Bush Hamdan’s stay back at his alma mater was a short one.
Hamdan, Boise State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2023 season, was announced Wednesday to the same positions at Kentucky.
The former Boise State quarterback took a pay cut to leave Missouri and return to the Broncos as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in December of 2022. Barely a year later, he’s heading back to the SEC to cash in with a lucrative multi-year contract.
Spencer Danielson, who two months ago retained Hamdan with a two-year deal which would have paid him $460,000 in 2024 and $480,000 in 2025, now must search for Boise State’s sixth offensive coordinator since 2019.
“I wish Bush Hamdan the best in his next opportunity but I know what we are building at Boise State is special,” Danielson said in a statement to Bronco Nation News. “That leaves us with an opportunity to bring in another great offensive coordinator.
“Our national search for a new coordinator has already begun and I look forward to finalizing our staff as soon as possible. I’m excited to find another great play caller that will be an additional great mentor for our student-athletes.”
Kentucky paid its previous offensive coordinator Liam Coen $1.7 million in 2023 before he left to become the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning Hamdan likely received a significant pay raise over his deal at Boise State.
This is the 12th different stop for Hamdan since his coaching career started in 2009. He’s only had three jobs for more than one year, and his longest stay was three years at Missouri from 2020 to 2022.
Boise State scored at least 30 points in 10 of the final 12 games of the season in 2023 and finished with the No. 32 ranked scoring offense in the country at 32.1 points per game. The Broncos were No. 26 nationally in total offense at 436.1 yards per game.
Hamdan originally was hired by coach Andy Avalos, who was fired midway through the season. Danielson took over as interim coach for the remainder of the season and was hired as the permanent coach in December.
Danielson’s first hire to his 2024 staff was to retain Hamdan.
“It means everything,” Hamdan said when he signed his new deal in December to stay at Boise State. “For us it’s always football related, but for my family, it was a big reason why we made the move last year from Missouri – knowing what it would be like for my wife and my kids to be in the Treasure Valley.
“It means a lot. (I was) wanting stability, being a guy that’s moved around a lot, obviously (we) made the move to Boise to hopefully be here for a ;long time. It’s an unbelievable Christmas present, if you will, to be back with these guys.”
Hamdan was the key recruiter for USC transfer Malachi Nelson, a former five-star prospect and the No. 1 ranked quarterback in the 2023 class, who joined the Broncos in January. Hamdan originally started recruiting Nelson while he was at Washington and Nelson was in the ninth grade.
Reached by Bronco Nation News on Wednesday afternoon, Nelson’s father Eric said Malachi was enjoying his first month at Boise State and put an end to any speculation that Malachi might look to follow Hamdan to Kentucky or go elsewhere due to Wednesday’s news.
“Nothing to be worried about,” Eric Nelson told Bronco Nation News. “Malachi wants to be a Bronco and shock the world and leave a legacy and be part of something special at Boise State.
“Obviously we would have liked to do that with Bush, a guy we’ve known for a long time, but we wish him the best. We can’t be upset for a guy that has to make decisions based on his family, we have no anger towards him and we hope to see everybody win, but Malachi is a Bronco and he wants to help be part of something special here.”
Hamdan’s deal hadn’t been approved by the State Board of Education yet, meaning the terms likely revert to the previous contract for 2023 – meaning Boise State should be due a $200,000 buyout for his departure. Boise State is working to gain clarity on his contract situation since a term sheet was signed (and a buyout mentioned) but the official deal hadn’t been finalized and approved.
The timing is not ideal with spring practices starting on March 5, but the job figures to be an attractive one with Boise State potentially having one of the top offenses in the country next season.
Stay tuned to Bronco Nation News for more on this breaking news story…
The words I want to say cannot describe the disloyal person. I’ll try, they are worthless human beings.