Just over two years ago, Spencer Danielson took over as Boise State’s interim head coach when the Broncos appeared like they were backsliding.
The Broncos were 5-5 overall and were on the brink of falling flat of bowl-eligibility, let alone winning the Mountain West. They got back on track immediately with Danielson at the helm. They won their next three games, including the conference championship.
A year later, Boise State appeared in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Led by Heisman Trophy runner-up and eventual sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft, Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos’ season ended against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.
And last season, despite starting quarterback Maddux Madsen missing some time due to injury, the Broncos still managed to win their third consecutive Mountain West Championship.
Danielson has been central in this success. He worked his way up the coaching ranks at Boise State until he earned this opportunity, and he’s capitalized on it.
He’s the coach he is, he insists, because of the people he’s had around him. His parents, who instilled in him the importance of consistency and discipline. His high school and college coaches when he donned shoulder pads, who invested significant amounts of time and energy to see him improve and mature as a person. His assistant coaches at Boise State, who Danielson asserted are better in their roles than he ever could be.
They’ve inspired Danielson. Not just to win but to develop his players.
“The only reason I’m the head coach at Boise State, I really truly believe, is that Jesus put me here to develop people,” Danielson said. “And I don’t want to miss any opportunity to have an impact on these kids’ lives and help them grow to be better husbands, fathers, and professionals in life. That is my why. Everything revolves around that. Everything I do.”
Boise State’s Coaching Staff & Program Support
It takes a full coaching staff for maximal player improvement to take place. In an interview with HERO Sports, Danielson took time to highlight several of his assistants.
He called sports performance coach Benjamin Hilgart “one of the best strength coaches in the entire country.” He noted how pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted and co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Terrence Brown have been “huge additions.” He added that run game coordinator/offensive line coach Tim Keane, defensive run game coordinator/EDGE coach Jabril Frazier, defensive line coach Frank Maile, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Zak Hill, tight ends coach Justin Udy, and running backs coach James Montgomery – just to name a few – all do “phenomenal” work developing their players.
And all three coordinators are back for Boise State: offensive coordinator Nate Potter, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander, and special teams coordinator/linebackers coach Stacy Collins.
“The effort and physicality of our team is a non-negotiable in all three phases,” Danielson said. “I tell our staff, no matter what we’re putting in schematically, I got to make sure that we always have time in our meetings to coach and highlight high effort and high physicality. That’s the fabric, the DNA of Boise State football. When we leave spring ball, I want to make sure that we’re healthy, but I want to make sure that our team, when we get into the summer and fall camp, that it’s become a habit that when they step in between the lines, no one’s going to play harder and more physical than we are.”
Danielson also underscored how he felt supported by others in Boise State’s athletic department.
That includes Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey, who has been vocal compared to other leaders in the Group of Six space about the many problems college athletics faces and how to solve them. Dickey, Danielson said, has turned down other job opportunities to stay at Boise State because he believes in the direction the Broncos are going.
“I think I’m the most blessed head coach in America for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons being Jeramiah Dickey’s my boss,” Danielson said. “I feel so supported. You won’t find anybody working harder than him, thinking outside the box, having intentional conversations around the country, pushing our brand forward, making sure that we are in the conversation in every part of college football as it changes. Jeramiah Dickey’s going to kick down every door to make sure we’re part of those conversations. I mean, he’s elite.”
Boise State’s Outlook For 2026
Because of all of this supportive infrastructure, Boise State has a chance to be strong on both sides of the ball in 2026.
For starters, the Broncos have plenty of talent coming in. Boise State’s overall incoming class – when factoring in high school recruits and transfers – is ranked No. 1 out of G6 programs per 247Sports.
The Broncos were 39th in the country last year and third in the Mountain West in total defense (337.6 yards per game) and have stars coming back, including all-conference EDGE Jayden Virgin-Morgan.
Danielson has faith Boise State’s defense will be strong again, in no small part because of Chinander.
“He’s been doing it for a long time and has consistently found ways to evolve,” Danielson said. “Just because someone does something for a long time does not mean they’re better than someone that hasn’t. But I do think it is when somebody evolves year in and year out and how Coach Chinander sees football and sees the whole field in regards to what to take away, what to stop, how to manipulate the front, the back end. I mean, he’s taken in the defense that I was a part of as the defensive coordinator and taken it to a whole nother level.
“And I’ve gotten asked that before, ‘How much of it is still your defense?’ I said none of this is mine. Nothing’s my defense, my offense, my special teams. I’m here to serve our coaches because they are way better than I was ever at those jobs. That’s our goal always to find guys that are way better than us. They’re smarter than me. They’re better than me. That’s why they’re here impacting these kids.”
On offense, Boise State was 24th in the country and second in the Mountain West in total offense (424 YPG). Potter was in his first season as the Broncos’ OC last year, but Danielson believed he was ready for the role and will be even better in Year 2.
“There’s gonna be growth stepping into a role they haven’t done, right? Nate was absolutely ready to be an offensive coordinator,” Danielson said. “He’s a brilliant football mind, very organized, and he was 100% ready. … Every single year, you need to find ways to be better as you are in the role going forward. So Nate did a great job last year. Obviously some things that I’m excited for us to grow in. But man, I’m really excited for him to take off even more in Year 2 as the leader of our offense.”
Of course, some of that faith in the offense comes from Madsen coming back for his senior season. The 2025 Mountain West Championship Offensive MVP has thrown for 6,586 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions on a 61% completion rate while rushing for 423 yards and 11 scores.
Danielson said Madsen has had a “great offseason to date.”
“He does a great job, understands where he’s supposed to go with the football,” Danielson said. “He’s a smart football player, and you can see when he’s healthy, he can take off on you, too, now. We don’t do a lot of designed runs, but he can make you miss on a scramble drill and find a way to get first downs and score.”
The challenges aren’t stopping for Boise State, which is joining the Pac-12 in 2026.
The Broncos are going to their new league with San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State, and Colorado State from the Mountain West. Texas State is also leaving the Sun Belt to join Washington State and Oregon State in the new-look conference.
That’s a tough group of teams. But Boise State’s expectation, especially under Danielson, has been to win league titles and be in a position to appear in the College Football Playoff.
“You want to always level up, right?” Danielson said. “And I think going from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 is a level up, which I’m really, really excited about. Have a ton of respect for the coaches and players that are going to be in this conference. Obviously, some we know better than others, but just have a ton of respect. There’s some new coaches going to some of these schools that I know are going to bring fresh blood, fresh juice to these organizations. That’s going to be really awesome. And the competition is going to be through the roof.”
But with a group of players, administration, and coaches around him that he believes is exceptional, Danielson is prepared for that competition and to continue to live up to the expectations of the Boise State football program.
