Boise State has fired coach Andy Avalos, it announced on Sunday. The decision comes one day after Boise State defeated New Mexico 42-14 to improve to 5-5 on the season and 4-2 in the Mountain West. Despite the victory in Week 11, this impending move makes it crystal clear that those records are not good enough for Boise State brass.
Defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson will serve as the team's interim coach.
"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," said Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey. "Andy will always be a Bronco and we wish him and his family all the best in their next steps."
Avalos returned to Boise State ahead of the 2021 season after Bryan Harsin's departed for Auburn. Avalos played linebacker for the Broncos, leading the team in tackles for three straight seasons from 2002-04, and was named a first-team All-WAC player twice. He entered the coaching profession shortly after his college career, becoming an assistant at Boise State in 2012. Avalos spent the next seven seasons with the Broncos and worked his way up to defensive coordinator. After taking the same job with Oregon for two seasons, he returned to Boise with the hope of restoring the program to the heights it often reached under former coach Chris Petersen.
That level of success has remained out of reach. After a lackluster 7-5 debut season, things looked to be trending in the right direction in 2022. The Broncos finished the year 10-4 and reached the Mountain West Championship Game where they lost to Fresno State. As a result, they entered 2023 as one of the favorites in the league but started the season with losses to Washington and UCF. The Broncos improved in Mountain West play this season but find themselves looking up in the standings at Air Force, UNLV and Fresno State with a 2024 recruiting class currently ranked 69th nationally and third in the Mountain West.
Why fire Avalos now?
Boise State is still alive in the Mountain West after rebounding from an ugly nonconference start to go 4-2 in conference play. Still, the trajectory of the program seems headed the wrong direction. Avalos went 17-5 in conference play during his tenure, which ties for the best record in the conference with Fresno State. The problem is eight of the 17 wins came last season, while the Broncos are 9-5 in 2021 and 2023.
A bigger problem is that while the Broncos are still one of the better programs in the league, that's not the goal in Boise, Idaho. The goal is to be the best team in the league and win it. Boise failed to do that in both of Avalos' first two seasons, and would have to thread an impressive needle to pull it off this year. Boise joined the Mountain West in 2011 and proceeded to win at least a share of the league title four times in its first nine seasons.
Since 2020, the Broncos have seen teams like San Jose State, Utah State and Fresno State win the conference, with Boise being on the losing end of the conference title game twice (the 2020 loss to San Jose State was under Bryan Harsin).
Speaking of Harsin, toward the end of his tenure there were plenty of Boise State fans who felt the program wasn't winning enough. So, when Avalos comes in and wins less often, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see Boise quickly move on.
| Boise State Coach | Conference Play |
|---|---|
Bryan Harsin | 46-8 (.852) |
Andy Avalos | 17-5 (.773) |
It's also worth noting that while Boise State's average home attendance of 35,763 this year is an improvement on last season's 35,121, attendance has decreased for each of Boise's last two home games against Wyoming and New Mexico.
