Return of McKel Broussard provides depth to Eastern Washington's safety group

Apr. 11—Right after the second-to-last play of the first drive of the 2025 season, during Eastern Washington's opening game at Incarnate Word, McKel Broussard pretty well understood that his season was over.

Just a couple of years before that play, Broussard had shattered his left thumb, an injury that cost him most of the 2023 season at UTEP.

So in the 100-degree heat of San Antonio, as Broussard got the official word that he'd suffered a similar injury to his right thumb, the Eagles' grad senior safety had to pivot.

"I knew the mental gymnastics of what I needed to do," Broussard said Thursday after an EWU football practice. "We (had) a whole season left."

Unable to play, Broussard became the defense's biggest supporter, especially for those who took over his starting snaps — players like Jaylon Jenkins, Josiah Goode, Bryce Smith and Drew Carter.

This spring, Broussard is back again for one final year, after the NCAA granted the safety's request for a medical waiver and another season of college football. It will be his eighth.

"I'm older. I want to start my life," Broussard said, admitting that there was a part of him that thought about being done.

"But I know how my family operates. I know how my teammates operate," he said. "I don't want to go out where I don't at least put my foot all the way in. I need to go 100% and see what I've got. Because I know I've got more to give."

The return of Broussard, who in 2019 graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, provides the Eagles with even more depth at a position that is deeper precisely because of Broussard's injury last season.

Even in that opening game against Incarnate Word, Jenkins shifted from nickel to safety, which meant that Smith — then a true freshman — became the starting nickel. Those two finished fourth and sixth, respectively, on the team in tackles. Jenkins became a first-team All-Big Sky safety.

It also meant more snaps for Goode, who played in 11 games last season, making 26 tackles and breaking up three passes.

"With McKel going down last year, it gave everybody the experience that we needed," said Goode, now a redshirt sophomore. "And it kept that rotation good, and I feel like going into next year we can keep the rotation going and even add in the young guys."

Broussard has been taking snaps with the first-team defense during spring ball, but he said the Eagles will dig into their depth in the fall.

"I don't know if it's going to be a definitive 1, 2 and 3 (on the safety depth chart)," he said. "I think it's going to be a smooth rotation between at least six guys. We have a lot of guys who can play. And we're all different in different facets. We're not like copy and paste. We can gameplan for everybody. Plug and play. It's going to be fun."

During the transfer window, the Eagles kept nearly all their safeties. And though that meant there would be more competition for snaps, Goode said that's only brought the group closer together.

"Everybody can play on the field right now," Goode said. "This is such a healthy room right now. Nobody is above each other."

In addition to Goode, Broussard, Jenkins, Carter and Smith, the Eagles also have sophomores Messiah Washington and Bjorn Birmingham at safety.

It's a deep group, one whose position coach, Zach Bruce, is now also the defensive coordinator.

"After coach (Aaron) Best said he wanted to keep it in house, we kind of all hoped and wanted coach Bruce to be the coordinator," Goode said. "Everybody is excited for him."

Bruce's energy is just one of the many reasons that the vibe this year feels different than it did last year, Broussard said.

"There's just more joy. More energy. People want to be here. People are trying to get better," he said. "It's not excuses, like, I wish we had this, I wish we had this. No, no. This is what we've got, and this is what we're going to do. And we're taking accountability through the whole team. ... Overall, we're just more of a family, more together. And that goes a long way."