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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.

Avalos Has Been Building Coaching Resume

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 (@FieldLevelMedia)