Boise State roster countdown 2019: Day 88, Tyneil Hopper

The last time someone in a Boise State uniform had an 88 on their torso, very good things happened when that person was on the field (See: Article picture of Jake Roh). Similarly, very good things happened the last time there was only 88 days left until football season. It was a signal that...there was only 88 days left until football season. So, on that note:

#88, Tyneil Hopper, Redshirt Freshman, Tight End

Stats

Height: 6’ 2”

Weight: 228 (+3)

High School: Roswell High School, Roswell, GA

How’d he get to The Blue^TM?

There was some disagreement among the recruiting sites as to what Mr. Hopper’s rating should have been when coming out of high school. 247Sports had Hopper rated as a three-star athlete, but Rivals had him as a four-star TE.

Hopper turned down offers from Alabama, Auburn, Illinois, Louisville, South Carolina, and a bunch of high-profile schools with ‘interest’. He came to Boise State as part of that first year that featured the option of an ‘early signing period’ for players. Hopper, however, came on board on the date that used to be signing day, with two other players.

According to Coach Harsin, Hopper learned about Boise State from the NCAA video game. Just imagine how many other great players we might have/currently are missing out on during EA Sports’ indefinite hiatus of that storied gaming franchise!

Nickname

”Hopper”

Honestly, I think Damien was on to something last year when he opted to not mess with a good thing. Not only is Tyneil gifted with a ready-made nickname of a last name, but he does have the good fortune of sharing it with a person that is now a beloved character in one of the most successful streaming series ever.

Look-alike

I could have said Nate Burleson, but I’m sticking with Brandon T. Jackson.

You might remember him as Alpa Chino from the ridiculous—yet hilarious—2008 slapstick comedy, Tropic Thunder. Fun Fact: It’s the only movie from that side of the comedy spectrum I can remember receiving any kind of Oscar attention since Kevin Kline won best supporting actor in ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ back when VHS was relatively new. Why? Because Robert Downey Junior. That’s why.

Career highlights

Tyneil redshirted in 2018, so he has yet to produce any official statistics.

2019 Prospectus

Boise State used to be very well known for their heavy usage of tight ends in the offense. While that tendency went away for awhile, it seems to be in the midst of making a full-fledged comeback. We make a big deal about the embarrassment of riches Boise State has at the wide receiver position, but the tight end group certainly has some rather potent potential as well. Between the jack-of-all-trades that is Collingham, the prototype TE measurables sported by one John Bates, and the top JC transfer TE in the country in Griffin, the position is loaded. And that’s before we even mention the others or Tyneil, who looked exceptionally limber and shifty on the field in the spring game.

I would be lying if I said that I knew what the rotation would look like this season at tight end, but Hopper is certainly talented enough that it wouldn’t shock me if he saw the field this season. Possibly a lot.

Is he on Twitter?

Affirmative. Aside from mostly being retweets, there is this very awesome exception:

Completely made up fact

Capitalizing on gullible, wayward tourists that mistook his hometown of Roswell, Georgia for the famous town of the same name in New Mexico, Tyneil used to make a killing during the summers with nothing but a laser pointer, a drone, and some paper plates taped to said drone.

“You must be here for the aliens. Well, you’re in luck. $20 and I’ll take you right to where they re-enact scenes from Independence Day, up in the hills.

..the first hour of that movie is basically their ‘Top Gun’.”