Courtesy of Boise State
BOISE, Idaho – Boise State head football coach Spencer Danielson was named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List midway through his inaugural campaign as head coach.
The Broncos (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) are currently ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 19 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The only blemish on Boise State’s schedule was a 37-34 decision at then-No. 7/6 Oregon, who needed a last-second field goal to secure a win.
Danielson, 35, is one of 27 college football coaches on the watch list for the annual top honor. The award, given each January to a college football coach, recognizes contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life – both on and off the field.
After taking over in an interim capacity last November, Danielson was named the full-time head coach after leading the Broncos to a Mountain West Championship despite facing a 0.1% probability of even reaching the championship game. Since then, he worked to retain all but one starter off last year’s team from entering the transfer portal and has taken Boise State to a 5-1 (2-0 MW) record, No. 15 ranking in the Associated Press Top-25 poll and is leading a team that is among the nation’s best in scoring and in sacks.
The American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives for all for more than 100 years, and the Bryant family present this award annually to celebrate Bear Bryant’s legacy and raise awareness and critical funds for scientific research to eliminate needless suffering and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke, the leading causes of death globally. The football coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983.
Now in its 39th year, the Coach of the Year award winner will be announced live from Houston’s Post Oak Hotel on Wednesday, January 22, 2024, during an awards ceremony presented by Marathon Oil. The National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team and the Bryant Family voted on the watch list, finalists and Coach of the Year recipient.
The 2024 Watch List includes (in alphabetical order):
Atlantic Coast Conference
Mario Cristobal – Miami
Rhett Lashlee – SMU
Pat Narduzzi – Pittsburgh
Dabo Swinney – Clemson
Big Ten Conference
Bret Bielema – Illinois
Curt Cignetti – Indiana
Ryan Day – Ohio State
James Franklin – Penn State
Dan Lanning –Oregon
Big 12 Conference
Matt Campbell – Iowa State
Kenny Dillingham – Arizona State
Chris Klieman – Kansas State
Joey McGuire – Texas Tech
Kalani Sitake – BYU
Group of Five Conferences, Independent & Pac-12
Jamey Chadwell – Liberty
Spencer Danielson – Boise State
Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame
Jeff Monken – United States Military Academy (Army)
Brian Newberry – United States Naval Academy (Navy)
Bryant Vincent – ULM
Southeastern Conference
Kalen DeBoer – Alabama
Mike Elko – Texas A&M
Josh Heupel – Tennessee
Brian Kelly – LSU
Clark Lea – Vanderbilt
Steve Sarkisian –Texas
Kirby Smart –Georgia
In addition to the Coach of the Year, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will also present Conference Coach of the Year Awards from each of the Power Four collegiate athletic conferences (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference) and one from the combined Group of Five conferences (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and Sun Belt Conference), the Pac-12 and independent teams.
As previously announced, this year’s awards event will recognize Grant Teaff, who served as the head coach at Baylor University and as the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, and Mark Richt, former University of Georgia and University of Miami head coach.. Coach Teaff will receive the 2025 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston and coach Richt will receive the 2025 Heart of a Champion award presented by St. Luke’s Health in Houston.
Marathon Oil Corporation, an independent exploration and production company based in Houston, has served as the presenting sponsor of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards for more than a decade, underscoring the company’s commitment to health and wellness and supporting initiatives that promote the well-being of workers and their families in the communities where it operates.
Fans can track the progress of the Paul “Bear” Bryant awards at facebook.com/bryantawards, x.com/bryantawards, or instagram.com/bryantawards, or by following the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive virtual, VIP experience for the Bryant Awards, contact 832-918-4009 or visit bryantawards.org.
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Led by Spencer Danielson in his first full season, Boise State looks to become the first Mountain West program to win back-to-back championships since San Diego State did so in 2015-16. Achieving such a feat will put Boise State in the discussion for the new, expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff format beginning this fall. Last year, Danielson became the first coach in college football history to win a conference championship with an interim title.
For complete coverage of Boise State Football, download the Bronco Sports App or follow the team on social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.
