The Andy Avalos Impact

The 17-day coaching search has finally concluded, and the hire ended up being exactly who everyone thought it would be: Andy Avalos. From the minute Avalos left Boise State to become the defensive coordinator at Oregon, it seemed as if he was the heir apparent to replace Bryan Harsin when the time came. Along the way, the Broncos flirted with legendary quarterback Kellen Moore, but it was the sensible hire that ended up taking the job. Let’s take a look at some questions that Andy Avalos will have to answer.

Risks

What does this mean for the Boise State offense?

Most people are assuming that Eric Kiesau will stay on as offensive coordinator since he hasn’t joined Harsin at Auburn. I think that is the likely move, but he doesn’t have much experience coaching quarterbacks and won’t have Harsin to lean on. If Avalos goes this route, he will probably need to find a quarterback coach.

Who will he fill his staff with?

It’s fair to assume that there will be some holdovers from Bryan Harsin’s staff. Spencer Danielson may take over the role of defensive coordinator. Maybe Winston Venable moves to the defensive side of the ball. There will be some interesting hires Avalos has to make; the most important might be his strength coach with offensive line coming in a close second.

Is he ready?

Avalos is still fairly young and has only been a defensive coordinator for five years, but Avalos is beloved by most of the players on the current roster and will have the support of many former players. He has a lot he needs to accomplish in the next month, but Avalos is a high energy guy.

What I see the staff looking like:

I think Boise State might have one less coach on the defensive side of the ball, but here is where some of the current staff could fit in.

Head Coach: Andy Avalos

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Timothy Plough (UC Davis OC)

Wide Receivers: Matt Miller

Running Backs: Give DJ Harper or Lee Marks a call. Getting Marks back would be coup.

Offensive Line/co-offensive coordinator: Think big, Klayton Adams

Tight Ends: Nate Potter

Defensive Coordinator/ILB: Spencer Danielson

Linebackers: Winston Venable

Defensive Line: Khayree Marshall (Oregon GA, former Boise State lineman)

Secondary: Jalil Brown

In this scenario, you are losing one of your secondary coaches, but Avalos can fill in some of the holes on the defensive side of the ball. You have to figure he will bring some guys from Oregon.

Grading the Hire:

I’m going to give this an A- and I would give Kellen the same grade. Avalos has plenty of questions that he will need to answer, but he has the support of the fans, alumni, boosters, and former players. He is a high energy guy that will get the fans excited about the program. He is going to jump right into the fire; his first game will be at the “Bounce House,” as Boise State travels to Orlando to take on UCF in the opener.

How do you feel about the Avalos hire? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.