Danielson Named AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year

Courtesy of Boise State

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson has been named the American Football Coaches Association FBS Region 5 Coach of the Year, the AFCA announced.

In his first full season as Boise State’s head coach, Danielson has led the Broncos to a 9-1 record and the No. 13 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, highest among Group of 5 teams. Boise State ranks third in the nation in rushing offense (258.7 ypg), scoring offense (43.6 ppg), third down conversion percentage (52.7) and fourth down percentage (.800). The Broncos average 4.10 sacks per game, ranking second in the country, and 8.0 tackles for loss per game, ranking sixth in the nation. 

Last season, Danielson took over as the interim head coach for a Boise State team that once faced a 0.1 percent chance of playing in the Mountain West championship. He led the Broncos to back-to-back regular season wins, earning a berth in the MW title game. Boise State defeated UNLV, 44-20, making Danielson the first interim head coach in FBS history to win a conference championship. The next day, he was promoted to full-time head coach of the Broncos.

Last month, Danielson was one of 27 coaches named to the watch list for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award. In 2022, he was a nominee for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach. In 2016, he participated in the AFCA 30 Under 30 Coaches’ Leadership Institute. 

Danielson has been with Boise State since 2017, joining as a defensive graduate assistant. He was made full-time in 2018 as the STUDs coach, then moved to co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in 2019. In 2021, he was promoted to defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach, a role he maintained throughout his time as the interim head coach.

2024 AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year Winners
Region 1: Jeff Monken, Army West Point
Region 2: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Region 3: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Region 4: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Region 5: Spencer Danielson, Boise State

No. 13 Boise State (9-1, 6-0 MW) will travel to Wyoming (2-8, 2-4 MW) for the final conference game of the regular season. The Broncos and Cowboys will kick off at 5 p.m. MT on Nov. 23. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.

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