Who knows what Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey planned or hoped to do when his search for a new football coach started following the stunning firing of Andy Avalos on Nov. 12.
Spencer Danielson left him with no choice.
Maybe, more importantly, the players left him no choice.
Boise State hired Danielson Sunday as Boise State’s permanent head coach Sunday following a crazy, improbable three-weeks stretch which culminated in Saturday’s 44-20 win over UNLV in the Mountain West Championship Game in Las Vegas.
“I am excited to announce Spencer Danielson as the next head coach of Boise State football,” Dickey said in a statement. “I value process over results. As exciting as it was to win the last three games and reclaim the conference championship, from the standpoint of hiring a head coach, it was more exciting to me to hear Spencer’s vision for the future and how he is going to approach the job full time.
“I am grateful for the work of our search committee to ensure we made the best decision for our student-athletes and Bronco Nation. I am extremely confident Spencer is an elite leader, a man of great substance and a rising star in the coaching profession who will lead Boise State football to a bright future.”
Danielson led the Broncos to a 3-0 record as interim coach and received a groundswell of support from current and former players along the way for him to keep the full-time job.
After embarking on a three-week search with private jet trips for interviews in Colorado, Montana and California – and who knows where else – Dickey realized the product on the field the past three weeks proved too much to ignore.
The coach he sought to take Boise State back to national prominence was already in the building.
Boise State topped Utah State 45-10 in Danielson’s debut on Nov,. 18th, The Broncos then beat Air Force 27-19 in the regular season finale and advanced to the Mountain West title game thanks to winning a computer ranking tiebreaker over San Jose State.
The Broncos kept things rolling against UNLV, making Danielson the first interim head coach in college football history to win a conference championship. He held the trophy high after receiving it from former commissioner Craig Thompson, triggering an eruption of cheers and confetti as he soaked in the moment.
Now he’ll try to take the Broncos to even greater heights in 2024 and beyond.
“I am so honored and excited to be able to stay at home here at Boise State and to keep guiding these incredible young men,” Danielson said in a statement. “It is truly a blessing to be here in the Treasure Valley and to lead this program. This place has become home for me and my family. I am incredibly thankful to Dr. Tromp and Jeramiah Dickey for their faith in me to lead the Broncos. When you play together and you love each other you can accomplish amazing things, and we’re just getting started.”
Players campaigned publicly for weeks on social media for Danielson to land the full-time job. Alexander Teubner, speaking to America from the stage during the Mountain West Championship Trophy Presentation, earned loud cheers from the crowd when he pushed for Danielson to keep the job full-time.
Danielson, 35, will be among the top five youngest coaches in college football next season. The San Diego native was a linebacker at Azuza Pacific and started his coaching career there as a GA in 2013 before serving as the linebackers coach from 2014-2016.
He’s been at Boise State since 2017, first starting as a graduate assistant before landing his first full-time coaching gig as the STUD ends coach in 2018.
Danielson was promoted to defensive line coach in 2019 and added co-defensive coordinator to his title in 2020. He was named the defensive coordinator under Avalos when he was hired prior to the 2021 season and served in that role in each of the past three seasons.
Under Danielson the Broncos had one of the best defenses in the country in 2022. Boise State finished No. 7 in total defense at 292.3 yards allowed per game and No. 15 in scoring defense at 19.5 points allowed per game.
Danielson had a chance to follow coach Bryan Harsin to Auburn after the 2020 season, and turned down interest from Stanford, Baylor and Washington State among others after last season. He stuck around, in part, to maybe one day have this opportunity. The wait proved to be worth it.
Boise State will officially introduce Danielson at a Monday press conference at 11 a.m. Bronco Nation News will stream the press conference live on the BNN YouTube channel.
