Happy Saturday, Bronco friends. We've got just 96 days until the Broncos hit Atlanta, and today we're highlighting #96 on the Bronco roster—Elliot Hoyte
#96, Elliot Hoyte, RS Sophomore, DT
Stats
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 279 lbs.
High School: Ivybridge Community College, Tavistock, England
How'd he get to The Blue™?
On most teams, the guy from the UK would easily have travelled the furthest distance to join the squad. Boise State obviously isn't most teams, as a full two players (Geraldo Boldewijn and Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe) racked up more frequent flier miles to get to The Blue™. Still, Elliot Hoyte is a long way from home, but may be more experienced in the American game than his aforementioned Dutch counterparts. Hoyte, the son of Nigel Hoyte—a former world league player for the London Monarchs—has grown up around the American game, even in the land of soccer and cricket. He somehow found his way to a Boise State football camp through an association with Chase Baker, who played rugby in some events in the UK. The Broncos liked the cut of his jib, and I suppose the rest is history.
Nickname
"Sir Elliot"
Picture him playing tackle wearing a monocle and sporting a freshly waxed mustache. Seriously, do this.
Look-a-like
Bunsen Honeydew
Career highlights
Named first team All-Europe while playing defensive end for the Bristol Aztecs.
2014 prospectus
It's good to be a backup defensive lineman at Boise State - much less one with experience and seniority - because depth along the defensive line is at perhaps the shallowest of anywhere on the Bronco roster. That's the situation Hoyte finds himself in this season, competing for playing time with a host of other competitors and right in the thick of the things for top reserve duty. He appeared in four games last season and could very well see that number double or triple (or quadruple - hey-o college football playoff!). His body type could mean some flexibility for where the Bronco coaches want to line him up - inside as a Tyler Horn-esque defensive tackle or rushing from the edge as a big-bodied defensive end.
I won't predict any specific numbers on playing time for Hoyte (I like his chances, but then again, I like everyone's chances), but I will predict that he will eventually carry the mantle of "hasn't that guy been around for like six years." He's a redshirt sophomore, and I was pretty sure he was a senior before I wrote this. I blame his UK heritage because imports like Hoyte always seem to stick out on the gameday roster more than the regulars from Southern California or Fruitland. Cheerio to three more years of Elliot Hoyte football that will feel like thirteen.
Completely made up fact
Elliot Hoyte got to touch the royal baby, as all residents of the UK get to do with each and every royal newborn.