Boise State safety Ty Benefield’s decision to enter the transfer portal caught more than one fan off guard. Most expected the three-year starter to declare for the NFL Draft or return to Boise, Idaho, for his senior season.
Shortly after Boise State’s 38-10 loss to Washington in the LA Bowl last week, Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson announced his star defensive back was seeking a NFL Draft grade and would make a decision about his future after talking to his family. On Saturday, Benefield announced he was hitting the portal.
“While Boise has been my home for three years, sometimes you have to leave home in order to grow,” he wrote on X/Twitter.
Benefield’s stats suggest he could demand a pretty big payday wherever he lands, especially if it’s a Power Four program. He has started 33 games, including five as a true freshman in 2023, and he is the Broncos’ leading tackler for the second year in a row. He led the team with 82 last season and paced Boise State with 107 this year. He also has five career interceptions.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
He has the accolades to go with those stats. Benefield is a two-time All-Mountain West pick, including first-team honors this year, and he was named Defensive MVP of the conference title game after posting a team-high eight tackles and a fumble recovery in a 38-21 win over UNLV.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound California native also has professional football in his blood. His father, David Benefield, spent 13 seasons as a linebacker in the Canadian Football League, where he played for five different clubs between 1992 and 2005. He also spent the 1996 season with the San Francisco 49ers.
Benefield was coached by his father for much of his young life, and his dad continues to mentor him on and off the field. Even if the duo is separated by a few hundred miles, they talk on the phone before every game. Benefield said it helps him lock in.
“He always told me that whatever you’ve got going on in your life, if you’ve got girl problems or issues with school, football is your time to let go of everything and focus on the task at hand,” Benefield said. “It’s funny because he thought I never used to listen to him because we argued a lot when I was younger, but I listened to everything he said.”
Broncos In The Transfer Portal
Boise State was mostly unscathed by the transfer portal last year. The Broncos lost just one full-time starter, linebacker Andrew Simpson, who signed with North Carolina.
Boise State isn’t as fortunate this year. Benefield is by far the Broncos’ biggest loss so far, but he’s not the only starter looking to play elsewhere next year. Offensive tackle Hall Schmidt is in the portal after he started 14 games at right tackle during the team’s run to the College Football Playoff last year. He started just two games because of injuries this season. Running back Jambres Dubar and cornerback Davon Banks are also looking for new homes. Dubar missed most of this season with an injury but has posted 446 yards and four touchdowns the past three seasons. Banks saw extended playing time before a suspension late in the season.
Boise State has also lost a host of young players, including linebackers Chase Martin and Clay Martineau. Back-up quarterback Kaleb Annett, offensive linemen Eyitayo Omotinugbon and JJ Tallo, defensive lineman Hayden Hanks, defensive back Jaylen Webb, wide receiver Kamryn Jones, and running back Greg Ard are also in the portal.
Will Boise State Extend Its NFL Draft streak?
With Benefield out of the picture, it will be up to left tackle Kage Casey to start a new NFL Draft streak at Boise State.
At least one Boise State player has been drafted in 15 of the past 16 years, and multiple Broncos have been picked in four of the past five drafts. The only season since 2010 that the program didn’t have a player drafted was 2024.
Last year, running back Ashton Jeanty was drafted No. 6 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. Defensive end Ahmed Hassanein was also picked in the sixth round by the Detroit Lions.
Casey is one of several Boise State players who could hear their names called in the 2026 draft.
Cornerback A’Marion McCoy declared for the draft on Dec. 17. He started 35 games and nabbed eight interceptions in three seasons at Boise State. McCoy led the team with four interceptions and returned two for touchdowns this season. Fellow cornerback Jeremiah Earby and EDGE Jayden Virgin-Morgan also have a chance to be drafted.
Safety JL Skinner was the latest Boise State defensive back to hear his name called in the draft. He went to the Denver Broncos in the sixth round in 2023. Skinner was the first Boise State player to wear jersey No. 0. Benefield got his blessing to wear it this year, and he hopes to follow Skinner’s footsteps all the way to the NFL.
“He’s someone I always looked at in terms of mentality,” Benefield said. “I’m trying to hit people the way he did. It was huge to get his blessing (to wear No. 0). It motivates me every day to be a better player.”
