Good Morning, Bronco Nation! Most high school athletes dream of lettering in their sport. Tyler Smith, however, lettered in sports medicine, becoming the first to do so at Centennial High School. For him, this meant taping ankles before football games and helping athletes recover from injuries. But it also marked the beginning of a career that would define the next two decades of his life.

Smith currently serves as the Director for Athletic Training for Olympic Sports and has been full time with Boise State since 2004. As a Boise native, Smith’s nearly three-decade commitment to student-athletes began 10 miles down the road from Albertsons Stadium, at Centennial High.

🔷 Read this week’s B1: Feature: “More Than Taping Ankles.” 🔶

What else is mixed into today’s piping hot edition of the Good Morning, Bronco Nation Brew? Scroll down to find out!

⚽️ Soccer Gets 1-1 Draw Against Southern Utah
🏀 A Look at Bronco MBB
🗣 Big BVB Staffing Announcement
🔷 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Football Food For Thought. Boise State Athletics and Boise State Dining have announced the concession offerings for the 2025 football season, showcasing local businesses, locally-sourced products, and a continued focus on reducing wait times at concessions stands.

Boise State Athletics is offering new value packs to provide fans with more bang for their buck. The Specialty Burger Bundle will include a cheeseburger, 5 oz. fry, and souvenir soda for $25. Additionally, a new Family 4 Pack will include four RR Ranch hot dogs, four 22 oz. sodas, and a refillable popcorn bucket for $40.

🍿 MORE INFO ℹ️

🔼 Ones All Around. The Bronco soccer team came up with a 1-1 draw against Southern Utah on Thursday after a hard-fought battle on the pitch.

Next Up:

Sunday, Aug. 24
⚽️ Women’s Soccer @ Utah Tech (St. George, Utah) @ 10 a.m.

🔼 Keep Track Of This. Mark your calendars!

🔼 Big Spence, Bigger Expectations. Associate Head Coach Mike Burns had nothing but great things to say about incoming freshman Spencer “Big Spence” Ahrens.

“He’s poised well beyond his years. Great skill. Great size,” Coach Burns said. “He’s going to have an immediate impact in the Mountain West this year, and do great things for the Broncos.”

Some Spencer Ahrens Stats:

Ranked as a top-30 power forward in the nation, according to ESPN and 247Sports … 247Sports also ranked him 132nd among all players in his high school class … Also competed in the UPLAY Canada Nike EYBL AAU program, which is regarded as one of the best amateur leagues in the world.

And ICYMI! 👇🏼

🎟️ SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY! 🏀

🔼 She Deserves Hazard Pay. McKayla Hazard will join the Boise State beach volleyball program as an assistant coach, head coach Alex Venardos announced.

Hazard is well known in the Pacific Northwest beach volleyball community, having spent the past five seasons as head coach and mindfulness director of Kokua Volleyball Club in Spokane, Wash. Coaching the elite team, she led her squad to a BVCA National Championship in the club division, becoming the first club from the Northwest to do so.

🗣 "We need people like McKayla to make sure we cover our blind spots and continue to adapt in how we approach understanding and teaching the game." - Coach Venardos

📱 FROM THE A.D.

🤔 BLUE TURF TRIVIA

Through the Sands Of Time. In what year did the Boise State BVB program begin?

🗣️ SPREAD THE WORD

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🗓 LOOKING AHEAD

*All times in MT unless otherwise listed

Sunday, Aug. 24
⚽️ Women’s Soccer @ Utah Tech (St. George, Utah) @ 10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 28
🏈 Football Opener @ South Florida (Tampa, Florida) @ 3:30 p.m. TV: ESPN Radio: Bronco Radio Network | WEAR BLUE
⚽️ Women’s Soccer Home Opener vs. Montana @ 7 p.m. | Watch | Tickets

Friday, Aug. 29
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. Navy (Orem, Utah) @ 10 a.m.
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. Montana (Orem, Utah) @ 5 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 30
🏐 Women’s Volleyball @ Utah Valley (Orem, Utah) @ 3 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 5
🏈 Football Home Opener vs. Eastern Washington @ 7 p.m. TV: FS1 Radio: Bronco Radio Network | ORANGE 🍊 BLUE STRIPEOUT

🔷 Go here to view the entire Boise State Athletics Calendar

ℹ️ TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 2014!

The Boise State beach volleyball program began in 2014 and is notably the first such program in the Pacific Northwest.

The team’s home facility, the Boise State Beach Volleyball Complex, opened in summer 2014. It includes three full-size courts and berm seating for around 600 spectators.

The first-ever home match was held on April 24, 2015, where the Broncos beat Oregon 4-1.

🔷 Have a fantastic weekend, Bronco Nation!