New Boise State Assistant Head Coach Aims to Bring Fear and Violence to Broncos Defense

Frank Maile is a Utah man through and through. He is a graduate of Utah State and has spent eight years on the Aggies coaching staff. The 38-year-old defensive coach began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant for Utah State in 2009 and was later promoted to a full-time position as the defensive line coach.

After a two-year stint at Vanderbilt, Maile returned to the Aggies for a five-year run as the assistant head coach and served as the interim head coach in 2018.

His tenure with the Aggies was a successful one. Like his new head coach, Maile’s defenses excel at creating turnovers. In 2018, the Aggies led the nation in turnovers and in forcing three-and-outs.

The man can clearly coach the defensive line. Now, after a rocky end to his relationship with Utah State (including charges of “religious and cultural bias” from Utah State students against Utah State admins), Maile looks to bring his brand of tenacity to the Broncos defensive line.

Frank Maile’s Coaching Philosophy

Frank Maile opened the press conference announcing his hire by describing how humble, grateful, and passionate he is about joining the Broncos. He also expressed his coaching mentality as one that focuses on the players above all else. With the pleasantries out of the way, Maile described, in no uncertain terms, the brand of football he will bring to The Blue:

Frank Maile expects a “very violent brand of football” to be the reputation of the Boise State defense. He added that it takes a mentality, a detailed plan, and consistency to produce those violent results. Or, as he puts it “with casualness come causalities.”

Maile also has an idea about his expectation for the Broncos going forward. He envisions Boise State consistently playing in and winning the Mountain West Conference, describing the Broncos as “the Alabama of the Mountain West.”

Beyond that, he aims to make the defense’s reputation such that teams fear seeing Boise State on the schedule. In fact, “Power 5” athletic directors should think twice about even putting the Broncos on the schedule.

If you think Frank Maile is starting to sound like Bronco defenders from the 2008 – 2011 era, you aren’t alone. There’s a swagger, a fearlessness, and a confidence that Maile is bringing to the table. An outsider brought into the program saying that Bronco football is a brand, and that brand is pain.

What Maile Brings to the Broncos

Beyond confidence and attitude, Maile also has two important roles for the Broncos. He will be coaching the defensive line and recruiting for the Broncos. Maile has discussed his ideas on how both of those jobs will be attacked.

Throughout his career, Maile has been tasked with recruiting the state of Utah. In particular, he described his connection with the Polynesian community. Maile looks to tap into those connections to bring Utahans to The Blue.

Asked specifically about how Polynesian players help a football team he said that they are “blessed with bodies to run into other bodies” and bring a culture of brotherhood to the locker room. It shouldn’t be a surprise by now, but Maile is very confident that he will be able to recruit well in Utah.

On the field, Maile sees a lot of similarities between Boise State and Utah State’s defenses. Both use odd fronts primarily but will mix in even fronts situationally. Maile expressed that the STUD position will remain a staple of the defense and that he is excited to learn from Avalos and Danielson while bringing in his own flavor.

A specific addition that he mentioned from his Utah State days were what he called “creeper” fronts. Anyone who has watched games where the Broncos struggled against the Aggies is intimately familiar with what a creeper front looks like.

Essentially, it’s where seven players are standing up and moving around on defense, some will drop into coverage, others will blitz, and good luck figuring who will do what. As Maile describes it, he wants to “knock on the front door and come through the back.”

Ultimately, it appears that Avalos has found the right fit for the culture he is trying to bring to Boise State. Maile is a passionate football coach who believes in family and brotherhood while maintaining an edge that can produce elite results.