Kicker battle: Boise State looks to replace all-time leading scorer

One of the most competitive position battles during Boise State’s fall camp doesn’t feature an offensive or defensive player.

Highly-touted transfer Colton Boomer and Jarrett Reeser — a pair of fourth-year juniors — are battling it out for placekicking and kickoff duties. Through the first week of fall camp, neither player has a leg up in the competition. 

“It’s been a good competition,” said special teams coach Stacy Collins, who noted that Boomer will miss a few days of practice next week with a mild injury. “We’ve got to kick the ball better. (Friday) was probably our worst day of field goals. We kicked off really well, both of them were 4 for 4 knocking them out of the back of the end zone, which for us is a point of emphasis. We’ll get that rhythm back.”

Whoever wins the placekicking job will have some big shoes to fill. 

Jonah Dalmas, the Mountain West’s all-time leader in points scored, closed his five-year career with an 86.1 percent field goal percentage (93 of 108) while making 229 of 232 PATs. Dalmas’ 508 career points rank fourth on the FBS all-time scoring list. 

Boomer, an all-Big 12 honorable mention selection during the 2023 season, transferred to Boise State after spending three years with UCF. 

During his time with the Knights, Boomer was 30 of 42 (71.4 percent) on field goals and 109 of 113 on PATs. He made three of his six field goal attempts last season before withdrawing from the team after four games to enter the transfer portal.

Boise State fans got to see Boomer’s big leg during the 2023 season at Albertsons Stadium when UCF made the long trip west to take on the Broncos. Boomer converted all four of his field goal attempts — including a 55-yarder — as the Knights earned an 18-16 victory. His 40-yard boot as time expired was the difference in the non-conference game.

Reeser spent his first two college seasons at San Diego State and has never attempted a place kick as a Bronco. He registered 14 touchbacks last season while averaging 62.7 yards per kickoff. 

“Give Jarrett a ton of credit, he’s worked his tail off,” Collins said. “I watched Boomer all summer when we had the chances to be around him early in camp. We just have to get him back in rhythm, get him healthy and get going.

“We’re in a good spot with those guys, but we’ve got to perform better in those key situations. We’ll get there.”

Collins said it’s possible one player will handle kickoff duties with the other serving as the team’s main placekicker. 

“We’ll find out,” Collins said. “If one does better than the other, then we’ll do it that way. … Those two are pretty natural combinations as they go.”