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Boise State numerical roster countdown 2016: Day 29, Dylan Sumner-Gardner

By Drew Roberts
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

We have under a month until kickoff...29 days to be exact, so today lets look at everyone's favorite hyphenated player—Dylan Sumner-Gardner

#29, Dylan Sumner-Gardner, RS Sophomore, Safety

DSG

Stats

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 201 lbs. (+8)

High School: West Mesquite High School, Mesquite, TX

How'd he get to The Blue™?

As we all probably know, Texas high school football isn't just football. It's a way of life and Dylan Sumner-Gardner (DSG) was a top talent at one of the top programs in the state. All of the major recruiting services (247Sports, ESPN, Rivals, and Scout) rated him between the 7th and 10th best safety in the country, making him a Top 100 recruit across the board. With superlatives like that, DSG got some big time offers from the likes of Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas, to name a few. Originally a Clemson commit, DSG switched to Texas A&M and then-Defensive Coordinator Marcel Yates in March 2013. Come to find out, he was actually committing more to Yates than to Head Coach Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies. After the dust settled from Chris Petersen's departure from Boise State, new Head Coach Bryan Harsin brought Yates on to revamp the maligned defense for the Broncos. Once things became officially official, DSG broke off his commitment to A&M and pledged to Boise State without ever stepping foot on campus. The bond between him and his coach must've be quite strong. Not only did the Broncos receive a commitment from the best recruit in the program's history, DSG graduated early and arrived on campus in time for 2014 Spring ball.

Nickname

"DSG"

RUN DSG

Look-a-like

UT

A state map of Utah

Career Highlights

Appeared in 4 games for the Broncos before being sidelined with an injury. Made 14 tackles and 1 PBU. Appeared in 13 of 14 games as a true freshman for the Broncos in 2014. Played in the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game following a senior season where he completely dominated his opponents, totaling 141 tackles, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. That performance also gained him spots on the Texas Class 4A All-State Second Team, Second-Team All-Area by the Dallas Morning News, and District 10-4A First Team.

2016 Prospectus

2015 was supposed to be DSG's big breakout season, but it looks like he'll receive a deferment. Sumner-Gardner was setting a pretty solid pace last season with 14 tackles (one for loss) and a PBU through about 3.5 games when he "took ill" against UVA. Consider that he appeared in 13 games as a true frosh in 2014 and notched just 19 total tackles and you see how 2015 nearly turned out to be the banner year in DSG's tenure. Alas, the injury gods demanded sacrifice and came to claim his ankle. The silver lining here—and it's a big one—is that Sumner-Gardner had a redshirt year to spare, and because of the timing of his injury, will receive one, meaning that he'll be one of the most experienced RS sophomores around. Boise State needs safeties and experienced ones at that, so his presence in the secondary will be a giant boon to our chances moving forward. I'll readily admit that the secondary—sans Donte Deayon and Darian Thompson—vexes me greatly, and the depth and youth could be problematic. DSG will suddenly find himself a leader among that group and will have to focus in to get the even younger prospects coached up. There have been rumblings that Dylan and Chanceller James could receive some further sanctions for some tomfoolery nincompoopery hijinks last season, but then again, they may not—and I'm not one to tell tales out of school.

The bottom line is that the Broncos need DSG from bell to bell in 2016 and I hope that his delayed breakout season is just that—a breakout. Nary a prospect has come in with more fanfare and promise, and I think 2016 is as good a time as any to show that promise on the field. The Broncos need an enforcer at safety, and DSG has the stature and football IQ to send a MSG (message) to opposing wideouts. Expect a big year from this one.

Is he on Twitter?

Yes, and lives directly beneath Chuck Norris.

Completely NOT made up fact

"DSG" is also the acronym for Disodium Glutamate—a sodium salt of glutamic acid used as a flavoring agent. And you thought you never learned anything from OBNUG.