‘A sleepover that never ends.’ These Boise State cornerbacks were reunited on The Blue

Childhood friends were reunited in Boise State’s secondary this year.

Former Cal cornerback Jeremiah Earby transferred to Boise State in January. He’s playing opposite A’Marion McCoy, who led the Broncos with three interceptions last season after beginning his career at Laney College in California.

They met when they were just 4 years old and grew up in the same neighborhood in East Palo Alto, California. They played on the same football team as kids, earned the nickname “Twin Towers” on their middle school basketball team and played football together at Menlo-Atherton High School.

“He was like my right-hand man,” McCoy said. “We never did anything without each other.”

After a couple of years apart, McCoy and Earby are attending the same school and suiting up for the same team once again. They’re also living together, which is bringing up a host of childhood memories, Earby said.

“It’s like a sleepover that never ends,” Earby said Monday.

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They didn’t get to see each other in person much while Earby was beginning his college career in the Pac-12 and McCoy was cutting his teeth at the junior college level, but Earby said they still talked almost every day. They were part of the same group chats and even competed to see who could do more push-ups on FaceTime.

Their connection off the field is undeniable, and Boise State cornerbacks coach Demario Warren said it’s obvious on the field, too. He said they act like brothers.

“If you’re around them long enough, you can hear them banter and bicker about any subject you bring up,” Warren said. “They’re very similar, but their personalities are also very different when it gets down to it.”

The difference shows up in how they try to get under an opponent’s skin. Warren said McCoy is relentless with his trash talking on the field, while Earby picks his moments to get in a receiver’s head.

“Earby is more calculated, so he might sting a little more, but you just can’t stop A’Marion from talking,” Warren said.

They might go about it in different ways, but their competitive spirit is what makes Earby and McCoy such a potent duo on the field, Menlo-Atherton football coach Chris Saunders said.

“They’re tremendous competitors, and their love of football is so pure and at the core of who they are,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to see that they grew up together and landed at Boise State together years later.”

‘He really brought the juice’

Earby and McCoy both starred on Menlo-Atherton’s football team as seniors in 2020, but they took drastically different paths to get there.

McCoy played on the freshman team, but he saw himself as more of a basketball player, so he stepped away from football for a few years. He was a little behind some of his teammates when he rejoined the football team as a senior, but Saunders said his mentality made him an impact player right away.

He said McCoy never shied away from one-on-one matchups against talented teammates, such as former Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos this year, and Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Moss.

“He really brought the juice,” Saunders said. “Everyone wanted to be top dog every day, but everybody knew A’Marion’s side of the field was his and nobody was going to have an easy time over there.”

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Saunders said McCoy’s lack of experience led him to Laney College, but he has watched him grow into what he called a prototypical cornerback the past few years.

“I remember watching the LA Bowl last year and being really impressed with how he jumped on stuff and his ability to anticipate and disrupt plays,” Saunders said. “He has the anticipation and the athleticism to support it. It’s pretty cool to see him put it all together.”

Earby said McCoy teaches him things on the field these days.

“I may get stuck out there sometimes, and he gives me little gems to go out and play faster,” Earby said.

‘A natural ball hawk’

Earby was a versatile weapon during his career at Menlo-Atherton. He played just about every position in the secondary, and added 52 catches for 1,207 yards and 15 touchdowns as a wide receiver his senior year.

Saunders said he’ll never forget a play Earby made in Saunders’ first game as head coach at Menlo-Atherton. Earby ran a post pattern in the middle of the field, corralled a pass behind his head with one hand and took it for a long touchdown.

“That’s just who he is,” Saunders said. “His ball skills are second to none. He’s the kind of kid where you just let him play, be who he is and go make plays.”

Those ball skills have served Earby well in college. He earned honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors after posting 36 tackles and an interception as a freshman at Cal in 2022. This spring, he nabbed at least five interceptions during his first few months at Boise State, coaches said.

McCoy said Earby gets his hands on so many passes because of his football IQ and how much he studies off the field.

“He’s a competitor, and he’s really smart,” McCoy said. “He’s always going to try to make the play, and he’s a natural ball hawk.”

McCoy and Earby are the Broncos’ top two cornerbacks in fall camp and the favorites to open the season as starters, Warren said. It’s safe to say the secondary is in good hands.

“This is an exciting fall camp for everybody to see who comes out on top,” Warren said. “But they’re going to be a big part of what we do in the corner room, and they’re going to have a lot of chances to make plays this year.”