless he looked to be a really strong addition to the recruiting class.


Zach: Juergens seemed like a solid get late in the recruiting cycle. He had offers from USC and Arizona State. There was some debate as to whether he should play on the defensive line or the offensive line. He ultimately ended up on the offensive side of the ball.


Mike: Kyle was a one-time USC commit who likely got told to start looking elsewhere before signing day. His search led him to Boise State. I thought he projected really well at tackle with a long and athletic makeup. I figured he’d be a bit more of a project, but one that would pay off after a few years.


Thoughts over the past four years:


Michael: Same as an unfortunate number of athletes in the NIL era. He bailed in 2022 to head to the football powerhouse of…*ahem*…Uconn.
Hunter: Another lineman that never saw the field and eventually transferred. This time to more Jim Mora-y pastures.
Zach: Juergens transferred in 2022 to UCONN. His lack of time on the Blue definitely has him as failing to meet expectations.
Mike: Like the others before him on this list, Juergens didn’t see the field for Boise State and instead opted to transfer after two seasons with the program. He ended up all the way across the country at UConn. Based on a quick online search, it doesn’t seem like he’s played much for the Huskies either.

OL Riden Leong

Thoughts when he signed:
Michael: Didn’t really have any other than repeatedly misremembering where the “o” in his name belonged.


Hunter: Riden at least looked like he had potential to be on FKWG’s all-name team. As far as offensive lineman quality, I saw him as a piece to the sign-a-bunch-of-linemen-and-see-who-sticks strat, but was not really holding out for him either.


Zach: I had low expectations. Boise State’s recent history with junior college offensive linemen has not been good. And if I am being honest, I did not know much about Leong when he committed to the Broncos.


Mike: Echoing Zach, Boise State and JUCO OL haven’t worked out over the past decade or so. Wide receivers and edge players are another story, however. Based on that, I didn’t expect much out of Leong other than being a depth piece to fill out hte roster.


Thoughts over the past four years:
Michael: We had a guy named Riden Leong? Maybe we did, but he’s now long gone.


Hunter: Yet another member of the o-line graveyard for this 2020 class, Riden didn’t see the field much before he left after the 2020 season.


Zach: Leong only appeared in one game and failed to meet expectations. Unfortunately, his lack of playing time was not much of a surprise.


Mike: Riden was a member of the Broncos for two seasons and is credited with one game. In some ways, he fulfilled his assumed purpose of depth on the offensive line. In another way, he wasn’t able to produce much value, which was a common theme at the OL position in this class.

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