Will a No. 1 receiver emerge at Boise State or will it be by committee again?

Editor’s note: This is the seventh installment of a series exploring the top 10 questions surrounding the Boise State football team this season. Articles will run every week in July and will be accompanied by a video online featuring Idaho Statesman reporter Ron Counts and Boise State super-fan Jacob Bleymaier. The videos will also appear on his Bronco Bleymaier YouTube channel.

Boise State wide receiver Latrell Caples isn’t the kind of player who delivers fiery pregame speeches in the locker room.

He prefers to let his play speak for itself, wide receivers coach Matt Miller said.

“I don’t think he said two words when he first got here,” Miller said. “But he doesn’t have to say much because his teammates know he’s going to prepare and go out there and deliver on game day.”

Caples — a redshirt junior from Lancaster, Texas — led the Broncos last season with 51 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns. Those aren’t the kind of numbers Boise State fans are used to from the team’s top receiver, though.

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Last season marked the first time since 2006 that Boise State’s leading receiver finished a season with less than 700 yards.

Well-known receivers, such as Khalil Shakir, Sean Modster, Cedrick Wilson and Thomas Sperbeck, all led the team with much more prominent numbers since 2014.

Shakir, who is heading into his second season with the Buffalo Bills, owned the spotlight in 2021 after making acrobatic catches look easy. He finished the year with 77 catches for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns.

Sperbeck had 88 catches in 2015 and 80 in ‘16, and had at least 1,250 yards receiving both seasons. Wilson had over 1,000 yards in his two seasons at Boise State, and had 83 catches for 1,511 yards in 2017.

Boise State’s quarterbacks spread passes around last season. Five players caught at least 24 passes and six finished with more than 200 receiving yards.

Will a true No. 1 receiver emerge this year or will the Broncos take the committee approach again?

“We have a lot of faith in all the guys in that room,” Miller said. “We have a deep room, and we have guys who can do it all, from taking a screen pass to the house to stretching the defense deep.”

The wily vets

The Broncos have no shortage of experienced wide receivers. Caples and sixth-year seniors Stefan Cobbs and Billy Bowens top the list.

Caples and Cobbs have similar builds and skill sets. Neither is in danger of ever being the biggest receiver on the field, but they’re both fast and shifty, and they run precise routes. All of those traits make them very quarterback friendly and ensure they will see plenty of passes.

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Caples (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) has overcome knee injuries the past couple of years, but he’s a little more physical than Cobbs, which allows him to absorb more of the collisions that come in the short passing game.

Caples also showed last season that he has the Shakir gene with an acrobatic, toe-tapping catch on the sideline in the Broncos’ win over San Diego State.

Cobbs (6-0, 190) has been slowed by ankle and foot injuries the past two seasons, but he is one of the fastest players on the team and can break big plays. The native of Fort Worth, Texas, was third on the team with 29 catches for 396 yards last season.

Bowens (6-1, 195) isn’t much taller than Caples and Cobbs, but his long arms and legs allow him to play more on the outside, where he’s very proficient at boxing out defenders. He was second on the team with 32 catches for 462 yards last season.

The young guns

The Broncos have a pair of young receivers who have a chance to rise through the ranks and take ownership of the No. 1 spot.

Redshirt sophomore Eric McAlister (6-4, 195) emerged as the team’s most physically imposing receiver last season. He used his big frame to outmuscle defenders and proved to be the Broncos’ most consistent deep threat, with his 11 catches going for 259 yards. He tied Caples and Bowens with a team-high four touchdown catches.

“His ceiling is impossibly high,” Miller said. “He knows how to use his body, he has the kind of athleticism you don’t see every day, and we’re really excited to see where he can take his game this year.”

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The Broncos have another tall, explosive receiver to pair with McAlister this year. Freshman Prince Strachan (6-5, 195) arrived on campus in January after taking a gray shirt last year. His long arms, blazing speed and natural ability to track the ball got Boise State’s coaches excited right away in spring practice.

Strachan also stole the show during the spring game in April, when he hauled in two passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.

“There are some things you just can’t teach,” Miller said. “We’re really excited to see what Prince can do, not just this year, but the next three years. He has a chance to have a great career.”

Strachan hails from the Bahamas and has played football for only a few years, but his bloodline suggests he has what it takes to be the Broncos’ next great receiver. His older brother, Michael, plays for the Indianapolis Colts.

The wildcard

Boise State fans across Idaho had plenty of reasons to be excited when Austin Bolt joined the team in 2020.

Bolt (6-3, 210) was named Idaho’s Gatorade State Player of the Year following his senior year at Borah High. After a move to quarterback, he finished the season with 2,771 yards of offense 36 touchdowns. He also earned all-state honors in basketball and won a state title in track.

After a brief stint at tight end, he moved back to wide receiver last season with the hopes of using that athleticism to be a threat for Boise State’s offense. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after suffering a broken leg in the season opener at Oregon State.

Bolt missed spring practice, but Miller said he’s fully recovered and is expected to take full part in fall camp. Bolt was healthy enough to play in a basketball tournament in Washington last month.

The Broncos’ passing game could be more explosive than it’s been in years if McAlister, Bolt and Strachan can take big steps forward this season.