Avalos introduced as Bronco head man

In a surprisingly emotional press conference, Andy Avalos was introduced as the 11th head coach in Boise State history this afternoon and if Bronco fans didn’t already know Avalos from his previous stints here (player from ‘01 to ‘04 and coach from ‘12 to ‘18), I feel like you got a glimpse of the real Andy at this hour-long presser. Andy was thankful, humble, and excited for the opportunity to lead his alma mater and promised that this was the start of something big for Bronco Nation.

Andy thanked his family first and foremost for their love and support, and then thanked the administration for their faith and trust in him to lead the program. Avalos’s high school coaches, college coaches, and colleagues were thanked individually for their role in his development and he spoke at length on the “brotherhood” of Boise State alumni that he is still inspired by and promised to keep them in the fold to help grow and maintain the special culture here.

It was straightforward as press conferences go, but Andy’s emotions were laid bare when he spoke of the relationships he has with his players and his excitement for the future. When Andy was asked by a reporter what it meant to him to be one of a handful of Hispanic coaches in FBS, and heard a story about a young 9 year-old Hispanic boy that said he wanted to get Bronco season tickets because of Avalos, Andy became visibly emotional and after collecting his bearing said, “that’s why we do what we do”.

Highlights

Spencer Danielson is IN. Avalos was asked specifically if Danielson would be heading to Auburn as was reported or sticking around (which was also reported). Andy’s response left little doubt, “he’s sitting right here...we’re ready to go.

Dirk Koetter? One line from Avalos when asked about if any former coaches had reached out to him got people buzzing—when he talked of Dirk Koetter (the man that recruited him to Boise State) lately of the Atlanta Falcons. “He’s moving back to Boise...I told him to bring his whistle.” Now do I think DK will be the Broncos new OC as some have suggested? Not really, but I do think he’ll probably be around the program and in advising however he can.

Chief of Staff. On Twitter last night, many noticed the name Da’Vell Winters pop up as Andy’s new “chief of staff” and Andy was asked about Winters (who follows him from Oregon) and confirmed that he will be joining the Broncos in that capacity (think of it as the Brad Larrondo role).

Marshall is back. This wasn’t outlined at the presser, but former Broncos DE Kharyee Marshall is reportedly slated to return to The Blue with Avalos...in what capacity, we’re not yet certain.

Salary pool is $2.1M. Again, these details became available AFTER the presser, but worth mentioning here. Avalos will make approximately $1.4M next year and that will increase each year (and includes bonuses up to $200k annually). The full contract is 5 years for $7.75M but obviously Andy can improve upon that by getting it done on and off the field.

No resting on laurels. New AD Jeramiah Dickey assured Bronco Nation that we’re not putting things in “cruise control”. They hired Avalos to take the team to the next level and that’s what they expect him to do. Dickey also likely excited many Bronco fans when he also promised “if we don’t have it, we’ll go get it”. COVID is going to cause some shortfalls, for sure, but Dickey seems like the right man to help keep the Broncos humming along.

Thanks to KTVB for uploading the presser so we didn’t have to (SB Nation doesn’t have a native video player)