Fall Camp Position Preview: Kickers/Punters

BOISE, Idaho - As the Boise State University football team prepares for its first season under head coach Chris Petersen during Fall Camp, broncosports.com would like to take the time to preview each position. Today we will take a look at the kickers and punters.

Jeff Choate is in his first season as running backs and special teams coach with Boise State. He joins the team after serving one year as special teams coach at Eastern Illinois and two years as special teams coach at Utah State. He also served as a graduate assistant at Utah State before becoming the special teams coach. From 1997-2001, Choate was the head coach at Post Falls High School. He was also the head coach at Challis High School and the defensive coordinator at Twin Falls High School.

Both the starting punter and place kicker return from last year’s Bronco squad. Senior Kyle Stringer (5-9, 194) is back for his fourth season as the starting punter, and senior Anthony Montgomery (6-0, 211) returns to start his second season with Boise State.

Stringer, a 2004 All-Western Athletic Conference selection, was named to both The Sporting News and Blue Ribbon Preseason All-WAC teams. The Sporting News also named him the 12th-best punter in the nation. Stringer would have finished tied for eighth in the country in 2004 with a 43.9-yard average, but did not have enough punts to qualify. The gross punting average also set a school record.

“He probably has as much pop on his leg as anybody in the country, and certainly any kid that I’ve ever worked with,” Choate said. “He is a very good directional kicker. I would say that if we do a good job of protecting him and he works to his potential, then he should certainly be a candidate for the Ray Guy Award, perhaps a finalist by the end of the year.”

Montgomery was named honorable mention All-JC Transfer Team by JCFootball.com after making 6-of-10 field goals and 61-of-62 extra points, including 44 straight to end the season. He ranked first in the WAC in PAT kicking percentage (98.4) and led the Broncos with 79 points.

“He kind of had his ups and downs last year,” Choate said. “He’s had a good spring, I wouldn’t say a great spring, but he has worked extremely hard this off-season... Hopefully he’s going to continue to get his legs back underneath him and be very consistent through the fall.”

The Broncos have two freshman backup place kickers: Kyle Brotzman and David Lowery. Brotzman (5-10, 172) is a Meridian native who walked on last spring.

“Kyle’s had a very good camp and worked hard this summer,” Choate said. “He’s got a live leg. I think he’s going to be a guy to keep an eye on in the future.”

Choate says that Lowery (6-0, 185), a Timberline High School graduate, is very accurate, but has a bit of work to do in the weight room. Choate also believes that having both kickers is going to be an advantage for the Broncos in the future.

 “That would be a good situation for us because it will allow those two guys to push each other and be a good foundation of that unit for the next couple of years.”

The backup punter is Bryon Brotzman, Kyle’s brother.

“Our idea was to bring him in here and be around his brother for a while, a guy who has really mastered his craft,” Choate said. “Hopefully he can learn some things from him and be a guy who can step in and provide some depth for us in the future at that position.”

The final member of the kicking and punting squad is freshman Kekula Victorino (6-1, 272), who was brought in solely as a long-snapping specialist.

“We felt it was important to bring a guy in to work specifically with the kickers and punters so they could simulate game timing instead of using their self-holders,” Choate said. “I think he has helped bring consistency through camp.”

--broncosports.com--

Boise State Athletics

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