Foreign exchange student at Yelm picks up first D1 football offer from Boise State Broncos

Bol Bol, a defensive end from Canada, is quickly making his mark at his new home for Tornados

Yelm senior Bol Bol, an exchange student from Canada, received his first D1 football offer from Boise State. / Photo by Cordell Stout/Mixed Brand Media

Might want to get used to seeing this name pop up in high school football recruiting circles over the next few months.

Bol Bol.

An exchange student from Canada, the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder has seized one of the starting defensive end spots as a senior at Yelm High School - and college recruiters are paying attention to his raw talent.

On Thursday, Bol Bol received his first NCAA Division I offer - from the Boise State Broncos (who have gotten a commitment from lineman Jacob Tracy, Bol Bol's teammate).

"You look at him with that frame and the way he runs like he does," Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo said. "He is just scratching the surface in what he can do."

Canadian exchange student Bol Bol received his first NCAA D1 football offer from Boise State in September of 2024 while at Yelm. / Photo courtesy of IronWill Football

Bol Bol had played football at Brooks Composite High School in Alberta, and had been a standout on the summer camp circuit up north.

Last summer, Bol Bol was at a WSU camp where his family bumped into Cougars volunteer assistant Brian Foote, who used to be on Ronquillo's staff at Yelm.

When the family mentioned it was looking for an exchange-student school in the United States for Bol Bol to play his senior year, Foote casually mentioned for them to check out the 2022 Class 3A champions.

And the family did just that. Once counselors from both schools were in contact, Bol Bol was found a host family in Yelm - and moved to Washington in July.

As athletic as Bol Bol, Ronquillo said the three-star prospect was behind in understanding the tactical side of football. But he is proving to be quick learned with 22 tackles (two TFL), one sack and a pass deflection in three games this fall.

"He lacked positional discipline, and what I mean by that is even though he knew where to stand and how to align (at defensive end), he was never given any understanding on keys or reads," Ronquillo said. "We've given him baseline defensive tactics, and he has taken them and blossomed."