This coach started a big Boise State tradition. Now he’s back — on the opposite sideline

BOISE — As you walk into the Bleymaier Football Center by Albertsons Stadium, one of the first things you see is a floor-to-ceiling image of a Boise State player lifting a sledgehammer in the air.

Down a side corridor to the right, the hammer itself is on display, bathing in an orange glow. The man who first brought the hammer tradition to Boise State will return to The Blue on Saturday night, on the visitors’ sideline, as the Broncos (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) host Nevada (3-7, 0-4).

First-year Nevada head coach Jeff Choate spent six seasons on the Broncos’ staff from 2006-11.

He started as the running backs and special teams coach before shifting in 2009 to coach linebackers. He got the Nevada head coaching job in December 2023, his second stint leading a program — Choate was Montana State’s head coach from 2016-19.

In his time in Boise, Choate was responsible for bringing the hammer tradition to Boise State.

He brought the idea from Eastern Illinois, where he had coached special teams.

The hammer was named in 2019 for former Bronco Dan Paul, who died of unknown causes that year. Choate told the Idaho Statesman that it started as a way to honor the special teams player of the week.

So he popped over to Home Depot, bought a sledgehammer and spruced it up a little. It quickly became a symbol of grit and determination, and to this day, a player charges out onto the field carrying it before each game.

“Our special teams play was one of the things that we really hung our hat on, and that blue-collar mindset mentality,” Choate said. “And then coach (Chris) Petersen kind of embraced that as a symbol of the program.”

Paul played as a fullback and linebacker at Boise State from 2008-12. Choate said he was the “ultimate team player” and “represented a lot of the things the hammer stood for.”

“When Dan passed, it was a fitting tribute to name the hammer after Dan Paul,” Choate said. “And so I’m excited to have a small part in some Boise State history.”

On Thursday, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said that although he doesn’t know Choate well, he knows people who “speak the world of him.” “He’s had a huge impact here,” Danielson said. “He has a part of the legacy here, in what Boise State did.”

Choate may be a head coach now, but he knows a thing or two about running backs. And he’s about to face one who hammers opponents.

The 54-year-old coached stars such as Ian Johnson and Doug Martin at Boise State, and he said he finds himself in awe watching Ashton Jeanty, the junior superstar and Heisman Trophy hopeful for the Broncos. He said he’s impressed how Jeanty uses his off hand “as a weapon” to stiff-arm and players and keep would-be tacklers at bay.

“I don’t know if any of them had the complete package that Ashton has,” Choate said in his Monday press conference. “But it’s hard to compare generationally; those guys were tremendous players in their own right.”

Jeanty remains in the Heisman conversation despite facing stacked defenses in recent weeks, with teams putting seven or eight people near the line of scrimmage intent on stopping him.

He leads the nation in rushing yards (1,525) and rushing touchdowns (20).

Naturally, Nevada’s attention will be on Jeanty as well. However, Choate said he hopes to learn from the mistakes of UNLV and San Diego State, whose heavy focus on Jeanty opened things up for quarterback Maddux Madsen to pick them apart.

Madsen threw for 516 yards combined in those games, with five touchdowns. He set career highs of 307 yards and four TDs last week vs. the Aztecs.

“I think what good players do is they make other people around them better, and that’s what you see with Ashton,” Choate said. “His ability to get eyeballs on him and become the focal point of what defenses want to stop … that’s actually enhanced their offense overall.”

When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Saturday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, Turf)

TV: FOX

Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 7-1, 4-0; Nevada 3-7, 0-4

Series: Boise State leads the series 31-14

Vegas line: Boise State by 24 points

Weather: High of 54, low of 36, humidity 65%, cloudy, 6% chance of rain