Boise State lands its special teams coordinator, and he’s familiar with the Mountain West
Boise State football coach Andy Avalos has hired former Utah State co-defensive coordinator Stacy Collins as special teams coordinator and to coach the edge position on defense.
Collins spent the past five years at Utah State, where he coached running backs, linebackers and defensive backs, and was special teams coordinator in 2016 and 2019. He was named the Aggies’ co-defensive coordinator last season.
He’s the second member of former Utah State coach Gary Andersen’s staff hired at Boise State, following Frank Maile, who will serve as assistant head coach and defensive line coach.
“We’ve seen firsthand what kind of coach Stacy Collins is from his time at Utah State, but he’s also a high-character individual that will fit in well with our culture here at Boise State,” Avalos said Wednesday in a press release. “His primary concern isn’t just building great football players, but building outstanding young men that are prepared to do great things when their football careers are over, and that’s what this program is all about.”
After spending so many years developing schemes to go against the Broncos, Collins called Boise State a “destination job.”
“I have the utmost respect for Boise State as a football program, certainly from a special teams standpoint,” Collins told reporters on Wednesday. “I have the utmost respect for what they do, and it starts with the culture that they have.”
A native of Sutherlin, Oregon, who spent most of his coaching career in the Northwest, Collins said Boise State was always on his radar.
“More important than the brand is the type of football that’s played. It’s blue collar,” Collins said. “It’s tough and you’re seeing hungry and humble football players who have worked here and produced at a very, very high level.”
Collins said he only knew Avalos from afar before he was hired, but he has known Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson for years. He was the head coach at Division II South Dakota School of Mines when Danielson was an assistant at Azusa Pacific, and they worked at several camps together.
“I was always extremely impressed with Spencer’s energy, his attention to detail, how he coaches the kids and how he’s able to speak to them,” Collins said of Danielson.
The 45-year-old also spent the past five years working with Maile, who he spoke glowingly about.
“He’s an elite D-line coach, and in my opinion, he’s the best D-line coach in America,” Collins said. “Not only will he get the most out of each and every one of his players, but he’s an unbelievable recruiter.”
Collins confirmed Wednesday that as edge coach, he will be in charge of the STUD position at Boise State, but he also said Avalos brought him in to focus on special teams, which has been his specialty at previous stops.
In 2019, he was named Mountain West Special Teams Coordinator of the Year after coaching a couple of the conference’s top units.
Kicker Dominik Eberle was first-team all-conference and a Pro Football Focus Honorable Mention All-American that year. He set 14 school records during his career. The Aggies also boasted one of the top kick returners in the country in Savon Scarver, who led the conference with 27.9 yards per kick return and took two back for touchdowns.
Collins has also coached special teams at Central Washington (2008-10), Portland State (2011) and Western Washington (2003-04), and he saw success at every stop.
At Western Washington in 2004, he coached punter Mike Koenen, who went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL. At Central Washington, he helped kicker Garrett Rolsma earn All-America honors, and he did the same for kicker Zach Brown at Portland State.
His approach to special teams is to find the best players on the roster and get them involved.
“You’ve seen how special teams have changed over the years, starting with what Frank Beamer did at Virginia Tech,” Collins said. “We’re going to do everything we can to get our best players on special teams, find a way to get the hidden yardage that’s out there, between return yardage and blocking kicks, and highlighting your best players, not only to win football games but to continue to develop them and give them the opportunity to play at the next level.”
Boise State has been home to the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year the past two years. Avery Williams earned the honor in consecutive years after he led the conference in 2019 with 13.2 yards per punt return and led the country last season with four special teams touchdowns.
Williams won’t take the field for the Broncos in 2021, though, after he joined tight end John Bates in declaring for the NFL Draft on Christmas Eve.
Collins said he grabbed Williams after a game in 2019 and told him “you’re one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“To be a return man the way he was and to be able to block kicks, that’s a unique, special skill,” Collins said.
The Broncos do have a promising, young kicker for Collins to mentor. Jonah Dalmas joined the program as a walk-on last season but earned a scholarship and finished the year 7-of-8 on field goals and hit a career-long kick from 51 yards.
Prior to joining the staff at Utah State, Collins spent four seasons (2012-15) as head coach at Division II South Dakota School of Mines. Other stops during his coaching career include Southern Oregon, where he was defensive coordinator in 2007, and Idaho State, where he coached linebackers in 2005 and 2006.
Kwiatkowski heading to Texas
Former Boise State All-American and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is heading to Texas to become the Longhorns’ new defensive coordinator.
Texas hasn’t officially announced the move, but Kwiatkowski has already updated his Twitter bio to reflect his new role.
Kwiatkowski was the defensive line coach at Boise State from 2006 to 2009 and defensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013 (he also was an assistant from 1988 to 1996). He joined former Boise State coach Chris Petersen at Washington. He was defensive coordinator there from 2014 to 2017 and co-defensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019.
He was named defensive coordinator again last year in the first season since Jimmy Lake took over for Petersen at Washington.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 11:53 AM.
