Boise State interim coach interviews for full-time gig; Broncos release some search info

Boise State interim football coach Spencer Danielson confirmed Monday that he has formally interviewed for the Broncos’ head coaching vacancy.

Danielson, who’s filling in after former coach Andy Avalos was fired Nov. 12, said he met with Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey and the search committee on Sunday.

Danielson, who could’ve left for Power Five coaching opportunities last year, also said he doesn’t plan to interview for any other openings around the country. He’s completely focused on getting Boise State prepared to face UNLV in the Mountain West championship game Saturday (1 p.m. MT, Fox) in Las Vegas, he said.

“This week is about our players winning a championship,” Danielson said Monday. “It’s about this team and their pursuit, given everything they’ve been through. Whatever happens after that, I’ll be very excited to have those conversations.”

The good news for the former and current Boise State players who have rallied around Danielson as the Broncos’ next head coach is he’s a candidate for the job.

Current players have gushed about Danielson after the Broncos beat Utah State and Air Force the past two weeks.

“We know he really cares about us and has our best interest in mind always,” Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty said after the Broncos’ win over Air Force. “There aren’t too many coaches or people in this game like that.”

Former Boise State players JL Skinner, Tyreque Jones and Scott Matlock all took to Twitter to show their support for Danielson over the weekend.

“It’s a no brainer,” Matlock wrote in a Tweet. “In Coach D we trust.”

Jones chimed in with, “Can we please stop the interview process?”

Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan alluded to the fact that it might be prudent for Boise State to hire Danielson, given his relationship with the players, many of whom could be tempted to jump into the transfer portal when it opens Dec. 4.

“So much of it is retention these days, and I think everybody knows that,” said Hamdan, who also has aspirations to be a head coach but said he has not interviewed for the Boise State job. “You’ve got a lot of players on this team that need to stay at Boise State.”

Players could’ve already left. An NCAA rule opens a 30-day window for players to immediately enter the transfer portal when a coach is fired. Indiana lost more than 10 players in the 24 hours following the Hoosiers’ firing of Tom Allen on Sunday, according to the Indiana Daily Student.

Boise State hasn’t lost a single player to the portal since leading receiver Eric McAlister announced Nov. 6 that he was going to sit out the rest of the season and transfer when the portal opens. He showed interest in returning to the team after Danielson was named interim coach. That says something about the trust the Broncos have in their interim coach.

“We’re trying to be proactive with our guys, but every single day, we’re building into them and holding them to a high standard,” Danielson said. “When you hold someone to a high standard and they know they’re developing and becoming the best version of themselves, they want to show up every day. They know it’s hard, but they’re going to stay put and do it together.”

‘He’s a great leader.’ Is Boise State’s next head football coach already on staff?

Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen, who is now an analyst for Fox, also thinks Danielson’s future is bright.

“He’s going to be a great head coach down the road,” Petersen said during Fox’s pregame show before the Broncos’ 27-19 win over Air Force on Friday.

The question now becomes what does Danielson have to do to show Boise State that his time is now, not down the road? He’s already led the Broncos to a pair of wins and a shot at the Mountain West title, which seemed like an unreachable goal just three weeks ago.

Would winning a conference championship and a bowl game be enough to earn Danielson the job? He said he doesn’t know, but he’s enjoying running his own program right now.

“I’ve had an absolute blast,” Danielson said. “I don’t say that because we’ve won these games. Being around these young men and this staff and helping lead them to continue to work their tail off to accomplish what I believe we’re going to, it just brings me so much joy.”

Fans can follow the search

Danielson admitting he’s interviewed for the job is the latest example of Boise State’s attempt to be transparent in this search.

Last week, Boise State launched a website that allows fans to follow Dickey and his search committee during the process. Videos give an inside look at the search, and multiple updates have been posted.

In one of the updates, Dickey said he’s spoken to eight candidates about the job. In the latest update, posted Saturday night, Dickey said he interviewed two candidates and expected to interview several more on Sunday and Monday.

He also laid out at least part of what he’s looking for in the Broncos’ next coach.

“I want someone with a plan and someone who is committed to said plan,” Dickey said in a video interview. “People are our greatest asset. (We want) someone who is going to treat people the right way and understands the value of being part of a team.”

No list of candidates has been released, but flight-tracking software showed a private jet Boise State often uses made multiple trips to Montana in recent days, including a stop in Kalispell, Montana, which is a short drive from where former BYU and Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall owns property in Bigfork, Montana. Montana State head coach Brent Vigen’s name also has been floated in media reports as a possible candidate.

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Dickey said early on in this process that he wants a coach in place before early signing day, which is Dec. 20. He even floated the possibility of announcing the new hire soon after this weekend’s Mountain West championship game.

“We represent something so much bigger than ourselves in terms of Bronco Nation and our student-athletes, who are our priority,” Dickey said. “There are a lot of great coaches, but not everyone fits who we are as Broncos and where we’re at.”