Boise State’s blue turf always enamored kicker Jonny Messina. Now he gets to play on it.
In middle school, Jonny Messina spent countless hours turning Boise State into a national powerhouse in dynasty mode on the NCAA 2007 video game because he was enamored with the Broncos’ blue turf.
Now, he’ll get to play on it.
On Friday, Messina announced that he’ll join Boise State this season as a graduate transfer and spend his final year of eligibility on the Blue.
“Good team culture is how you win games, and they’ve proven that their culture has been very stable throughout the years,” Messina said Monday by phone. “They’re the most winning Group of Five team in the last 10 years, and I want to be part of that culture.”
Messina graduated in December from Stetson University — an FCS program in DeLand, Florida. He plans to join the Broncos in late May or early June, and he’ll compete with redshirt freshman Gavin Wale and redshirt sophomore Ryan Meyer to handle the field goals this fall.
Messina was in Boise on Thursday for an official visit that was supposed to stretch into the weekend, but after the Mountain West suspended all in-person recruiting on Friday, he was told he had to leave. He decided to commit anyway.
“Boise is an incredible city and Boise State is an incredible school,” Messina said. “The campus and facilities are first class, I like downtown and I’m a big outdoors guy, so I love all the nature around Boise.”
Not long after he took the Graduate Record Exam in February, Messina said former Boise State kicker Eric Sachse reached out to him on Twitter to let him know the Broncos were looking for another graduate assistant to come in and “compete for the field goal job.”
Sachse transferred to Boise State last fall from Division III Trinity College and went 14-of-17 on field goals in his final season of eligibility. He also kicked the first game-winning field goal of his career in the Broncos’ overtime win against Wyoming.
Messina hit two game-winners for Stetson. The first was at home in 2018 when he hit a 22-yard kick to break a tie in the final seconds of the Hatters’ first win over Jacksonville University in program history.
The second was last season at home against Butler. He hit a 27-yard field goal as time expired to lift Stetson to a 30-27 win. The Hatters finished the year with a 7-4 record but missed the FCS playoffs.
“Having the experience of playing in games and getting some pressure kicks under my belt helps a lot,” Messina said. “It helps develop the mental aspect of it, and kicking is mostly mental.”
The Orlando, Florida, native said Stetson was one of five programs that offered him a scholarship out of high school, and he chose it, in part, because it was close to home.
In four seasons on the Hatters’ roster, Messina said he added at least 7 yards to his field-goal range. He finished his Stetson career 34-of-45 on field goals with a long of 46 yards. In 2018, he was 10-of-11. He finished last season 15-of-19.
As of Monday afternoon, Boise State hadn’t officially canceled spring football practice despite the NCAA and Mountain West canceling all remaining winter championships and spring sports. The Broncos’ spring game is April 11, though limitations on large gatherings may force the team to play without spectators.
