Just as quickly as the Andy Avalos era of Boise State football hype train began rolling, it’s officially shut down. The third-year head coach was fired on Sunday.
Avalos’ career record of 22-14 was entirely disappointing considering how lofty expectations have become in Boise but he did win 10 games in 2022 while going 8-1 in conference play. The 2023 season has been nothing short of disappointing, however, and it felt like it was time to move on.
With the news of Avalos’ firing, let’s take a look at three candidates to replace him.
3. Ryan Grubb, Washington offensive coordinator
Not many people have been talking about Ryan Grubb snagging a head coaching job this offseason, but they absolutely should be.
The Washington offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach is responsible for engineering one of the best offenses in all of college football for the past two seasons. He’s also turned Michael Penix Jr. into a Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
In two years with Washington, all he’s done is improve the offense from one of the worst in the Power Five in 2021 to one of the best in the nation in 2022 and 2023.
Sure, Penix could be attributed to a lot of Grubb’s success, but he always seems to be calling the right plays and the offense is the clear strength of the team. He’s a brilliant offensive mind and the former Fresno State associate head coach and offensive coordinator could be headed back to the Mountain West.
2. Bryan Harsin, former Boise State head coach
This is a bit of an eye-opener at No. 2, but wouldn’t this be a cool story? Boise native Bryan Harsin succeeds at his alma mater before taking a shiny SEC job but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be and he’s fired midway through his second season. He’s been out of football ever since the middle of that 2022 season and he’s looking for a return.
What better place to hire him than his alma mater?
Harsin went 69-19 overall during his seven seasons with the Broncos and 46-8 in conference play. He won three Mountain West titles at Boise State and led the program to six straight division titles before taking the Auburn job.
At Auburn, he was surrounded by controversy and was fired after a 3-5 start to the 2022 season. He was just 9-12 with the Tigers.
But there may be no better redemption story in college football than if he returned home to lead Boise State back into the national spotlight. And with the playoff field expanding to 12 next year, he could legitimately turn the Broncos into CFP contenders.
This hire would make a lot of sense and I bet it’d have a huge backing.
1. Kellen Moore, Chargers offensive coordinator
While Bryan Harsin would probably be a home run hire, Kellen Moore would be a grand slam. The Broncos’ all-time leading passer has been spending time as an NFL offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and now the Los Angeles Chargers and he’s considered one of the best offensive minds in the entire sport.
After the 2022 season, Moore and the Cowboys decided to part ways and he took the same position with the Chargers where he’s having success.
If you’re looking for fit, there may be no better coach to turn to than Moore. He’s a Bronco legend who leads the program in all-time passing yards and won 50 games with Boise State as a starting quarterback. He’s a winner and he’s been an NFL coach since the day he retired from playing (2018). Plus, he knows everything about Boise State.
Bronco fans would welcome the Chargers’ offensive coordinator back home with open arms and I’d be willing to bet recruits would love to play for Kellen Moore at Boise.