By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com
© 2010 Idaho Statesman

Boise State special teams coach Jeff Choate hopes to see the Broncos’ most electric player returning punts and a walk-on handling kickoffs this fall.

Choate must replace former All-American Kyle Wilson as the punt returner. He has his eyes set on Young, the senior wide receiver who returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns last season.

The catch? Young must first prove he can catch the ball consistently — and he has looked good in spring ball. Young has struggled with details like ball security since he arrived at Boise State.

Other candidates include wide receivers Chris Potter and Mitch Burroughs and cornerback Jerrell Gavins.

“What’s the most important thing on this unit? Possession,” Choate said. “Whatever else happens after that is gravy. It’s going to be the guy we have the most confidence in in that regard. … If a guy like Titus can be that consistent guy, then that’s a bonus for us because we know he’s going to make something happen.”

Meanwhile, freshman Trevor Harman could replace senior Kyle Brotzman as the kickoff specialist. Brotzman has handled nearly all of the kicking and most of the punting the past three years and Choate has been wanting to lessen his load.

Harman, who joined the team last year, has impressive leg strength.

“The one thing I feel pretty confident about is Trevor can handle the kickoffs,” Choate said. “That’s the one thing he’s shown consistency with. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a guy, a lot of torque involved, and we kick off a little bit. If we can get Trevor to handle that, I’ll feel good.”

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ special teams:

Priorities — Identify the punt returner; build reliable depth at kicker and punter; find some freshmen capable of contributing on the coverage and return units.

Returning starters — Brotzman handled the punting and placekicking chores last year. Sophomore Chris Roberson returns as the long snapper. Wide receiver Austin Pettis and nickel Hunter White got time as the holder. Young and junior Doug Martin are back as kickoff returners.

Other potential contributors — Harman could be the kickoff specialist and senior Brad Elkin has received spot duty in the past at punter. Freshman quarterback Joe Southwick is the top choice for the holder job, but Pettis and White remain options.

Not practicing — Brotzman, who made a key tackle in the Fiesta Bowl, had offseason shoulder surgery.

Here are my previews for wide receivers, the offensive line and linebackers.

•••

Florida cornerback Joe Haden reportedly ran the 40-yard dash Tuesday between 4.4 and 4.5 seconds (the reported times vary) — an improvement over his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine but still not eye-catching speed.

Boise State’s Kyle Wilson could challenge Haden for the top cornerback spot in the draft if he runs a sub-4.4 40 next week at the Broncos’ pro day. That’s Wilson’s expectation.

•••

California coach Jeff Tedford talked about defensive coordinator Bob Gregory’s decision to leave for an assistant job at Boise State in an interview with ESPN.com.

“I was surprised,” Tedford said. “I think it was a personal decision, about the time in his life with his kids and his family. It was a move to have some more time with his family. I was not expecting that. But everything happens for a reason. I think it's probably working out great for Bob, I'm sure he's happy where he is. And I think we really landed on our feet with Clancy [Pendergast]. He's been a great addition to our staff. I think everybody is happy about it.”

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