Brüderlichkeit
David Dietrich
Throughout the years, the nationally-recognized Boise State football program has featured international players making major impacts. Notable Broncos include Eric Guthrie (1968-71) and Michel Bourgeau (1980-83), who earned All-America honors after coming to the Treasure Valley from Canada, and Ahmed Hassanein (2021-24), who entered the Bleymaier Football Center with minimal football experience, and exited to become the first Egyptian-born player drafted in the NFL.
While Boise State’s international players spend countless hours in the United States for class, training, practices and games, the American-born players rarely, if ever, experience life in the countries of their fellow Broncos. That hasn't been the case for Jake Ripp and Jayden Virgin-Morgan. Rather than spend the limited time off in their home state of California, the defensive duo went across the pond to travel throughout Europe for 12 days. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the fifth year Broncos, who had the perfect hosts: teammates Max Stege, Daniil Starykh and Arthur de Boachie.
The idea of an international trip began shortly after the Broncos returned for winter training in January, when Ripp and Stege met for coffee. Ripp had always wanted to spend time abroad and Stege spoke highly of the cuisine in his home country of Germany. Virgin-Morgan, who has spent his entire career as Ripp’s teammate and the last three seasons sharing a position room with Stege, was immediately interested in tagging along, even adjusting other plans for the summer. After figuring out when Stege wanted to make his annual visit home, the trio booked their flights. One week after the end of the semester, they would be in Germany.
The three veterans wanted to pack as much as possible into the trip, including visits to their younger European teammates. Stege’s hometown of Cologne was the group’s “home base,” but they made sure the itinerary featured stops in Starykh’s hometown of Berlin and de Boachie’s hometown of Amsterdam.
“That was always the plan. If we were going to the other cities, we’re going to connect with the other guys,” said Stege.
After getting to Cologne, the group embarked on their journey to Paris. They had plans to attend a soccer game, but that fell through when the game was canceled. Thankfully, it allowed for extended time for sightseeing, which proved to be one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Virgin-Morgan was impressed by famous Parisian landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur Basilica, but his favorite was the Arc de Triomphe. He admits that before the trip, he only knew it as “the famous roundabout from the movies,” but was blown away by the view of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
The next stop was Amsterdam, where they planned to meet de Boachie. For Ripp, this proved to be the stretch of the trip where he faced the most adversity. For the rest of the group, it was comedic relief. After walking through rain and mud for most of the day, Ripp was in desperate need of new shoes. Unfortunately, stores in the Netherlands didn’t carry anything in size 13, so he had to downgrade to a snug 12.5. When the weather improved, he resumed his routine of “taking it in,” which meant stopping to enjoy the views in another new city. This was a minor inconvenience for the rest of the group, who wanted to keep moving, but a potential hazard for one of the many bikers in the busy city. In a move that would make linebackers coach Stacy Collins proud, Ripp turned to catch up with his friends and inadvertently knocked a woman off her bicycle and into a bush. When telling the story, he is quick to confirm she survived the fall with no injuries. Their tourist tendencies were noticeable for de Boachie, who was frequently approached by fellow Amsterdam natives who asked, “Where are these big people from?”
The last stretch of the trip was spent in Germany, starting with time in Berlin, Starykh’s hometown. It was also the location of a football camp hosted by a former coach of Starykh and Stege, who heard the pair would be in town and invited them to assist with drills. They immediately said yes, wanting to give back and help prospective players who were in the same position they were a short time before. Ripp and Virgin-Morgan were more than happy to jump in, but didn’t realize until after the fact how much it put things into perspective.
“It was pretty eye-opening for me, because the age group was 18-to-25. They have full-time jobs and they’re just playing to get away from that,” said Virgin-Morgan. “They’re trying to get to where we’re at right now.”
“They were eager to learn,” Ripp said. “There weren’t a lot of fans there. They’re just doing it for the love of the game.”
It served as a reminder to the Germans to look back at how far they had come. Gone are the days of carrying their pads and helmets on the subway to get to and from practice. Starykh, who measures at 6’3” and 300 pounds, remembers drawing confused looks from strangers when he and his gear took up multiple seats during rush hour. Now, he and Stege can enjoy the full benefits of being Boise State Broncos, even if the journey took them across the globe.
“When I was that age, the U.S. felt so far away. I would’ve loved it if someone from America had come to coach me up and tell me about college football,” said Stege.
Back home in Cologne, Stege finally had the opportunity to blend his high school friend group with his college teammates, something he considers to be the most meaningful part of the trip.
“Connecting those two worlds was awesome,” he said. “Seeing them fit in as best they can, then seeing my friends connect with them even with broken English was such a cool experience.”
Ripp and Virgin-Morgan felt more comfortable during their second stint in Cologne, mentioning it began to feel like home. Despite the limited time they spent there upon arrival, they began recognizing different landmarks and locations Stege considered routine stops when he was home. One stop was a friend’s house for a barbeque, where Virgin-Morgan was familiar enough with Stege’s hometown friends to keep up and laugh along with their conversations, despite the language barriers.
The barbeque was one of several opportunities the Americans had to try home-cooked meals, solidifying the food options as one of the best parts of the trip. Ripp’s newfound love of currywurst and kebabs stands out, as does Virgin-Morgan’s ability to “have a big meal and feel 10 times better after you eat it.”
For the visitors and the hosts, the trip offered new perspectives and a renewed sense of togetherness with their teammates.
“Getting a better grasp of where these guys come from was very interesting,” said Ripp, who has already added Italy to his list of vacation destinations.
“It helps now to know and understand what it feels like to be an outsider in some of those situations,” Virgin-Morgan explained. He is the leader of an EDGE room that includes players from the United States, Canada, Germany and Sweden. They play alongside a defensive line that features players from Ireland and England.
“I've been feeling a lot closer since the start of this year,” said de Boachie. “The internationals would have been good regardless, but with American guys visiting too, the unity’s been better. It’s a good feeling.”
“It’s cool to see people come visit us overseas,” Starykh said. “Most Americans don’t even have a passport, so it’s great to have them as evidence they’re all about the team.”
Stege, who served as the group’s translator throughout the trip, taught Virgin-Morgan and Ripp countless phrases. Two stand out for the American duo: “Ich liebe dich,” which translates to “I love you,” and “Bruder,” which translates to “brother.” Those words may be the best proof of how unified the 2026 Broncos are. The love for the brotherhood comes before anything else, even if it transcends languages.