Bryan Harsin decided to leave Boise State football for Auburn and it’s time for the Broncos to find the next coach to keep them relevant.
Ever since Boise State started playing college football, the Broncos have been one of the biggest powerhouses in the Group of Five.
It all started when the Broncos joined the Big West in 1996. They had just 12 wins through their first three years as a college football program and then finished their run in the conference with back-to-back 10-win seasons under Dirk Koetter. He brought the program to relevance and then handed the keys to Dan Hawkins who won eight games in his first year and then had three straight seasons with at least 11 wins.
Chris Petersen was next and brought the program to heights it had never seen before, highlighted by a thrilling Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma and 13-0 record in his first season. He would go on to win at least 10 games in each of his first seven seasons before leaving for the Washington job in year eight after getting off to an 8-4 start.
The job was then Bryan Harsin’s who continued that success to a slightly lower degree, winning at least 10 games five times in seven years. He won 12 games in 2019 before getting off to a 5-2 start in a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. On Tuesday, he was hired as Auburn’s next head coach.
While the news was a little surprising, Boise State fans felt good about their chances to hire the next great coach to continue the success of the program.
Who could be that next head coach for the Broncos?
3. Chris Petersen, former Boise State/Washington HC
This is more of a dream scenario for Boise State fans than anything else.
After the 2019 season with Washington, Chris Petersen decided to hang up the whistle and call it a career when it seemed like he was in his prime. The Huskies made the playoff a couple of years earlier and he was a solid recruiter much like he was with Boise State. Plus, he was still in his mid-50s. The retirement seemed sudden.
Maybe his heart wasn’t in Washington like it was with Boise State?
Fans would welcome the Boise State legend back to Idaho for a second run after he went 92-12 in his eight seasons with the Broncos. He also won five conference titles in that time frame, going 57-6 in league play.
If there’s anyone who would be a guarantee to bring Boise State back to greatness, it would have to be Petersen who led the Broncos there in the first place.
Boise State fans can dream, right?
2. Andy Avalos, Oregon defensive coordinator
Another familiar face for Boise State fans is Andy Avalos, a former Bronco linebacker from 2001-05 is one of the fastest-rising assistants in college football.
Avalos started his coaching career as a grad assistant with Colorado shortly following his days as a linebacker for Boise State. He then went the FCS route and then came back to Boise State to be the defensive line and then linebackers coach under Chris Petersen until 2016 when he took over the defensive coordinator position until 2018. He was hired by Oregon in 2019 as the defensive coordinator.
It would only make sense that Avalos made his way back to Boise to be the next head coach because there have been rumblings of him being one of the top young names available.
Boise State should have Avalos high on its list, especially after the solid job he’s done with Oregon’s defense in such a short period of time and the success he had when he was leading the Broncos.
Plus, this is a young hire that usually translates well to recruiting as these types of coaches connect better with players.
1. Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
My No. 1 option if I’m the Boise State athletic director has to be Kellen Moore. Not only is he a Boise State legend, but he has mentioned that he would be open to accepting a position with the program in the future because he now has coaching experience.
Moore’s pro career didn’t quite pan out like he would have liked after starring at Boise State from 2008-11 when he had over 14,000 passing yards and 142 touchdowns. He led Boise State to a 50-3 record as a starting quarterback and was a big reason for the sustained success under Chris Petersen.
How fitting would it be for Moore to come back and lead the program to greatness once again after doing so as a play just a decade earlier?
Moore has spent his last two years as the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys after going from backup quarterback (2017) to quarterbacks coach (2018). He’s considered one of the bright young minds in the NFL and a rising assistant. There’s a reason he was retained by the Cowboys even when Jason Garrett was let go.
Getting a young coach with a legendary Boise State background would be huge for the program. And Moore could end up being a lifer.