Giving Back
Camryn Edens
Growing Up
Ironically, Derek Ganter Jr.’s journey to become a Bronco started off as a Pony.
From kindergarten through eighth grade, he participated in the historic nonprofit youth football organization, the Pasadena Ponies. The organization fosters community and unity, helping foster youth development. Through dedicated volunteer coaches and scholarship opportunities, the Pasadena Ponies ensures that every child has the opportunity to participate.
The Pasadena Ponies not only established Ganter’s love for sports but also exposed him from an early age to values that extend far beyond the game, such as the importance of giving back to his community.
His high school football journey began at Maranatha High School under Coach L.A. (Lavar Arrington), a standout football star from Penn State. Ganter eventually transferred to Arcadia High School, where he had the opportunity to be coached by his cousin, Brandon McFee.
That relationship helped change the way Ganter viewed the game. McFee helped him understand the process behind football and how every workout was a piece of a greater puzzle. More importantly, he helped Ganter understand the person and player he wanted to become.
“I think I fell in love with the game when I started working out with him when I was younger,” Ganter said. “Because it used to be a hassle, and then I felt I wanted to do it. It was like, ‘yeah, I enjoy doing this.’”
Path to Boise State
Coming out of high school, the path to Division I football wasn't lined with opportunities for Ganter. He wasn't heavily recruited. Eastern Washington was his lone offer.
Ganter proudly became an Eagle and moved to Cheney, Wash. But his freshman season didn't immediately provide the breakthrough he was looking for. He didn't see the field until the final four games of the season.
On Oct. 21, 2023, against Weber State, Ganter proved himself. With just under a minute and a half remaining and Eastern Washington leading 31-23, the Wildcats marched to the Eagles’ 16-yard line. At fourth and eight, Weber State attempted a pass that was broken up by Ganter in his first collegiate snap, delivering the game-winning stop that preserved the Eagles’ victory.
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— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) October 22, 2023
The performance earned Ganter an opportunity to start the following three games, where he continued to make an impact. On Nov. 4 against Cal Poly, he recorded two solo tackles and a season-high five total tackles, along with another pass breakup, helping Eastern Washington cruise to a 48-13 win.
The following season as a redshirt freshman, Ganter took off. He saw action in all 12 games with eight starts, leading the team with 95 total tackles, including 55 solo tackles. On Oct. 19, 2024, Ganter recorded onen of the best stat line of his season. He notched six solo tackles and 11 total tackles, along with 2 tackles-for-loss accounting for 14 yards. He also collected a sack for eight yards of loss.
He earned Phil Steele Freshman All-American First Team honors at the end of the season, as well as spots on the FCS Football Central All-Freshman Team and Stats Perform FCS All-Freshman Team.
But even as Ganter was finding success, he felt there was more for him to do. He wanted to play against the best. He wanted to compete at the highest level possible. And, most importantly, he wanted to continue growing.
The following season, he entered the transfer portal. It didn't take long for Boise State to enter the picture.
“I knew Boise was the place off the rip,” Ganter said. “I didn't spend much time in the portal. Didn't have too much thinking.”
For Ganter, the decision wasn't about money. It was about finding the right place to grow, compete and become the person he believed he could be.
It's always been my dream to play against the best. So I knew I wanted to play against the best, and I knew I wanted to play at the highest level possible. But I also wanted to go somewhere where I know I can grow.Derek Ganter Jr.
Boise State was that place.
The Coaches Who Made Him
Ask Ganter about his journey, and the story quickly becomes bigger than football.
There is Coach L.A. There is Coach Antyone Sims, his head coach at Arcadia, who always believed in him and pushed him to do better. There is Coach Arness Ikener, his defensive backs coach at Arcadia High School, who understood not only the player Ganter was, but the person behind the player.
Then there is McFee, his cousin and former receivers coach, who helped him fall in love with the work. Coach Nick Wallace, his high school basketball coach, believed in him, too.
And then there are Coach D and Coach Skeeb, two of his baseball coaches growing up. Ganter remembers Coach D as one of the most positive people he had ever met.
Each coach gave him something different. But Ganter carries the lessons from all of them with him.
He listens and tries to apply those lessons to whatever comes next. Those relationships also planted another idea in him long before he knew exactly what it would become: Give back.
Coach Derek
During football winter conditioning, Ganter felt compelled to get involved in his community. He became an assistant coach for the A, B and C basketball teams at North Junior High School.
He also coached baseball, serving as co-head coach alongside Coach Brady Meyring for a team made up of players from North and Hillside Junior High School Schools.
It got put on my heart that I just wanted to give back, and I wanted to give kids what I got. I felt like this was a wonderful opportunity to go out there and show people what I believe the standard looks like.Derek Ganter Jr.
That standard isn't about money. In fact, Ganter turned down the opportunity to get paid for coaching. His goal is to multiply what he has been given. He would rather share knowledge and wisdom, serve as an example and give other people something they can carry forward.
Some of his most meaningful memories from coaching didn't happen during a championship game or a dramatic victory. One came during a middle school basketball game.
Several Boise State football players – including Cam Bates, Taebron Bennie-Powell, Sam Brooks, Dom Calhoun and Jaden Mickey – came to watch.
The energy in the gym changed when the Broncos walked in. The players Ganter coached wanted to put on a show for the football team. They hit trick shots from half court. The other team got in on it too. Coaches and referees could feel the energy shift.
For Ganter, the moment mattered because his players got to see people they looked up to show up for them. Ganter also realized the importance of his impact and how he could be a role model himself.
Another memory came from baseball. Ganter had told his players something simple:
“You don't ever want somebody to question your effort.”
Later that season, his team found itself on the verge of being mercy-ruled. Instead of folding, the players rallied to win. That comeback represented something much bigger than the final result. It represented the growth of an entire season in one moment.
Ganter could see the athletes and people his players were becoming.
“You're Only Going to Get What You Put Into It”
Ganter understands the importance of community because he comes from a place where people know one another. In Pasadena, everybody knows everybody.
That sense of community helped shape him and now he wants to be part of building it for someone else. He reaches out. He checks in. He shares love and compassion. He feels as if that is part of his responsibility.
“You're only going to get what you put into it,” he said.
It is a philosophy that extends beyond football. Ganter knows he has been given a gift, not simply as an athlete, but as a leader and communicator. He doesn't want to bury that gift. He wants to multiply it.
That's why coaching matters. That's why community matters. And that's why his journey to Boise State is about more than transferring to a new football program.
Putting Words Into Action
It is no secret that Boise State football is a program surrounded by tradition.
There are words painted on walls. Standards passed down from one team to the next. Expectations that come with wearing Boise State across his chest.
To Ganter, those traditions aren't just decoration. They are something the team believes in and lives by. The challenge is taking what is written on the walls and putting it into action on the field.
“You say what you mean and you mean what you say,” Ganter said. “And so if you don't do anything about that, what are you really doing?”
That mindset is at the center of how Ganter approaches this season as a Bronco. It is also the same mindset he brings with him as Coach Derek.
For years, people poured into him – from the fields of Pasadena to the high school gym, from Eastern Washington to Boise State.
Now, Ganter is trying to do the same for the people coming behind him. He isn't just trying to become a better football player. He's trying to become the kind of person who makes the people around him better too.