Winston Venable is returning to the Boise State football coaching staff, head coach Andy Avalos announced, Friday. Venable will coach running backs for the second-straight season and serve as the player development director, a position he held at Boise State in 2018-19.

"Winston's passion and enthusiasm for building young men of character has been a valuable asset to our culture," Avalos said. "His ability to connect with people is what sets him apart as a coach, and I'm excited to continue to watch him grow in this profession. He's been proud to represent Boise State since his days as a player, and we're proud to have him continuing to represent this program and this community."

"This program has meant so much to me for such a long time, and I'm excited to be able to continue to give back to it by bringing young men through and instilling the values and culture that have made so many of us who we are today," Venable said. "I'm elated to work for someone like Andy Avalos, and to learn from him and our new offensive coordinator, Tim Plough. This is a special place with special people, and I'm excited for our future."

In 2020, Andrew Van Buren took over for an injured George Holani in the second game of the season and rushed for a Mountain West-leading eight touchdowns.

In 2018-19, Venable was the team's player development coordinator, a position in which he coordinated all student-athlete programming. He also served as the Broncos' academic liaison and community outreach coordinator.

Venable was a linebacker at Boise State during the 2009-10 seasons. In his first campaign, his interception in the final minute sealed a 17-10 victory over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

A two-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection, Venable signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears following his Boise State career.

He played in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes from 2012-16. A CFL All-Star in 2015, Venable amassed 191 tackles and 12 sacks in 35 games over his final two seasons.

Venable was named to Boise State's All-Blue Team, a celebration of the greatest players to hit The Blue during its first 30 years. Following his playing career, he returned to Boise State and earned his bachelor's degree in communication in 2017.