Bronco Breakdown: An All-Mountain West pick leads Boise State’s stacked linebacker room

Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment in a series breaking down Boise State’s likely starters and the top players in the Mountain West at each position.

Boise State has a good problem this season: a plethora of talented linebackers to fit into just two starting spots.

Linebacker is on par with running back and safety as the Broncos’ deepest positions this year. The unit is led by a player who burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and is well-known by opposing offensive coordinators: Andrew Simpson.

Simpson has lined up at middle linebacker in 28 games and started 14 the past two seasons. He ranked No. 3 at Boise State last fall with 66 tackles and No. 2 with 16 tackles for loss, despite playing the second half of the season with a broken hand, which required a cast.

Bronco Breakdown: The Mountain West’s top returning pass rusher leads Boise State on edge

The redshirt junior from Norwalk, California, has also shown a knack for rushing the passer. He ranked No. 2 at Boise State last season with 6.5 sacks, and he posted three sacks in 2022. Simpson was named second-team All-Mountain West last year and made the preseason all-conference team this month.

“People know Andrew now,” Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said. “It’s not a secret. He’s a good football player and a twitchy football player. He’s an older guy now, and his leadership needs to continue to increase. It’s not just line up and play anymore. It’s can you direct the traffic? Can you be the guy out there that’s telling everybody what’s going on?”

The Broncos also have a proven tackler back at weak-side linebacker. Marco Notarainni stepped in early last season for injured all-conference linebacker DJ Schramm, and he was the Broncos’ leading tackler midway through the season.

Notarainni was slowed by injuries late last year, but he still finished tied for No. 6 on the team with 53 tackles and added three sacks. He missed spring ball while recovering from injuries, but Chinander said he expects him to be ready to go by fall camp.

A pair of sophomores are expected to back up Simpson and Notarainni.

Chase Martin was one of the Broncos’ top special teams players last fall, and he delivered several bone-jarring hits on kickoffs. He also started two games at weak-side linebacker, including Boise State’s loss to UCLA in the LA Bowl.

Redshirt sophomore Jake Ripp is the favorite to back up Simpson at middle linebacker. He played in 13 games last season and made his collegiate debut with three tackles against Washington. Ripp joined the Broncos as a three-star recruit in 2022. He posted 103 tackles, six tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception as a senior at Los Gatos High in California.

Bronco Breakdown: Boise State has a plethora of big men who know how to plug the middle

Boise State’s coaches are also excited about a couple of new additions to the linebacker room.

Clay Martineau enrolled early and joined the Broncos in January. He blew the coaches away at spring practice, and he posted several tackles and a half sack in the spring game in April. He came out of Oregon City High as a four-star recruit and the No. 5 overall prospect in Oregon, according to 247Sports. Martineau chose the Broncos over scholarship offers from Washington, Washington State, BYU, Nevada, Colorado State, Air Force and Idaho.

Martineau racked up 107 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three interceptions, six pass break-ups and a blocked field goal in his final two seasons at Oregon City High.

Boise State also added junior college transfer Udoka Ezeani this year after he spent last season at Butler Community College in Kansas. He earned second-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference honors last fall with 52 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. He began his college career at Missouri State in 2021.

Chinander said on early signing day in December that Ezeani would step on the field as the fastest linebacker on the Broncos’ roster. He was proven right when Ezeani posted several tackles and a half sack in the spring game.

Bronco Breakdown: A veteran line should pave the way for Boise State’s intriguing offense

Projected depth chart

Starters: MLB Andrew Simpson, R-Jr., 6-0, 240, St. John Bosco High, Norwalk, California; WLB Marco Notarainni, R-Jr., 6-3, 240, Torrey Pines High, San Diego, California.

Backups: MLB Jake Ripp, R-So., 6-3, 235, Los Gatos (California) High; WLB Chase Martin, So., 6-1, 222, Thousand Oaks (California) High.

Sleepers: Clay Martineau, Fr., 6-3, 210, Oregon City (Oregon) High; Udoka Ezeani, R-Jr., 6-2, 208, Foster High/Missouri State/Butler Community College, Richmond, Texas.

Mountain West LBs to watch

Jackson Woodard, UNLV — Woodard led the Rebels and ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West last season with 117 tackles and added nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception and five pass deflections. He was named first-team all-conference last year and shared preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors with Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein this month. Woodard transferred to UNLV last year after three seasons at Arkansas.

Chase Wilson, Colorado State — The 6-1, 230-pound fifth-year senior earned preseason Mountain West honors this month after ranking No. 2 at Colorado State and No. 5 in the conference with 107 tackles last fall. He started 12 games last season and finished with 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three pass deflections, earning second-team all-conference honors.

Jordan Pollard, San Jose State — The junior earned preseason All-Mountain West honors this month after he ranked No. 2 at San Jose State last season with 79 tackles. He’s the Spartans’ most productive returning defender after last season’s leader in tackles, Bryun Parham, transferred to Washington. Pollard also racked up four tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble last fall in his first season as a starter.

Shae Suiaunoa, Wyoming — The 6-3, 232-pound sixth-year senior has appeared in 40 games for the Cowboys since 2020 and started 26 consecutive games the past two seasons. He ranked No. 2 on the team and No. 9 in the Mountain West last season with 93 tackles and added 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception. Suiaunoa racked up a team-high 12 tackles in Wyoming’s win over Texas Tech and a career-high 13 against Fresno State.

Malachi Langley, Fresno State — The 6-1, 236-pound sixth-year senior has appeared in 49 games and started 35 for the Bulldogs since 2019. He was an honorable mention All-Mountain West pick in 2022. Langley led Fresno State with 84 tackles last season and added five tackles for loss and a sack.