Report: Boise State expected to dismiss head coach Andy Avalos

BarkleyTruax

Boise State is expected to dismiss head coach Andy Avalos on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Across nearly three seasons as the Broncos’ head coach, Avalos compiled a 21-14 record, including a 10-4 season in 2022 that resulted in a Frisco Bowl victory. This season hasn’t been so kind, as Boise State sits at 5-5 heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Avalos was hired as the 11th head coach in Boise State program history on Jan. 9, 2021. That wasn’t the first time Avalos had returned to his alma mater after his all-conference collegiate career at linebacker between 2000 and 2004. From 2012-2018, Avalos was a member of Chris Petersen and Bryan Harsin’s respective staffs. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2016 until his departure after the 2018 season.

After 2018, Avalos headed to the Pac-12 to take the DC job at Oregon, where he stayed for two seasons under Mario Cristobal before making the jump back to Boise State as their head coach.

He’s the reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year after the success brought to the program last season. It was Boise State’s first 10-win season since 2018, not to mention that Avalos led the team to its first bowl victory since 2017 as well. Still, it wasn’t enough for the Boise State brass to feel comfortable moving forward with Avalos at the helm of the program.

Avalos joins Jimbo Fisher on early ‘Black Sunday’

Avalos joined former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher after it was announced that him and the Aggies have parted ways. Fisher is out “immediately,” according to ESPN’s Chris Low.

The Aggies will have to pay out a record $75 million buyout to Fisher on the way out after starting the season 6-4. Previously, Gus Malzahn held the record buyout paid to a college coach at $21.45 million by Auburn. For reference, last season 15 schools paid a collective $72 million to buy out their coaches’ respective contracts.

Fisher arrived in College Station back in 2018 after an impressive tenure at Florida State and was expected to bring the Aggies back to national prominence. After all, he had a championship under his belt after leading the Seminoles to a national title in 2013 — but never achieved the same heights with Texas A&M.

In just under six years as head coach, Fisher coached the Aggies to a 45-25 record, including being 27-21 in SEC play over that time. Compare that to Texas A&M’s previous coach, Kevin Sumlin, who finished his six-year tenure in College Station with a 51-26 record, but was far behind Fisher’s SEC record going 15-17 in conference play.