Boise State coaching search reportedly down to 3.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and got that Boise State slanket they’d been coveting. Personally, I think this is the first Christmas I haven’t gotten some Boise State apparel or accessory in probably 15 years. Was it the Harsin effect?

Anyhow...unless you were frozen in carbonite you probably know that Boise State is in need of a new head coach and while time may not be AS MUCH of the essence as last go ‘round when the Broncos were trying to salvage a recruiting class...it would probably salve a lot of Bronco souls if a head man were picked in short order. From the jump, pretty much 3 names sprung to the top of fan’s minds and all are firmly on branches one or two of the Boise State tree. All 3 of the names were floating around Bronco boards and social media circles for several days but now Bruce Feldman pretty much acknowledged that, yeah...we’re all pretty smart.

Shortly on the heels of that BLOCKBUSTER report, Footballscoop seemed to intimate that Kellen Moore might be the guy getting more of the attention.

So, let’s break these down one by one in order of MY preference. Again, we don’t know who contacted Boise State so IF these are the guys that WE targeted, here’s where I stand.

Andy Avalos, Oregon DC

Andy is far and away my pick here...I’ve made that known well before Harsin was even boarding a private plane for War Eagleland. Avalos always had the feel of a head-coach-in-waiting and I always hoped that if we did end up with a vacancy, it would be before he’d been given an insane contract extension in Eugene or scooped his first head coaching gig. Well, both of those things have happened and timing is everything. Avalos is a defensive guru, an alum, and dynamite recruiter. He also sounds a lot like Bryan Harsin if you close your eyes. Kismet.

Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys OC

Kellen Moore is just short of a god in Boise, Idaho and would move the booster and fanbase needle in a BIG way. He went from player to QB coach to OC for America’s Team™ in record time and is considered a brilliant young coaching mind. Yeah, the Cowboys stink on ice this year but that’s mainly on their defense. Before Dak Prescott got hurt and their O-line got down to the practice squad, they were putting up silly numbers. With the offensive weaponry the Broncos currently possess (but didn’t always know how to use) this could be a huge boon. Besides, Kellen’s first game as HC would put butts in the seats at Albertsons Stadium...wouldn’t matter if we were playing The Little Sisters of the Poor (aka Idaho). My only reticence with Kellen is the recruiting aspect—he’s never done it. Finger guns OUT.

Jeff Choate, Montana State HC

Choate is another branch of the Boise State coaching tree who came on during the Golden Era (2006-2011) and coached RBs, LBs, and Special Teams. After leaving Boise State in 2012, he had stops at Washington State, UTEP, Florida, and Washington before finally getting his head coaching gig in Bozeman. He’s tapped the Bronco pipeline fairly heavily for his own staff at MSU with Nate Potter and Byron Hout currently on staff and Matt Miller was with him a year ago before Boise State scooped him. His Bobcat squads have got better each year he’s been there, culminating with a FCS semifinal appearance *last year. Frankly, I have no idea what Choate’s recruiting acumen is like but his player’s seem to love him—evidenced by the crazy PR blitz by former Broncos who have thrown their weight behind the journeyman coach. Observe a few examples:

I don’t love that I don’t love this pick. The former player endorsements notwithstanding, Choate’s 28-22 record at MSU isn’t quite like what even a Jay Hill at Weber State is packing (47-29) or what Craig Bohl was sporting when he got the Wyoming gig (104-32). And while players wanting to “run through a brick wall” is a good trait to have, I just think the excitement here is waaaay on the former player side and not on the fan or booster side. That said, he’s picked up followers from like half our current players (even the newly signed ones) which gives me some pause. This wouldn’t be an awful pick, but it’s not the surefire pick of Andy or make-everyone-happy pick of Kellen. Considering we don’t know who else has even expressed interest, I don’t know if Choate would be in my top 4. ALAS!