Boise State running back Tyler Crowe found himself re-evaluating why he plays football last season.
Crowe hurt his knee early in fall camp in 2023 and played through the injury, but he admitted he wasn’t himself. The pain he endured daily and a lack of production left him questioning whether he still wanted to play, after carrying the ball just 10 times for 37 yards last season.
“This time in fall camp last year, I was so exhausted,” he said. “I had just got hurt, and I didn’t want to be here.”
The Nampa native had an epiphany after the season ended. He still had the passion and drive that made him a force to be reckoned with at Skyview High in Nampa, so he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in January and decided to return to Boise State for his sixth and final season of eligibility.
“It really came back down to I love it here,” said Crowe, adding that he probably would have been a graduate assistant on the team if he weren’t playing this year. “I love my teammates. I love the coaches, and I love this building. I can’t get away from this place.”
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Crowe sat out of spring practice while recovering from surgery, but it looks as if he has carved out a role for himself in fall camp. He’s been getting legitimate reps with the starters in recent weeks, despite being part of a star-studded backfield that includes potential Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty .
How to best describe that role still remains a question. Crowe is listed as a fullback on the roster, but he has also lined up at tight end and wide receiver this August. He said Monday that he likes to think of himself as a Swiss Army knife, but he simplified his title even further.
“Football player would be a good title for me,” he said. “I just go out there and get the job done at a high level.”
One change for Crowe this year is that he has bulked up to 233 pounds after weighing 217 last season. At the suggestion of tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator Nate Potter, Crowe said he spent the offseason in the weight room. He said he feels stronger than ever.
He bench pressed a team-best 415 pounds this summer, and he said the strength and weight he added should be a benefit, especially when he lines up at tight end.
“I’ve always been a super physical guy,” Crowe said. “Playing with the extra weight just makes me even more confident out there, and helps me be able to be more physical and get down and dirty like a fullback should.”
The added weight hasn’t slowed him down, either. Crowe has what looks like an improved burst this year. He has bounced several carries outside for long gains in practice, and he scored two rushing touchdowns in the Broncos’ scrimmage last Saturday.
He may not possess all the tools that make Jeanty look like a next-level running back. He may not have the speed of Boise State’s Jambres Dubar or freshman Sire Gaines’ elusiveness, but Crowe is going to play a role on offense, head coach Spencer Danielson said.
“He’s earned it every single second that he’s been here,” Danielson said. “He’s one of the strongest guys on our team, and he’s a guy that’s made it to where we have to find a way to get him a role. He’s going to have a big role on offense and special teams.”
Crowe joined the Broncos as a walk-on in 2019, following a productive career at Skyview, which included being named 5A SIC Player of the Year as a senior. He earned a full scholarship in 2021, and he said he has made memories at Boise State that he’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Crowe said he’s not sure what his post-college future holds. He’d jump at any shot at a professional football career, and he said he might put his MBA to use in the real estate industry.
One thing is for sure: He plans to go out with a bang this season.
“I think it’s motivating for a lot of the guys I came in with to make this last year super special and do something Boise State has never done,” Crowe said.
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