Boise State is in search of a new assistant coach; wide receiver declares for NFL Draft
The Boise State football team is in search of a new running backs coach.
Winston Venable, who has coached the Broncos’ running backs the past two seasons, is stepping down to pursue other opportunities, Boise State announced Thursday morning.
“Winston is one of the greatest players to suit up for Boise State, and has done a tremendous job of mentoring not only our running backs, but every young man that has chosen to play for the Broncos over the last several years,” Boise State football coach Andy Avalos said in a statement. “Although he is leaving his current role, he will always be part of this brotherhood and I know he will find a way to continue to impact our student-athletes.”
Venable was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference pick as a linebacker at Boise State in 2009 and 2010. He joined the Broncos’ coaching staff as an assistant strength coach and served as the team’s player development director in 2018, 2019 and this year.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to come back and impact a program that helped shape who I am today,” Venable said in a statement. “The lessons I learned from being a Bronco — as a coach, staff member and student-athlete — will be with me for the rest of my life. This program is in great hands with coach Avalos, and I am excited to see the Broncos continue to win championships and compete amongst the elite teams in college football.”
It has been a tough couple of years for the Boise State backfield — mainly because of injuries. When running back George Holani posted 1,014 rushing yards as a freshman in 2019, it was the 11th straight season that the Broncos produced a 1,000-yard rusher.
Holani was injured in the second game of the 2020 season, though, and with him on the sideline for the rest of the year, Boise State ranked last in the 12-team Mountain West with 107.1 rushing yards a game.
Holani was hampered by a hamstring injury this season, which kept him out of three games and left him to play in a limited capacity in several others. Boise State’s running game was one of the worst in the country for much of the season, and the Broncos finished the year ranked No. 10 in the Mountain West with 120.4 rushing yards a game.
Boise State’s search for a new running backs coach is already underway. One name to keep an eye on is Keith Bhonapha — a former running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Boise State and Washington.
Bhonapha was Boise State’s director of football operations from 2006 to 2008 and coached the Broncos running backs from 2009 to 2013, which is when he followed former Boise State coach Chris Petersen to Washington. He also added recruiting coordinator to his title in 2011 and spent his first six seasons at Washington as its lead recruiter.
In addition to coaching running backs at Washington, he was also named special teams coordinator this season. Bhonapha was not retained at Washington after Jimmy Lake was fired in November.
Whoever takes over as Boise State’s running backs coach will be in charge of a backfield that will look a lot different than it did this year. Holani is expected back for his redshirt junior season, but veteran short-yardage back Andrew Van Buren has transferred and versatile running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio declared for the NFL Draft on Christmas Eve.
Boise State signed explosive running back Ashton Jeanty as part of its 2022 recruiting class. He plans to enroll early and be on campus in January. Former walk-on Tyler Crowe, junior college transfer Taequan Tyler and redshirt junior Danny Smith also remain on the roster.
Evans enters NFL Draft
Boise State wide receiver Octavius Evans declared for the NFL Draft on Thursday. He’s the fifth Boise State player to announce he’ll pursue the NFL instead of returning to the team, following running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio, defensive back Kekaula Kaniho, offensive lineman Jake Stetz and long snapper Daniel Cantrell.
Evans was lumped in with the Broncos’ super seniors this year, but the fifth-year senior still has a redshirt year available because he appeared in only two games last season. He set career highs this fall in receptions (34) and receiving yards (409), and matched his career-high two receiving touchdowns from his true freshman year in 2017.
Evans’ departure means Boise State will have to replace three of its top four receivers next season. Senior Khalil Shakir, who led the team with 77 catches for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns, hasn’t officially declared for the draft, but he said in November that he was 99.9% sure this was his the last season of his college career.
Evans was third on the team in receptions and receiving yards this season, and Habibi-Likio was fourth with 23 catches for 213 yards.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 10:51 AM.
