Mt. Spokane grad Boden Gardner making strong first impression at EWU spring camp: 'He's pushing to get on the field'

Apr. 10—It may not have been the sort of realization that redirects the life of a young person, but it was a realization nonetheless to a young Boden Gardner that his first name wasn't spelled exactly how his parents really wanted it to be.

"I found out growing up that I was supposed to be called Bode, so I'm gonna roll with that," Gardner said Wednesday on a sunny spring day at Roos Field.

"My mom thought Bode was too hip, so they threw an 'n' on," Gardner said. "I just go by whatever."

Around Eastern Washington practices, Bode without an 'n' has stuck. It's what head coach Aaron Best calls him, anyhow.

But call him whatever: The redshirt freshman wide receiver Gardner is having a great spring for the EWU football team.

"Bode might play chaotic at times, and he's just getting his footing," Best said on Wednesday. "He's only been here less than a year ... but he's found a way to move the sticks and break some tackles, and he did that again on Friday."

Gardner, who graduated from Mt. Spokane High School less than a year ago, hasn't caught a pass in an actual college football game. But last Friday — the day Best was referring to — he caught three passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' first spring scrimmage. They have another scrimmage at 3:30 p.m. Friday, and the Red-White Spring Game will be one week later, on April 18.

At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Gardner is one of the taller of the Eagles' 11 receivers. But he also has the speed — he anchored Mt. Spokane's 4x400 relay for two state championships — which is an enticing combination for an Eastern team that has struggled to complete long passes over the past few seasons.

Best pointed to a number of reasons for that lack, whether it be the offense's scheme, the way opponents have played them or the reads the quarterbacks have made. But he was emphatic about the team's need to make more big plays in the passing game.

Last season, the Eagles relied heavily on All-America receiver Efton Chism III, who wasn't a true deep threat but an expert at getting open, making catches and breaking tackles. He caught a school-record 120 passes — nearly half the team's total of 247. No one else had more than 25.

"Where those catches go, it's going to be by committee a little bit," Best said. "Nobody's going to have 120 this year. We went through one guy, essentially, last year, with all the injuries and the way we needed to play at times, but there's a ton of opportunity (now), and reps are reps."

The most experienced players in the corps are sixth-year senior Nolan Ulm, redshirt junior Miles Williams and senior Noah Cronquist, but even they only combined for 36 catches last season. Ulm and Williams each played just four games; Cronquist, who transferred in last year, played in 11 contests and tied with Wesley Garrett for the second-most receptions by a wide receiver with 15.

It's clear, then, that for second-year players like Gardner and Jaxon Branch — who had six catches for 111 yards and three touchdowns in the first scrimmage — and for senior transfers Drew Carlson (Fresno State) and Kysen Thomas (Washington State), this spring presents a big opportunity.

"Those guys who are really in their first spring ball are getting a ton more reps than maybe they anticipated, and by no means has it been perfect," Best said. "But gosh, it's been fun to watch. And they know the standard in that room."

Gardner, whose father Brian played football at Eastern in 1995 and 1996, grew up attending Eastern Washington football games, so he knows that standard well.

"I came to games, and I would sit right there," Gardner ...

Save Story