Wanted: Head Coach at Boise State to Lead the Broncos on “The Blue”

"BYU Enters Field, Brigham Young University Cougars 49, Western Michigan University Broncos 18, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Albertsons Stadium, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho" by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. via Flickr

The Boise State Broncos are now on the hunt for a new head football coach after the school fired Andy Avalos after less than two seasons. The Broncos have posted a 5-5 record with two regular season games left on the 2023 schedule. Last season, Avalos was the 2022 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year after leading Boise State to a 10-4 record.

The Shortlist of Boise State Coaching Candidates

Kellen Moore

The very first phone call should be to Moore. Moore is a former Boise State quarterback who won 50 games as a starter for the Broncos and went 24-0 in the regular season over 2 years. Moore passed for 14,667 career yards, 142 touchdowns, and 28 INTs and completed 69% of his passes.

He has coaching experience at the NFL level as the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys. During his tenure in Big D, the Cowboys' offense ranked in the Top 10 in yards per game and points per game.

Now he is the OC for the Los Angeles Chargers this season and the Bolts rank in the Top 10 of NFL offenses. However, Moore has never coached in the college ranks, at any level.

Chris Petersen

Another good choice would be to find out if Chris Petersen still has the itch to coach and if so lure him out of retirement. Petersen was the head coach at Boise State for eight seasons (2006-2014) and won 88% of his games with a 92-12 record. His accomplishments with the Broncos were many:

· Two undefeated seasons

· Seven 10+ win seasons

· 3X National Coach of the Year

· 2X WAC Coach of the Year

In 2006, his first season with the Broncos, Petersen led Boise State to an undefeated season (13-0) and earned a berth in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma.

In that game, Petersen called two of the boldest plays you will ever see in a pressure-packed game. First, he called for a “hook and ladder” play that went 50 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. Then, he called a “Statue of Liberty” play on the 2-point conversion to win the game 43-42 over the mighty Sooners.

Later as the head coach at Washington, Petersen compiled a 55-26 record and an appearance in the 2016 College Football Playoff.

Bryan Harsin

Harsin was head coach of the Broncos from 2014-2020. Harsin posted a 69-19 record (.784 winning pct.). During his tenure, the Broncos won 10+ games five times in seven seasons. He currently is enjoying life outside of the hustle and bustle of coaching college football.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Harsin won’t answer the phone if Boise State were to call and offer him the opportunity to coach again at his alma mater, literally in his backyard.

Andy Ludwig

Ludwig is another good choice with a connection to Boise State. Ludwig is the current offensive coordinator at Utah, but in 1995-1996 he was the QB coach for the Broncos. With the Utes, Ludwig has coached an offense that ranks in the Top 15 in the FBS the last two seasons.

Troy Calhoun

And last but certainly not least, is Troy Calhoun. As the head man at the Air Force Academy for 17 seasons, Calhoun is the Dean of Coaches in the Mountain West Conference. Calhoun has compiled a 129-80 record, including five 10-win seasons. He has led the Falcons to a 28-8 record over the last three seasons, including an 8-2 record this season with two games left in the regular season.

Two other possibilities in addition to the list above include Jamey Chadwell and Curt Cignetti. Chadwell built a juggernaut at Coastal Carolina and was National Coach of the Year in 2020. This season as the head man at Liberty, he has the Flames burning bright at 11-0 and ranked #25 in the country.

Cignetti has the Dukes of James Madison at 10-1 (and ranked #15 last week in the country). In two seasons at JMU, Cignetti has guided the Dukes to an 18-4 record (.818 winning pct.). This could be a very attractive job when you consider that a malfunctioning group of misfits called the NCAA has banned JMU from postseason play because of an idiotic and archaic rule that should be done away with immediately.

The coaching carousel continues to spin to the circus music as head coaches line up at the chopping block to earn a big fat check NOT to coach. Hopefully, Boise State can cut a fat check to find the right man to lead the Broncos back to the top of the Mountain West.