With the opening of USF’s football season just over two months away, Green, Gold, and Bold will examine each opponent the Bulls will face in 2025.
We’ll start at the top with the opener.
Who: Boise State Broncos
When: August 28 at Raymond James Stadium
Head coach: Spencer Danielson has a 15-3 record in two years as the head man at Boise. He spent seven seasons as a defensive coach with the Broncos, including three as defensive coordinator. He served as the interim coach for the last three games in 2023 after head coach Andy Avalos was fired.
Last year’s record: 12-2, Mountain West Conference champions and a College Football Playoff participant.
Name to know: OT Kage Casey. A likely high draft pick in 2026, he allowed no sacks last season and, get this, had just one penalty last season. He is 6-5, 316, and graded at 86.9 in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus. That is elite.
Biggest potential weakness: The Broncos need improvement in special teams. Boise’s 37-34 loss at Oregon early in the season included a kickoff return and a punt return for touchdowns. The 31-14 playoff loss to Penn State turned on missed field goals of 45 and 38 yards by record-setting kicker Jonah Dalmas.
Biggest question mark: This one is easy. How do the Broncos replace running back Ashton Jeanty? He was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and the sixth overall pick in the NFL draft. He ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.
The speculation is that Boise will initially use a “running back by committee” approach, with Sire Gaines, Jambres Dubar, Dylan Riley, and Fresno State transfer Malik Sherrod in the mix.
Keep an eye on Gaines. He showed promise last season as a freshman, rushing 20 times for 156 yards and a touchdown in three games before an ankle injury that eventually required surgery ended his season.
Interesting things to know: Boise returns 75 percent of its offensive production from 2024 and a combined 201 starts, according to Bill Connelly from ESPN.
The Broncos haven’t had a losing season since going 4-7 in 1997. This is also their final season in the Mountain West. They will join Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State in the reconfigured Pac-12 in 2026.