Boise State adds No. 1 junior college recruit in country. He comes with some baggage
Boise State dipped back into the junior college ranks to add another big-time offensive weapon to its 2024 recruiting class.
Kilgore College wide receiver Chris Marshall — the No. 1 junior college prospect in the country, according to 247Sports — committed to Boise State on Wednesday. Boise State confirmed he was joining the team Wednesday evening.
“We are excited to have Chris join our program and add some depth to our receiver corps,” Boise State football coach Spencer Danielson said in a statement. “He has tremendous speed, impressive hands and the ability to play at the next level. But more than that, he is a hard-working young man that wants to contribute to this team and win. I look forward to seeing that energy and effort out of him this spring.”
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Texas native caught 21 passes for 449 yards and five touchdowns at Kilgore last season. He is the second high-profile wide receiver the Broncos have added in recent weeks, following former Indiana receiver Cam Camper.
Marshall is the second player the Broncos have added in recent weeks who was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. Marshall earned a 98 rating from 247Sports following his senior year at Fort Bend High in Missouri City, Texas. Former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson was also a five-star recruit coming out of Los Alamitos High in California. He earned a 99 rating from 247Sports.
Marshall had scholarship offers from many of the top programs in the country, including Alabama, USC, Texas, Oregon, LSU and Ole Miss. He chose Texas A&M and became a member of the Aggie’s top-ranked 2022 recruiting class.
He is a long, explosive receiver who caught 60 passes for 1,475 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Fort Bend. He caught 11 passes for 108 yards in his only season at Texas A&M, and he comes to Boise State with a history of disciplinary issues.
Marshall was suspended twice during his freshman season at Texas A&M and transferred at the end of the year. He landed at Ole Miss, but he wasn’t there long. Marshall was dismissed from the team in May 2023 because of what the program called a violation of team rules. He enrolled at Kilgore last August.
Marshall is the fourth junior college transfer the Broncos have added since early signing day in December. He follows edge rusher Joseph Marsh (College of the Canyons), linebacker Udoka Ezeani (Butler Community College) and offensive lineman Daylon Metoyer (Mt. San Antonio College).
Which of Boise State’s transfers have a chance to make an immediate impact in 2024?
The competition for snaps at wide receiver should be interesting next season at Boise State.
The Broncos have to replace leading receiver Eric McAlister, who left the team last November and transferred to TCU after the season. He caught 47 passes for 873 yards and five touchdowns in nine games.
Latrell Caples is expected back after he missed all of last season with a knee injury. He led the Broncos with 51 catches for 549 yards in 2022.
Young receivers Prince Strachan and Austin Bolt are also expected back after they gave a glimpse of what they can do last season. The week after McAlister left the team, they combined for 185 yards and two touchdowns on just five catches in the Broncos’ 42-14 win over New Mexico. Strachan (6-5, 203) scored on a 74-yard pass and Bolt (6-3, 212) hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass.
Camper caught 63 passes for 854 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games at Indiana. Boise State also added former Colorado wide receiver Chase Penry last year. He played in just four games because of injuries last season and finished with five catches for 48 yards.
