Tag: Andy Avalos

Oct 22, 2022; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Boise State Broncos head coach Andy Avalos looks on in the first quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Boise State fires football coach Andy Avalos in third season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Boise State fired football coach Andy Avalos on Sunday with two games left in the regular season.

Defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson will lead the team as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

“I am grateful for the passion, effort and dedication Andy has given to our community and his alma mater while serving as our head coach,” athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said in a statement announcing the coaching change. “Andy will always be a Bronco and we wish him and his family all the best in their next steps.”

The school said a national search for Avalos’ replacement would begin right away.

According to the USA Today college football salaries report, Avalos is owed a buyout of nearly $3.3 million.

Avalos was a team captain and all-conference linebacker during his playing career (2000-04) at Boise State. He was hired on Jan. 9, 2021, to replace Bryan Harsin, who went to Auburn.

At the time of his hiring, Avalos was the defensive coordinator at Oregon.

The 42-year-old Avalos leaves the Broncos with a 22-14 overall record, including 5-5 (4-2 Mountain West Conference) this season. He was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2022 after the Broncos finished 10-4.

The Broncos lost at least four games each season, however, under Avalos. In the span between 2002 and his arrival in 2021, they lost four games or more three times.

Boise State defeated New Mexico 42-14 on Saturday and still could win the MWC title.

The Broncos close the season with games at Utah State next Saturday and against Air Force on Nov. 24.

Avalos was one of two FBS coaches fired Sunday. Texas A&M also relieved Jimbo Fisher of his duties.

–Field Level Media

Sep 29, 2018; Laramie, WY, USA; A general view of the Boise State Broncos helmet against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Boise State hires Andy Avalos as head coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Boise State linebacker and defensive coordinator Andy Avalos was hired as the Broncos’ 11th head football coach Saturday.

Avalos, 39, was the defensive coordinator the past two seasons at Oregon. He will replace Bryan Harsin, who left after seven seasons to take the head coaching job at Auburn.

“This is a dream come true, and a very humbling opportunity for myself and my family to be back in this program,” Avalos said in a statement. “I’m excited to get back around the players I have missed the last two years, and to provide an elite experience for all the young men in the Boise State football program.

“I can’t wait to get to work and help this program make our university, community and the state of Idaho proud by continuing to grow the blue-collar mentality that has been the staple of our program and allowed it to thrive for years.”

Avalos was a captain and linebacker for the Broncos from 2000-2004, earning first team All-WAC honors as an outside linebacker in his last two seasons. He led the Broncos in tackles each of his last three seasons.

After his playing career, Avalos coached at Colorado (2006-08), Nebraska-Kearney (2009-10) and Sacramento State (2011) before he returned to Boise State in 2012. He became the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2016 and was part of Mountain West Conference championship teams in 2012, 2014 and 2017.

At Oregon, Avalos helped the Ducks win the Pac-12 in each of his two seasons and he was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to college football’s top assistant coach, in 2019.

“I am elated to bring Andy Avalos back to Boise State, where he belongs,” Boise State director of athletics Jeramiah Dickey said. “We did our due diligence with this search in a very short period of time, and this was a national search, not just something we were looking at keeping within the family. Andy left no doubt that he was the individual that would continue building on the well-established culture within Bronco Football.”

–Field Level Media