Bronco Nation News is counting down the 10 biggest storylines and questions surrounding the Boise State football team heading into the 2025 season. Next up is No. 8: Who plays along the defensive line?
The story of the defensive line this season has been star power and departures. On the departure front: 837 snaps on the edge are gone, in large part with Detroit Lions selection Ahmed Hassanein, and 1,213 snaps are gone at defensive tackle. What returns? First-team All-Mountain West STUD Jayden Virgin-Morgan, and second-team All-Mountain West defensive tackle Braxton Fely. With two rock solid starters already solidified, who steps up and plays around those two along the defensive line? There is a healthy collection of newcomers and breakout candidates on the roster, which makes the battles for playing time on the defensive line one of the most intriguing camp battles this Fall. Let's look at the likeliest players to get playing time, as well as some wildcards who could end up carving out a role for the Broncos defense this season.
*Note: we're not listing Virgin-Morgan or Fely here. We all know they're starting.
Likely Contributors
DE Max Stege (Junior): Arguably the favorite to start at defensive end opposite of Virgin-Morgan, Stege was a key rotational player last season and put together a solid sophomore campaign. Stege finished the year with 193 snaps, 11 pressures and 3 sacks last season, including a sack in the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State. Not only is Stege likely to find a role this season, he's one of the team's breakout candidates who appears poised for a massive season. If there's one name to take away from this list, I would bet on Stege being the one to know.
DE Sterling Lane II (RS-Junior): The primary candidates in the battle for defensive end reps appears to be between Lane and Stege. Lane comes to Boise State from Arizona, totaling 211 snaps, 20 tackles and 9 pressures for the Wildcats last season. While the pass rush production isn't eye popping, Lane's run defense grades are solid. He has the strength and length needed to hold an edge in the run game, and should be a solid compliment to Stege, who is a more pass rush oriented edge player. It's rare for Boise State to get a proven power four player like Sterling Lane II, so expect him to have some role in the defense this Fall.
DE Malakai Williams (RS-Senior): Another transfer, this time from the Broncos' neighbors up North at the University of Idaho. Williams is coming off a stellar redshirt junior season where he finished with 35 tackles, 37 pressures and 6.5 sacks for the Vandals, earning himself All-Big Sky honorable mention. A two-time team captain with Idaho, Williams brings a veteran presence to a room lacking in seniors. With only one year of eligibility remaining, Williams' impact on the Blue will be limited to the 2025 season, where I imagine he rotates behind Jayden Virgin-Morgan at STUD.
DT David Latu (RS-Junior): A newcomer to the program, Latu comes to the program via BYU. Latu saw limited playing time in 2024 before electing to redshirt, but was a key rotation player for the Cougars in 2023 at defensive tackle. Throughout the spring, Latu often repped with the first team and seems like the likeliest candidate to start next to Fely. Primarily a run defending interior player, Latu's 6-foot-5, 305-pound frame adds some beef next to the smaller Fely, if the two are to start together. While he's likely not a 25-pressure player like Fely is, Latu looks like a solid run defender and should play significant time this fall.
DT Dion Washington (RS-Senior): Another transfer addition this winter, Washington spent his first three seasons of college ball at Nevada before transferrin to Hawai'i last season. During his time in the Mountain West, Washington has been a consistent and productive defensive tackle totaling 1,129 snaps and 36 career pressures. I'm very interested in the role Washington plays this year. At Hawai'I, he was asked to fill the B-gaps as a traditional defensive tackle, but in 2023 at Nevada he repped 43% of his snaps as a nose tackle and had his best season in college. Boise State consistently rotated 4 defensive tackles last season, so whether he starts alongside Fely or rotates behind him, I would expect 300+ snaps at least for Washington.
Potential Contributors
DT Lopez Sanusi (RS-Freshman): While he redshirted last season, Sanusi has been one of the players consistently brought up by coaches during spring camp. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Sanusi is a 299-pound tackle who earned 23 snaps in two games as true freshman last season. During the Spring Game, Sanusi had solid flashes as a run defender, and could project as an early down run defender this fall. Given his size and skillset, it seems most likely his usage would be backing up David Latu.
DT Michael Madrie (RS-Sophomore): Another player who received consistent praise from the coaches during the spring, Madrie looks poised for a larger role than last season. As a redshirt freshman, Madrie totaled 58 snaps and 3 pressures in 6 games, showing upside as a pass rusher on the interior. With a 281-pound frame, Madrie will be battling for a rotational spot with the next player listed here and Dion Washington to get on the field alongside/behind Fely. It also looked like Madrie was getting some reps at defensive end in the Spring Game, so that will be something to monitor throughout the season as well.
DT Keanu Mailoto (RS-Senior): The third member of this offseason's defensive tackle transfer class, Mailoto comes to Boise State via Arizona where he logged 119 snaps the past two seasons. At 280 pounds, Mailoto's role likely projects as a backup to Braxton Fely in the rotation. While he does have a smaller frame, Mailoto was most impressive at Arizona in run defense, his 66.5 run defense grade last year is above replacement level and would be a solid score for a rotational tackle. One other note with Mailoto, 69% of his snaps were in a traditional defensive tackle alignment, but 31% of his reps were at defensive end. Ahmed Hassanein played defensive end at 276 pounds last season, and the staff could view Mailoto as a piece they can kick out wide if needed.
Wildcards
DT Trevor McKenna (RS-Freshman): A local recruit out of Borah High School, McKenna was the #3 recruit in the state of Idaho a year ago. While he didn't play during his redshirt season last year, McKenna has a 6-6 frame and long arms that should eventually lead him to be a productive player on the Blue. With the deep rotations on the interior, McKenna could see some time with a year of development.
DE Jaden Williams (Freshman): Typically there are a handful of true freshmen who make an immediate impact at Boise State and Williams has a chance to be one of those instant impact players. The third highest rate played in Boise State's 2025 class, Williams was ranked a top-50 EDGE player in the country and a Top-50 player at any position in the state of California. At 6-foot-3, 254 pounds, Williams has the size to quickly adjust to the college level. He wasn't with the team in spring camp, so fall camp will be the first look we'll have of Williams in blue and orange.