BOISE — Boise State wide receiver Austin Bolt entered fall camp this season with an entirely new look.
The signature wavy blond hair which he’s sported dating back to his days at Borah High is gone, replaced with a much shorter buzz cut. Bolt said it’s a look he had been contemplating for a while before he decided to give it a shot before camp opened.
It’s caused quite the reaction among fans and teammates
“I get told I look like I’m 40 now, or a ninth-year guy here,” Bolt said. “The hairline isn’t the best, but I haven’t cut my hair like this since I was in the third grade. So, I just went for it before fall camp. I like it, there’s no more bedhead, or anything. I just wake up and go.”
It figures to be a season of change for Bolt, and not just when it comes to his hairstyle. Bolt will look to contribute to the Bronco offense for an entire season for the first time in his career.
The redshirt junior appeared mainly on special teams as a freshman in 2021. Then, as it looked like he might start to see some time at receiver in 2022, he suffered a broken leg in the season opener that kept him out the rest of that year and the first half of 2023.
With a full offseason to prepare for the 2024 season, Bolt is hoping for big things as the Broncos get ready for their season opener on Aug. 31 at Georgia Southern.
“Having a full offseason at receiver and being able to be healthy and run around is a big opportunity for my game,” Bolt said. “It was midway through last season when I was finally thrown out there, finally able to get cleared. Being able to have a whole offseason with these great receivers we have teaching each other, it just make my confidence a lot higher going into week 1.”
Setbacks in his injury recovery caused Bolt to miss the first six games of the 2023 season. He returned for the Colorado State game in mid-October and three weeks later made his first career reception at Fresno State, a 33-yard reception from Maddux Madsen to put the Broncos inside the Bulldog 5-yard line. The following week, against New Mexico, he had his first-career touchdown reception, a 42-yard catch from Madsen on the fourth play of the game.
He finished the year with 175 yards on six catches and a pair of touchdowns. That may be only the beginning for Bolt.
“AB hasn’t played a lot of receiver,” wide receiver coach Matt Miller said about Bolt. “So, for him to have that success towards the end of last season really gave him that confidence boost he needed. He continued that through the spring and summer and he’s probably in the best state of mind that I’ve ever seen him. That’s going to lead to really good quality play as a football player.”
Bolt says he doesn’t have a specific stat line or numbers goal that he’s trying to reach this season. Being in a wide receiver room that has deep talent, he knows which receiver is getting the big numbers can change game by game.
For him, it’s about doing whatever he’s tasked to do each game, and when his number is called to have the ball be thrown to him, be ready.
“Whatever helps us win is the one thing I want, get us to the College Football Playoffs,” Bolt said. “If that’s me making plays, or me blocking for (running back) Ashton (Jeanty), or if it’s Cam Camper, Prince (Strachan) or Chris (Marshall) or someone else making plays, it’s not really about individual goals right now. It’s seeing the bigger picture and the games where I’m getting targets, I get to hopefully make plays. Then, if it’s not my game, just keep on being a good teammate and blocking my (butt) off.”
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