Cameron Camper is making the most of the final season of his college career.
The Boise State wide receiver, who spent the past two seasons at Indiana, leads the Broncos in receptions (25), receiving yards (441), and touchdown receptions (four). He also averages a team-best 17.6 yards per catch, which ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West.
The fifth-year senior has emerged as Boise State’s No. 1 wideout – more so than highly touted transfer Chris Marshall, who was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and joined the Broncos as the top-rated junior college transfer in the country. Marshall has played in just three games and has caught three passes for 13 yards.
Camper is well on his way to having the best statistical season of his career, but he knows better than to allow himself to get complacent after taking the long road to Boise State’s blue turf.
“I just put my head down and work every day,” Camper said. “I know I can’t take anything for granted because it can be taken away at any time.”
The next passes Camper catches could be big ones. Boise State is off this week, but the Broncos travel to UNLV on Oct. 25 (10:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) for what could be a preview of the Mountain West Championship.
Humble Beginnings
As a senior in high school, Camper wasn’t sure he wanted to play college football. He wasn’t getting recruited by high-level schools, and he considered pursuing other opportunities.
After a change of heart, he spent two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas before transferring to Indiana, where he posted a career-best 46 catches for 569 yards in 2022. He struggled with injuries in 2023 and missed spring ball at Boise State this year while recovering.
Boise State wide receivers coach Matt Miller sat down this summer and watched tape of Camper’s 2022 season. He said the receiver showed the versatility and explosiveness that has served him well this season. He also said Camper’s humble beginnings had a lot to do with his success.
“He knows the value of hard work,” Miller said. “You can be the best receiver in the world, but you can’t reach your full potential until you know what it means to sacrifice and work.”
‘Good Vibes’
This year hasn’t just been special for Camper on the field. He was also reunited with his childhood best friend, Boise State wide receiver Latrell Caples, who is also a fifth-year senior.
Camper and Caples have known one another since they were 8 years old. They ran track together, and they took the football field together at Lancaster High School in Texas. After years apart, they’re not only teammates once again, but they’re living together in Boise.
“Being back with him is fun,” Camper said. “He sets the standard in practice, and he always has good vibes off the field.”
Camper said Caples played a big role in bringing him to Boise. Caples, the Broncos’ leading receiver in 2022, said the chance to suit up with Camper again helped him overcome the Achilles Tendon injury that kept him on the sideline last season. Caples is third on the team this season with 12 catches for 156 yards in five games.
“He’s a dog and a playmaker on the field and a good dude off the field,” Caples said. “He’s worked so hard for this, and he deserves every rep he gets.”
