Boise State’s Austin Bolt has been an athlete in search of a position. Has he found it?
Austin Bolt might not look like your stereotypical college football player, with muscles bulging out of his uniform, but there’s no denying his athleticism.
The redshirt sophomore at Boise State, a former star at Borah High, can put on a show whenever he’s on a football field or a basketball court.
Managers on the Boise State basketball team compete in a league against managers from other schools during the season. They were short a player for a game against Nevada this year, and Bolt was tapped to fill in.
The result: Bolt looked like an NBA star, crossing up defenders and dunking whenever he got the chance, and Nevada’s managers left the arena feeling salty.
Bolt was also the leading scorer on an intramural basketball team coached by Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier over the winter, and the league had to institute a no-dunk rule after he broke a rim.
“I’m never going to pass up a good basketball game,” Bolt said.
Bolt’s athleticism has never been in question.
In high school, he was the first athlete from Idaho to be named the state Gatorade Player of the Year in both football and basketball.
Bolt played quarterback as a senior at Borah, racking up 2,771 yards of total offense and 36 touchdowns. He averaged 19.4 points and 12.5 rebounds in his final high school basketball season — a double-double average for the third year in a row.
The questions surrounding Bolt since he joined the Boise State football team in 2020 have been: When is he going to see the field, and what position is he going to play?
One of those questions seems to have been answered this spring. Bolt was still listed as a tight end when practice began the first week of March, but he has spent the past month working with the Broncos’ wide receivers.
“Right now, I think receiver is the best fit for me,” said Bolt, adding that head coach Andy Avalos, offensive coordinator Tim Plough and wide receivers coach Matt Miller feel the same way. “I’m just going to trust them because they’ve been doing this a lot longer than I have, so whatever they think is the best for me, I’m going to do my best to excel at that position.”
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A natural fit
Bolt played many positions on the football field at Borah. He was a wide receiver, quarterback and safety, and also returned punts and kicks for the Lions. He even stepped in at punter.
That made for an exciting high school career, but it left his natural position in college open for debate.
“I wasn’t really a great football player in high school. I was more of an athlete,” Bolt said. “You get exposed out here because you can’t do the simple things you were doing in Idaho high school football. You have to have more moves and master all the little details.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Boisean began his college career as a tight end on the scout team. He was still listed at that position last season, but he spent as much time working out with the wide receivers. He even spent a couple of weeks at defensive end, which pitted him against offensive linemen who had 100 pounds on him.
“I was out there making basketball moves on offensive tackles,” Bolt said.
Bolt’s basketball skills can translate well to wide receiver when it comes to boxing out defenders and having the body control to go up for 50-50 balls. He said he feels as if it’s his natural position, and Miller agrees.
“Austin is a tall, long, leaner-bodied guy,” Miller said. “He’s got the speed to stretch defenses vertically, and we’re excited about him being the type of weapon we can match up with certain defenses and put him in position to go win his one-on-one.”
Miller, a former wide receiver for the Broncos, said he has always seen Bolt at that position. He was still coaching at Montana State the first time he saw Bolt run routes at one of Boise State’s summer camps.
“He was coming down with every single ball, contorting his body this way and that, but staying in control,” Miller said. “I was like, ‘OK, this guy has some really good ball skills and the ability to stay on his feet and rack up yards after the catch.’ ”
‘A deep threat’
Bolt said he thinks he can fill an important role in the Broncos’ passing game this year. Last season’s leading receiver, Khalil Shakir, is preparing for his NFL career. He was Boise State’s go-to guy and hauled in key long passes, and Bolt is hoping he can be that type of player on vertical routes this season.
“I’m probably going to be a deep threat,” Bolt said. “I’ve never really been honed in on receiver besides my junior year in high school and a little bit my freshman year. There are still a lot of things I need to fine-tune in my game.”
Bolt said he’s been frustrated with his lack of playing time. Going from rarely leaving the field in high school to fighting for snaps in college is never easy, but he said transferring never crossed his mind. Playing for Boise State is too important to him.
The bedroom he grew up in is still decorated with blue and orange and one of his prized possessions is a picture of himself in first grade wearing former Boise State running back Ian Johnson’s jersey. Johnson was one of the stars of the famous Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma that capped an undefeated season.
“I’ve always wanted to play for this great university,” Bolt said. “This football team means a lot to this whole state. It’s always been a dream of mine to be a part of this place, and I wouldn’t want to be playing in any other state.”
Catching a touchdown on the blue turf in Albertsons Stadium has always been Bolt’s dream, he said. He’s had two opportunities to score so far in college: one on a pass at Hawaii his freshman year and one on a deep ball in the Broncos’ home finale against New Mexico last season.
Both fell incomplete.
“Those are my two biggest welcome-to-college moments,” Bolt said. “I got a shot to prove myself and slipped up, but the coaches say they still have a lot of faith and trust in me, so I’m just trying to get those opportunities back this year.”
Boise State spring game
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
Admission: Free
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 3:43 PM.
