New season, same ol’ Latrell Caples: Boise State receiver primed for comeback in 2024

The 2023 season was supposed to be Latrell Caples’ time to shine.

The then-redshirt junior was coming off a year in which he led Boise State football in receptions and receiving yards, and he was poised to be the latest in a string of big-time wide receivers for the Broncos.

Then it popped.

During a summer workout last year, Caples tore his Achilles tendon.

“I didn’t have any pain on it, I didn’t expect anything,” Caples told the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday. “It just happened.”

The injury required Caples to undergo surgery and miss the entire season, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as the Broncos clawed their way to a Mountain West championship and end the year with an 8-6 record after a 35-22 loss to UCLA in the LA Bowl.

“It was tough, just having to watch every weekend when they go away, watching on TV,” Caples said. “But continuing to support and let the guys know that I’m there for them if they need anything and leading off the sideline.”

As Boise State approaches its 2024 season opener at Georgia Southern on Aug. 31, it looks as if Caples, now a redshirt senior, hasn’t missed a beat.

Head coach Spencer Danielson was effusive in his praise after last weekend’s closed scrimmage — for good reason. Caples hauled in seven catches for 184 yards and a touchdown, and that TD came on a 98-yard pass play, according to stats the team provided.

Caples looked light on his feet at Tuesday’s practice, both receiving and returning kicks.

“It’s great to be out there with the team and just being able to lead on the field this time, not from the sidelines,” Caples said. “So it’s great just getting back on the field ... and getting better every day.”

Caples likely will be one of the Broncos’ go-to receivers this season, alongside junior college transfer and former five-star recruit Chris Marshall.

But it wasn’t easy for Caples to get back here. There were moments during recovery when he questioned whether he wanted to play football again, he previously told the Statesman . On Tuesday, he said it was hard to take his mind off of football.

During rehabilitation, Caples ensured that every exercise he did to repair and strengthen his Achilles also involved catching or quickly changing direction and stopping. He would balance on one leg and catch different-colored balls, or make runs and catch footballs, and then try to stop with one leg, he said.

BSU director of sports performance Benjamin Hilgart described Caples as “super professional” and noted that the wide receiver finished his rehab ahead of schedule.

“He has been so incredible coming back off that injury, a guy that’s just been super professional in how he handled every day,” Hilgart told the Statesman. “I’m talking about early when there’s still a lot of work to get done. He was the first one in the building, the last one to leave.”

During all this, Caples said he kept up to speed with the playbook to continue being a leader.

“It was hard changing OCs, but we pretty much keep the same scheme, just change a little bit things up,” Caples said of the transition in offensive coordinators between 2023 and ‘24. “So it was pretty easy to stay into the playbook and be able to get that knowledge.”

Caples’ last game for Boise State came in the 2022 Frisco Bowl victory against North Texas. Playing under then-interim offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Caples recorded career highs in receptions (6) and receiving yards (87).

He finished that 2022 season in a run-heavy offense with 51 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns.

Caples is now back again with Koetter, who rejoined the Boise State staff as offensive coordinator in the offseason after Bush Hamdan left for Kentucky.

“He knows his players, and he coaches us very well. I mean, he’s no slack-off, just because he retired and came back,” Caples said of Koetter. “Being under him is great, and getting the knowledge he has. He’s coached over 40 years. So being able to pick his brain here and there is also a big thing that I like to do.”

During Koetter’s long NFL coaching career, he worked with receivers such as Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Torry Holt. Caples said he has paid attention to how some receivers worked in Koetter’s offenses.

“They all were pretty big aspects in this offense,” Caples said. “So being able to try to do the things those guys did, or do it better. ... Picking that out of his brain this month is what I try to do best.”