Football
- Title:
- Defensive Backs
Marcel Yates enters his second season as Boise State's defensive coordinator in 2015. A graduate of Boise State and an assistant coach with the Broncos from 2003-11, Yates returned to his alma mater in 2014 following a two-year stint as the co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
Yates helped instill into the defense a tenacity that led to the Broncos pacing the Mountain West with the lowest opponents' third-down conversion rate (34.8 percent), a mark that ranked 18th nationally. The Broncos also ranked second in the conference in red-zone defense and opponents' fourth-down conversion rate (42.9 percent).
Boise State also set the Mountain West standard with 31 turnovers forced, ranking ninth nationally. Included were a conference-best 22 interceptions, ranking fifth nationally, led by seven from safety Darian Thompson and six from cornerback Donte Deayon. This ball-hawking mentality led to six touchdowns from Bronco defenders, led by two apiece from Deayon (two interception returns) and linebacker Tanner Vallejo (one interception, one fumble return).
Five members of Boise State’s defense earned All-Mountain West recognition, headlined by STUD end Kamalei Correa and Thompson being named to the conference’s first team. Deayon and Vallejo earned spots on the second team while defensive end Beau Martin received honorable mention.
On the front line, Correa led the Mountain West with 12.0 sacks as the Broncos ranked seventh-nationally at 3.36 per game. Boise State also ranked seventh nationally in tackles-for-loss (7.8 per game).
Fittingly, it was Yates’ defense which helped seal Boise State’s 38-30 VIZIO Fiesta Bowl win over No. 10 Arizona, as Deayon returned a second-half interception 16 yards for the Broncos’ final touchdown and Correa sacked Wildcat quarterback Anu Solomon at the Bronco 10-yard line on the game’s final play.
Boise State concluded Yates’ debut season as coordinator with an overall record of 12-2, winning both the 2014 Sports Authority Mountain West Football Championship and the 2014 VIZIO Fiesta Bowl.
Yates, who played defensive back for the Broncos from 1996-99, was Boise State's cornerbacks coach from 2003-05, before taking over the entire secondary from 2006-11. He added defensive pass game coordinator responsibilities in 2011, before moving on to Texas A&M.
While with the Broncos as an assistant, Boise State won seven conference championships in nine seasons and appeared in a bowl game each year. The Broncos won five of the bowl games, including both the 2007 and 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowls.
During his final six seasons with Boise State, five defensive backs went on to be selected in the National Football League Draft: Gerald Alexander (Second Round, Detroit Lions, 2007), Orlando Scandrick (Fifth Round, Dallas Cowboys, 2008), Kyle Wilson (First Round, New York Jets, 2010), Brandyn Thompson (Seventh Round, Washington Redskins, 2011) and George Iloka (Fifth Round, Cincinnati Bengals, 2012).
He also coached Jamar Taylor, who was selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
The Aggies concluded the 2012 season ranked fifth-nationally in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, and won 11 games for the first time since 1998. The Aggies went 9-4 in 2013, finishing the season ranked No. 18 in each poll.
Prior to joining the Boise State staff in 2003, Yates was an assistant secondary coach at Montana State from 2001-02. In his second season with the Bobcats, Montana State won its first Big Sky Conference Championship and earned its first NCAA Division I-AA Playoff appearance in 18 years.
Yates earned his bachelor's degree in social science from Boise State in 2000. Following his senior season, he earned the team's Denny Erickson Award for Valor.
He and his wife Melanie have two children, daughter Kaybrie and son Eric.
