BOISE — The most-attended group interview for the Boise State football team since fall camp opened wasn’t for running back Ashton Jeanty or any of the Bronco quarterbacks. It came Tuesday afternoon for wide receiver Cam Camper.
Granted, with a catering crew setting up for a luncheon in the recruiting lounge of the Bleymaier Football Center, where interviews are normally held, the interview moved downstairs to the lobby, where there is more foot traffic. So, when a group of his teammates walked through the lobby in the middle of Camper’s interview following practice, they couldn’t help but join the gaggle of Boise-area media to get in on the fun. The teammates took out their phones to record the interview, and even got a question in.
“Jeremiah from Bronco Media,” cornerback Jeremiah Earby identified himself as. “How’s the competition with the DBs been?”
It’s good (competition) every day,” Camper shot back. “You got to come with your best stuff, or you’re going to get sat on.”
The scene may have been unlike any seen during media availability the last few weeks, but it speaks to the way Camper, a transfer from Indiana, has been welcomed into the team in just his first eight months in Boise.
“It’s big, it’s just a great group of guys,” Camper said about his teammates. “I think whoever comes in here is going to be welcomed with open arms, that’s just the type of group we have here.”
Camper’s arrival at Boise State may have been slightly overshadowed by the arrival of transfer Chris Marshall, a former five-star recruit who has spent time at Texas A&M and Ole Miss. But the impact that he can make on the Boise State receiving room cannot be understated. Over the last two seasons with the Hoosiers, Camper has gone against some of the toughest defenses in the country, playing in the Big Ten, and has 854 receiving yards on 63 catches and three touchdowns.
“He made a lot of plays at Indiana, and I sure hope he can do the same thing in a different color jersey this upcoming fall,” said wide receivers coach Matt Miller. “I think with his personality and how he’s prepared himself mentally, I think he’s primed to go do that.”
But Camper has also seen both his seasons with Indiana end prematurely. After transferring into Bloomington from Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College in 2022, he had a 156-yard performance in his Hoosier debut against Illinois. His season ended with an ACL tear in October against Rutgers, but he still led the Hoosiers with 569 receiving yards.
The next season was also ended by a knee injury after he had 17 catches for 285 yards.
He earned his degree in December but wasn’t done with football just yet. He said despite all the setbacks, his love for the game still outweighed the disappointment.
Still recovering from his injury, though, he knew he had to get back to 100 percent.
As it so happened, his high school teammate and childhood friend Latrell Caples was going through his own recovery from an Achilles injury at Boise State. Caples, who also plays wide receiver, raved to Camper about the training staff and how they were helping him with his recovery.
That drew Camper’s interest to Boise State and after a visit, he was sold.
“Man, you can’t turn down a blue field once you come on your visit,” Camper said. “But I was just trusting that the training staff was going to do what they need to do to get me back to where I want to be.”
He’s been focusing on that recovery ever since arriving in Boise, and with less than three weeks until the Broncos’ season opener on Aug. 31 at Georgia Southern, Camper said he’s “ready to roll.”
“I really can’t say what the difference is,” Camper said about what the training staff has done so well at Boise State. “But I think I understand what they’re trying to get out of me. It’s a good conversation and we’re always on the same page.”
He figures to play an important role in the Boise State passing game, which returns Caples, Austin Bolt and Prince Strachan and also adds Marshall.
“Just being the best me every day,” Camper said about how he can stand out in a talented group. “I can’t really look at the next man, because I got stuff to worry about on myself. But I’m always looking to see what they do on a play, see what I can do better and see what I can take from that play.”
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