By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

Boise State tight end Tommy Gallarda came here as a highly touted receiver weighing 209 pounds.

Now the 6-foot-5 sophomore weighs 255 — and he is expected to be a menace as a blocker. He and redshirt freshman Kyle Efaw will provide depth at tight end behind senior Chris O’Neill and junior Richie Brockel.

“When I got here for my first fall camp, I was doing a lot of receiving,” Gallarda said. “I realized to get on the field and play I was going to have to be able to do both.”

Gallarda set a goal of 255 pounds for this season. He hit it during summer conditioning and actually was at 260 when he returned from the players’ short break to start fall camp. Now he’s back at 255.

“The first few days, I kind of felt a little heavy on my feet,” he said. “After the first week, I settled back into it.”

Gallarda had his best scrimmage as a Bronco on Saturday, the coaches say. They were most impressed with his blocking and execution of assignments, not the three catches he made.

“(I’ve) never focused on (blocking) in my life,” Gallarda said. “Coming in here, there was so much more to it than I thought there’d be. … It’s been a long two-year journey.”

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Camp is winding down for the Broncos, who have their last two-a-day Monday. They practice Tuesday and Thursday mornings and have a closed scrimmage Friday night.

The media will not be allowed to attend practice after Thursday, except for 20 minutes on Tuesdays of game week. The Broncos also closed practices during the season last year.

The highlight Monday morning was a 35-yard touchdown pass from Bush Hamdan to Titus Young down the right sideline. Also, senior wideout Vinny Perretta carved up the defensive backs in 1-on-1 drills — more evidence of how prepared Perretta is for his last season.

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Utah State on Monday named senior Sean Setzer its starting quarterback. The former junior-college transfer completed his only pass last year, a 2-yarder against Boise State.

Sophomore Diondre Borel is the backup, but he will play extensively because he’s a dual threat.

The Aggies open Aug. 30 at UNLV.