Countdown to Camp No. 16: Will special teams be an asset or an issue?

The Idaho Press is counting down the top 20 questions facing the Boise State football team during the 2020 season. Today is question No. 16: Will special teams be an asset or an issue?

The simple answer may depend on which special teams unit we’re talking about.

The return game certainly should be an asset thanks to the return of senior Avery Williams, the reigning Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. Williams tied for second nationally with two punt return touchdowns, and could add kick return duties to his resume this year.

The kicking game is a big unknown heading into 2020. Kicker Eric Sachse moved on after his one year as a graduate transfer, and the Broncos have added another graduate transfer in Jonny Messina from FCS Stetson University to try and replicate the same success. Messina made 15 of 19 field goals last season and is 25 of 30 the past two years with a pair of last-second game-winners.

If there’s one asset on special teams and one in the middle, the punting game may be the issue. Returning starter Joel Velazquez is back for his senior year — which could be looked at in multiple ways. Velazquez averaged just 39.3 yards per punt on 56 punts, which was No. 112 out of 130 FBS teams. Only three Mountain West teams had a worse average.

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Velazquez seems to have potential due to a strong leg when he connects solidly — he had eight punts of 50-plus yards last year — but he was way too inconsistent. He had five punts of just 21 yards or less, and 16 of his 56 punts (almost 30%) went for 34 yards or less.

But the Broncos have Gavin Wale waiting in the wings and he figures to get a chance to battle Velazquez for the spot this fall. Wale was the No. 21 ranked punter in the country from 247Sports in the 2018 recruiting class before redshirting last season. How much do the Broncos think of him and his future? He was signed as a scholarship player — a rarity for specialists.

Boise State has new leadership on special teams with co-special teams coordinators Zac Alley and Winston Venable, and both promise to get as many starters and talented players on the field for special teams as possible. That’s a reason to think the group could be an asset.

Williams is a huge weapon for the Broncos in the return game, and Messina arrives in Boise with impressive stats the past two years. The only real concerning issue with the group is in the punting game, but either Velazquez improving or Wale stepping in and having success would change that.

The potential is there for Boise State to be strong on special teams this fall. We’ll soon see if the punting game holds them back.