'Where he belongs': Boise State hires Andy Avalos as new head coach

Boise State has hired Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos as its head coach, the program announced Saturday. 

Avalos, a former Bronco student-athlete and longtime assistant coach replaces Bryan Harsin who left the program in December for the head coach position 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 released Saturday. "I am 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 had been the staple of our program and allowed it to thrive for years" said Avalos.

Avalos, 39, was a team captain and all-conference linebacker during his playing career (2000-04) at Boise State. He coached for the Broncos from 2012-2018 and become the team's defensive coordinator in 2016. He left to become the defensive coordinator at Oregon and helped the Ducks win consecutive Pac-12 championship titles in 2019 and 2020.

"I am elated to bring Andy Avalos back to Boise State, where he belongs," athletic director 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. His passion for this program was evident, and I am excited for our student-athletes, our staff and Bronco Nation."

During Avalos' five seasons as a defensive coordinator, he was a named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the top assistant coach in college football.

Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey@usatoday.com or on Twitter @analisbailey.