He was an All-American at Boise State. Now he’ll mentor the Broncos’ tight ends

Former Boise State offensive lineman Nate Potter is coming back to The Blue.

Boise State hired Potter as its new tight ends coach and run game coordinator, the university announced Wednesday morning. He will replace longtime assistant coach Kent Riddle, who stepped down on Tuesday.

Potter was an offensive tackle for the Broncos from 2008 to 2011, and he was inducted into the Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. He spent the past three seasons at Montana State, where he coached tight ends and helped lead the Bobcats to the Football Championship Subdivision National Championship game last year.

He’s the third coach to leave Montana State for a spot on Boise State’s staff in the past year, joining wide receivers coach Matt Miller and safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Kane Ioane. Potter is also one of four former Boise State players now on the Broncos’ staff, joining Miller, defensive analyst Kharyee Marshall and graduate assistant Jabril Frazier.

Boise State football coach Andy Avalos has hired six former Broncos since taking over at his alma mater last January. Two left earlier this month: running backs coach Winston Venable and cornerbacks coach Jeron Johnson.

“Nate Potter is one of the young, up-and-coming coaches in our industry,” Avalos said in a statement. “It just so happens that he’s also a former Bronco, having spent time here both as a coach and a player, and understands what we’re building. We are looking forward to having him back in the facility and mentoring the next generation of Broncos.”

Potter was a consensus All-American in 2011, joining Ryan Clady (2007) and Avery Williams (2020) as the only Boise State players to earn the honor in program history. Potter was also a three-time all-conference pick, earning first-team honors from the Western Athletic Conference in 2009 and 2010 and the Mountain West in 2011. He started the final 34 games of his college career.

“I want to thank Coach Avalos for giving me the opportunity to come home and give back to the brotherhood that has given so much to me,” Potter said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to joining this great staff and working with this program’s incredible players, helping to continue the championship tradition for Bronco Nation.”

The 33-year-old was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and spent two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before beginning his coaching career as a quality control assistant at Boise State in 2014. He spent the next three years as a graduate assistant before moving to College of Idaho, where he spent the 2018 season as the Yotes’ offensive line coach.