Why Boise State isn’t saying ‘oh crap’ without a defensive coordinator as spring begins
Not since Kellen Moore was in his final season has the Boise State football team held a practice without Andy Avalos being a part of it.
But on Friday, as the Broncos opened spring practices, Avalos was not there — he has accepted an offer to become Oregon’s new defensive coordinator.
On the Broncos’ staff since 2012, Avalos has been a major part of the Broncos’ success on defense, as a recruiter and as a motivator. However, there was no time to dwell on his departure, and practice went off without a hitch, even if his presence was missed.
“He’s been very good about his process ... it seemed like the right move for him,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “He’s a hell of a coach, he’s a hell of a Bronco, this guy has done a lot for our players.
“We’ll carry on a lot of stuff we were doing on the defensive side, because I think we were moving in the right direction.”
Harsin said there is “nothing as of right now” regarding any potential replacement for Avalos. There is no interim defensive coordinator, he said.
Quality control coach Jeff Smart has been elevated temporarily to help coach the inside linebackers, which was Avalos’ focus. Harsin praised Jeff Schmedding, hired in January, for handling some new roles, as the outside linebackers coach was previously a defensive coordinator at Eastern Washington and has experience coaching the secondary.
“Any time you lose one of the leaders of your team ... everybody’s like, ‘Oh crap,’ that’s a natural reaction, but I don’t necessarily feel that way,” Harsin said. “Guys like Andy don’t just leave the cupboard bare. ... He’s spread that (knowledge) amongst our defense.”
With a veteran group that has nine players with at least nine career starts, Harsin said he had no concerns the defense would have difficulty without Avalos steering the ship. In fact, practice went better than he expected.
“I thought the energy was fantastic by both sides. ... I thought the way the defense played, as far as their effort, was as good as any spring practice we’ve had,” Harsin said.
Though there is no set timeline to find a replacement for Avalos, Harsin said he plans to speak this weekend with coaches who have reached out to him while also considering changes within the current staff.
QUARTERBACKS TAKE THE FIELD
Friday was, of course, the first practice session for the healthy competitors to replace quarterback Brett Rypien. Senior Jaylon Henderson, redshirt freshman Riley Smith, walk-on redshirt freshman Zach Matlock and true freshmen Hank Bachmeier and Kaiden Bennett all “had some really good throws,” Harsin said.
“Ebbs and flows at that position,” Harsin said. “It’s going to be really exciting when they make a play, then you’re going to see some things your senior quarterback wouldn’t make.”
QUICK HITS
The true freshmen have their assigned numbers: Bachmeier is wearing No. 19, Bennett is No. 8 and linebacker Casey Kline is No. 56. ... Two new walk-ons were added to the roster — sophomore safety A.J. Smith, a transfer from Lewis & Clark (Ore.) College, and freshman running back Marcus Washington. Both are Fresno, California, natives. ... Spring is a time to be cautious with injuries, and this is no exception. The Broncos had a handful of players not suited up, including sixth-year senior defensive tackle David Moa, who was in a boot after offseason surgery. ... Oregon released salary information for Avalos — he will make $2.45 million over the next three seasons ($765,000 in 2019, $815,000 in 2020 and $865,000 in 2021). He was due to make $350,000 at Boise State next season.
Basketball teams begin final week of regular season
The Boise State men’s and women’s basketball teams kick off the final week of their Mountain West Conference regular-season schedules with matchups against UNLV on Saturday.
The first-place Bronco women (22-4, 13-2) play two home games in three days, beginning with a 2 p.m. matchup against UNLV (11-16, 9-7) on Saturday at Taco Bell Arena. Boise State can clinch the league’s regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Tournament with wins against the Rebels and New Mexico (7 p.m. Monday).
The Bronco men (11-17, 6-9) will try to end a four-game skid when they play UNLV (15-14, 9-7) at 8:30 p.m. MT on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas (CBS Sports Network). Boise State may have to face the Rebels without redshirt sophomore Derrick Alston, who is considered day-to-day with an injury to a big toe.
This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 1:29 PM.
