Boise State Football Players Besmirch Team Captain Kage Casey For Opting Out Of Bowl Game On Seven Days Notice

Kage Casey was not in Los Angeles to witness Boise State get its doors blown off during an ugly loss to Washington. The standout college football captain did not to travel with his team to the bowl game.

His teammates were very clearly disappointed by the decision.

Although it is no longer uncommon for college football players to opt-out of meaningless postseason games, it obviously had a direct impact on the Broncos — both on the field and in the locker room. They wanted him there as a leader if not a player.

Kage Casey opted out of the bowl game.

At 6-foot-5, 311 pounds, Casey committed to the Boise State program as a three-star offensive line recruit in the Class of 2022. He took over as the starting left tackle for the Broncos as a redshirt freshman and did not miss a game at the position in 2023, 2024 or 2025.

Except for one. The last one.

Boise State finished the regular season at 8-4. It defeated UNLV to win the Mountain West Conference championship last weekend. Although the College Football Playoff rankings did not fall their way, the Broncos had a chance to win 10 games for the third time in five years with a victory in the bowl game.

They accepted an invitation to play in the Gronk Bowl Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk on Saturday.

Kage Casey decided not to participate. The two-time All-Mountain West First Team selection is expected to be drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft in April. It would not be that crazy if he was to hear his name called in the first round. We’ll see.

With that in mind, Casey chose not to play in the LA Bowl and turned his focus toward his pro future.

“I talked with Kage Casey and he decided not to play in the game. We love Kage, he’s a Bronco forever, but he prayed about it and felt like his time had come to an end and is going to focus on the NFL. He’s a Bronco and I love Kage and wish him nothing but the best, but this week we’ve been focused on our guys and this team and finishing what we started.”

— Head coach Spencer Danielson

This is not unusual in college football. A large number of players have decided not to play in a bowl game to avoid a potentially career-changing injury during a fairly meaningless exhibition contest. Christian McCaffrey really got the ball rolling. Opt-outs are going to happen.

However, the bowl games typically take place after multiple weeks off. The LA Bowl was played just seven days after the Mountain West Championship so it was only one more week of practice.

Boise State players wished they had their captain with them.

The Broncos did not show any signs of life during a 28-point loss on Saturday night. They scored only three points during the first 58 minutes and 41 seconds of the game.

Washington beat Boise State by a final score of 38-10.

Now, to be fair, the losing team played most of the game without starting quarterback Maddux Madsen. It was also without Kage Casey, who did not travel to Los Angeles with the team as part of a “mutual” decision between the two parties.

Redshirt senior tight end Matt Lauter spoke about the absence of his left tackle and team captain during the postgame press conference. He said the Broncos had to change their entire game plan without him and would not comment on the impact to the locker room. Silence often speaks louder than words.

Head coach Spencer Danielson also chose not to comment on Casey’s decision to opt out. His non-answer was just as much of an answer as it was not.