AFA's Warzeka hones craft as one of the nation's best kickoff returners

Air Force’s Jonathan Warzeka watches video of himself on a large-screen television, returning a kickoff against BYU two years ago.

“From right about here, I thought I had a shot,” Warzeka said, as he watched himself burst past BYU’s defenders on the screen. “And that dang kicker …"

Sure enough, a moment later the BYU kicker barely gets enough of Warzeka’s foot to trip him. Warzeka groans when he sees it.

There are certain rules for kickoff returners, and Warzeka went through most of them when he sat down to review video and share secrets from some of his best kickoff returns. And the cardinal rule involves the opposing kicker.

“If you get tackled by the kicker, the rest of the team is going to make fun of you for it,” Warzeka said.

Warzeka makes returning kickoffs look easy. He has a natural talent for it. He was mostly a punt returner in high school and didn’t return kickoffs at Air Force until late in the 2009 season. Warzeka is now one of the best kickoff returners in college football. He was named preseason Mountain West special teams player of the year.

“He’s just got a knack for where the hole is going to be, and he’s fearless,” Falcons special teams coordinator Ben Miller said.

His success isn’t based solely on natural ability, as he explained. He thoroughly prepares during the week, down to the detail of where he’ll line up before the kick. He said his spot is based on film study of the kicker – how far he kicks, whether he has a tendency to push it a little right or left, even if he shades a few yards to the right or left when he sets down the tee.

Warzeka studies the coverage teams he’ll face. He explains that his blockers will attack opposing players differently. They are more aggressive against a bigger player like a linebacker, but have to stay back against faster receivers or defensive backs so they don’t get juked. So he knows where those opponents line up, and has that in his mind as he visualizes where his running lanes will open up.

He has to wait until the kickoff is at its highest point until he can judge where it’ll land, and since he can’t take his eyes off the ball, when he catches and looks down, he needs to scan the entire field in an instant as he starts running. He said he has the ability to immediately pick up subtle things, such as if a coverage man fell down or is out of his lane, to start setting up his blocks.

“I played quarterback in high school, and you need to know every position on the field,” Warzeka said. “Same as being a kickoff returner. It helps to know which guys are setting up which blocks, where’s the double team at, and getting a layout in my mind.

“As fast as this play goes, you really can have a glimpse of everything.”

Simply making the catch looks routine, but it’s important. Against Houston in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl, Warzeka misjudged a kickoff just a little bit and caught it over his left shoulder and fading into the end zone. Asher Clark, the other deep returner who is in charge of telling the other returner whether to stay in the end zone (Air Force’s rule of thumb is to stay in if you catch it 3 yards deep), told him to take a touchback.

“Asher did the right thing,” Warzeka said. “He told me to stay, I just didn’t hear him.”

The play worked out. Warzeka used his sudden quickness to make a player miss in the open field inside Air Force’s 20-yard line, then somehow squirmed through a few Houston defenders and went 100 yards for a touchdown. That play was great, but Air Force doesn’t draw it up that way.

The other 100-yard touchdown return in Warzeka’s career, against Colorado State last season, was a textbook return. He allowed the three blockers who form the back wedge to create a crease to the right with kickout blocks. Fellow deep returner Cody Getz sealed off a defender coming from the middle. He hit the lane with a hard cut inside.

“At this point, it’s all green,” Warzeka said, watching the play unfold on video. “Like a dog salivating when he sees a piece of meat.”

And this time, Warzeka beat the kicker. He made a subtle move inside before he cut back and ran by the kicker’s outside shoulder. He watched his handiwork on the screen and was proud.

“It’s the most exciting play in football,” Warzeka said. “The momentum shift, in just this one play, can change everything.”