BOISE, Idaho — BOISE -- Boise State head coach Andy Avalos rounded out his 10-member on-field coaching staff with the hiring of former Montana State assistant Kane Ioane, on Monday.
Ioane, 39, will serve as Broncos' co-defensive coordinator and oversee safeties.
“Kane has had a lot of connections to our program over the years, and already has a lot of what makes up our culture instilled in him,” Avalos said. “In addition to being a brilliant defensive mind, he is also a high-character individual – a great teacher, father and husband. He is excited to join this program and this community, and I’m excited to have him joining our family.”
“I am incredibly excited for this opportunity,” Ioane said. “I have been around a lot of people that have been part of this program, and they always talked about how special this place was because of the family atmosphere. That, and being able to raise a family here in the Treasure Valley, really struck a chord with me and made this something I definitely wanted to be a part of."
Ioane spent the better part of two decades at Montana State. He was a four-time All-American for the Bobcats from 2000-03, and he still ranks No. 2 in program history with 491 career tackles.
The Billings, Mont., native started his coaching career at his alma mater in 2005. He led the Bobcat linebackers for the next 12 seasons, and even enjoyed a stint as defensive coordinator in 2015.
In 2017, Ioane left Montana State for the first time in his coaching career. He joined Chris Petersen's staff at the University of Washington as a defensive analyst. During his time on Montlake, Ioane worked closely with Huskies standout linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, the 2018 Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Associated Press First-Team All-American.
Ioane returned to Montana State to serve as defensive coordinator for head coach Jeff Choate in 2019. The Bobcats went 11-4 and made it to the FCS Playoff semi-finals that season. Montana State ranked second in the Big Sky in scoring defense (22.1 PTS/game allowed) and third in yards allowed (356.9 YDS/game allowed). They also ranked third in the conference in both sacks (41.0) and interceptions (14).
The Bobcats did not play football due to COVID-19 concerns in 2020. The Big Sky postponed the season to Spring 2021. Montana State, however, recently announced they would play a modified schedule consisting of just two games, and opted out of conference play.
With the addition of Ioane, the new staff at Boise State has five coaches with prior experience in the role of defensive coordinator. Defensive line coach Frank Maile, edge coach Stacy Collins, along with current defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson and Avalos himself, obviously, have 15 combined years of experience as coordinators.
“When you look at this staff, the group of guys that coach Avalos has brought in here, the character of these men is what is most referenced by those in our profession, and I am proud to be associated with this group," Ioane said. "Additionally, going through the recruiting process, I know a lot of the student-athletes that have been brought in here, and these are high-character young men. I’m elated for the opportunity to get to work with them.”
