BOISE, Idaho — Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson was named as the FBS Coach of the Year for Region Five by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
The AFCA is an organization that describes themselves as "the only national organization dedicated to improving football coaches through ongoing education, interaction, and networking." The winners of the Coach of the Year awards will be honored at the AFCA convention on January 13, 2025.
Here is a list of all of the FBS Coach of the Year award winners by region:
- 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
Danielson took over as interim head coach of the Broncos in 2023 when they were 5-5 on the season and led the Broncos to a Mountain West Championship despite the team facing a 0.1% chance of even playing in the championship. Danielson became the first interim head coach in FBS history to ever win a conference game. The day after the 44-20 win over UNLV, Danielson was named the official head coach of the Broncos.
In his first full season as the head coach, the Broncos are 9-1 on the season with their only loss being to Oregon, a team currently ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Poll. Under his coaching, Boise State now sits at the No. 12 ranking in the CFP poll and are ranked the highest among the Group of 5 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings at the time of writing.
Danielson came to Boise State in 2017 when he joined as a defensive graduate assistant where he made his way to the defensive coordinator position in 2021. Prior to coaching at Boise State, Danielson coached at his alma mater, Azusa Pacific, for four seasons coaching linebackers. Danielson was one of 30 coaches selected from over 200 applicants for AFCA's 30 Under 30 Coach's Leadership Institute in 2016.
Danielson was also named to the watch list for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award this year. In 2022, Danielson was nominated for the Broyles award, an award given to the nation's top assistant coach.
To read more on Spencer Danielson's life off the field, be sure to read Maggie O'Mara's story on Danielson.
