The Art of the Fullback
Featuring Tyler Crowe
Alex Semadeni
Tyler Crowe is one of the grittiest players on the Boise State football team.
He joined the Bronco program after a dominant high school career at Skyview High School in Nampa, Idaho. Playing both sides of the ball, he was named the Southern Idaho Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 2018 after running for 1,830 yards, netting 495 yards as a receiver, and notching 69 tackles on defense.
Despite a successful high school career, Crowe didn’t have a single Division I offer out of high school. A lifelong Boise State fan, he joined the Bronco program in 2019 as a walk-on linebacker. When the running back room was suffering from injuries in 2020, Crowe, eager to help the team, made the conversion to the backfield.
As the running back room continued to stack talent during Crowe’s tenure, he made it impossible to keep him off the field. He has taken snaps in the backfield, made tackles on special teams, and even lined up as a punt returner.
Crowe finds himself in another stacked running back room as he looks to begin his sixth and final season in a Bronco uniform. Standout Ashton Jeanty looks to take a majority of the snaps in the backfield, but the coaching staff didn’t want to waste Crowe’s talents. Enter a new position: fullback.
Once an integral part of an offense, the fullback position has nearly disappeared as the passing game has exploded in popularity among modern coaches. The position requires a multitude of abilities that fewer and fewer players seem to possess. At a minimum, it requires a player to block hungry defensive ends, catch passes in traffic, and dodge defenders in the open field.
As Crowe himself describes it, a fullback is 55% running back, 35% tight end and 10% offensive lineman.
It makes almost too much sense for Crowe to enter his final season as a fullback. In Crowe's mind, not only does the position require a variety of skill sets (which Crowe clearly possesses), but also an array of characteristics to be successful.
The following traits, selected by Crowe, are non-negotiables for the fullback position.
Trait No. 1 - Athleticism
For a position that requires as many physical requirements as a fullback does, a player won’t be able to succeed as a fullback unless they are extremely athletic.
“In our case, I’ve referred to the fullback as a swiss army knife,” Crowe said. “I’m lining up at running back, I’m lining up as a tight end. I’ve got a couple of plays where I’m lining up as a wideout. It’s ultimately a position where you have to do it all. It’s a football player. It’s an athlete who can cause mismatches for the defense. You have to be able to run, catch and block. I think I do a very good job at all of those things.”
His athleticism, clearly showcased in high school, translated to the collegiate level. With only a few NAIA offers, Crowe walked-on at Boise State, thinking it was his best chance to see the field. A year later, then-head coach Brian Harsin called an early morning 6 a.m. workout with Crowe and Winston Venable, the running backs coach at the time. The three left the workout with the determination that Crowe had what it takes to transition to a running back.
In his first collegiate game in the backfield against Air Force on Oct. 31, 2020, he took two carries for 14 yards and caught a 15-yard reception in a 49-30 win. Since then, he has made plays all over the field for the Broncos, recording tackles on special teams, returning punts, and of course, dodging defenders in the backfield.
His athleticism has also been on display in the weight room. Following the 2023 season, Crowe had a conversation with co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Nate Potter about putting on weight, and he spent the offseason working diligently with the strength and conditioning staff to do so.
The plan worked. After weighing 217 pounds last season, he entered fall camp at 233. On top of that, Crowe bench-pressed a team-high 415 pounds this summer.
“I’m fully embracing the fullback role this year,” Crowe said. “Coach Potter talked to me in the winter about putting on some weight and thriving in this role. I’ve put my head down and went to work and hit this thing full speed.”
Trait No. 2 – Toughness
To play the position, a fullback can’t be afraid of contact. In fact, they have to relish it.
“The fullback is the guy that might not get all the love, but is ready to do the dirty work each and every single play that they are in there,” said Jeanty, who looks to benefit from Crowe’s play this season. “They’re ready to run through somebody’s face and set the tone each and every play. There’s no stat for how many great blocks you have. When it’s all said and done, those guys are unsung heroes, just like the offensive lineman.”
Although he’s demonstrated a knack for being a good pass blocker over the course of his career, Crowe admits the toughest part of the transition to a fullback is blocking. Fullbacks are expected to be able to block a variety of positions, from defensive linemen, to linebackers and blitzing cornerbacks. Despite the challenge, Crowe has relished the opportunity.
“I love blocking,” Crowe said. “I’m trying to improve on my techniques and be as good as I can. I’ve always enjoyed being physical and hitting people as hard as I can so that’s nothing new to me.”
His toughness was on display all of last season. He suffered a knee injury in fall camp last year that nagged at him all season long, but it didn’t stop him from appearing in 10 games.
Despite the lingering soreness, his mental toughness never wavered. In a home game against San Jose State on Oct. 7, the Broncos found themselves down 27-7 with 1:31 left in the second quarter. Facing a 4th-and-6, Maddux Madsen hit Crowe over the middle a few yards short of the first down. Crowe barreled directly into a defender, winning a battle at the first-down marker that extended the drive. Boise State finished the drive with a touchdown before halftime, a critical moment in what would be the second-largest come-from-behind victory in program history.
Toughness isn’t just about lighting guys up on the field. It’s also about standing in the face of adversity, like he did when he joined the program as a walk-on. He embraced his special teams role, and even when he made the switch to running back, was enthusiastic to make plays in that role. He has made 12 tackles and recovered a fumble over the course of his collegiate career.
“I’d like to think my importance to this team is extremely high,” Crowe said. “It’s awesome because I’m going to be all over the field. I’m going to be on special teams and all over the offense. It shows a lot of the young guys what it means to be a Bronco and be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Trait No. 3 – Love
Like offensive linemen, a fullback can be underappreciated by the majority of fans. But a fullback doesn’t waste time mulling over the lack of appreciation. A fullback does it to lift his teammates up, knowing full well that he played a part in their glory.
“The biggest thing I enjoy about the position is being on the field with my brothers and making plays,” Crowe said. “I want Ashton to win the Heisman more than anything. Hopefully I’ll have a lot to do with that and I want to lead the way for him. I want to do big things in pass protection so that the wide receivers can catch the ball. I just want to see our team be as successful as possible and am willing to do whatever it takes.”
Crowe has embraced being a leader in the locker room, helping young guys make the adjustment to the Boise State culture.
“From a mental standpoint, coming in as a freshman he was always there to help me, whether it was learning plays or recognizing defenses,” Jeanty said. “When I have a bad play, he lifts me up. That goes a long way. He’s been a brother and shown me what it means to be a Bronco.”
Crowe has embraced what a Bronco is long before he stepped foot in the building. He grew up watching Boise State play with his grandpa, attending nearly every home game and even witnessing the team beat TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. He knew that he wanted to play for the Broncos from a pretty young age. After receiving nothing but NAIA offers, that opportunity arrived when Boise State offered him a walk-on position over the phone. He committed to the program before he hung up.
Last season, he knew he wasn’t going to be the feature back in a room that featured Jeanty and George Holani, but he continued to carve some time for himself on the field. The same mentality applies itself this year in a similarly-stacked running back room this season.
“There is just so much talent in that running back room,” Crowe said. “The reason that this fullback thing kind of came about is because we have so much talent and we want to put as much of it as we can on the field as possible. It’s going to be awesome what the room does this year and I expect a lot of really good things.”
He is known for being a burst of energy in the football building. Whether it be at practice, the film room, team meetings or off the field in a social setting, Crowe is known as a guy that everybody on the team loves to be around.
“Talk about a guy that impacts the team before he even steps on the field,” Jeanty said. “Just with his mentality, his presence. A guy who brings energy every day, a guy who is excited to enter the building every day. When I greet him in the morning, he brings joy and happiness to me. He’s just a hard worker. He’s a great example for anybody. He’s a walk-on, playing a totally different position, but earned his role here each and every single day. He’s a true inspiration for anybody on this team, no matter what position they play.”
For Crowe, as long as he knows he has made a positive difference on the program he has dreamed of playing for his entire life, he can play his final season, and his new position, in peace.
“I’m trying to leave this place better than I found it,” Crowe said. “I want people to remember my legacy for coming in here and doing things the right way and really embodying the blue-collar mentality.”
But at the end of the day, it’s about whatever is best for the team.
“The crazy thing about football is that you only get 12 guaranteed opportunities throughout the year,” Crowe said. “You go through winter training, you go through spring ball, you go through summer training, you have fall camp - all for 12 games. I’m really excited to put this team on the field and show the work we’ve put in this offseason and get after teams this fall.”
Spoken like a true fullback.