Former Boise State offensive coordinator lands new job; another assistant coach moves on
Former Boise State offensive coordinator Tim Plough has landed a new gig.
Plough will coach tight ends at Cal, the university announced Monday. He’ll work under former Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who has been the Bears’ head coach since 2017.
“I am thrilled to add a coach with Tim’s credentials and experience coordinating an offense to our staff,” Wilcox said in a statement. “He is an innovative and versatile coach who has produced strong offenses and is well-respected in the coaching profession.”
Plough joined the Broncos in January 2021 after spending four years as offensive coordinator at his alma mater, UC Davis. He was fired less than 24 hours after Boise State’s loss to major underdog UTEP on Sept. 23.
Plough — a 37-year-old native of San Diego — is excited to be a little closer to home, and he thinks the Bears have a shot to make some noise in the Pac-12. Cal went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in conference play this year.
“We have great potential to be a championship program, and I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to help us maximize our potential and take advantage of the opportunities in front of us,” Plough said in a statement. “There are excellent players on our roster, and I can’t wait to get to work with them and bring more talent in to join them.”
Plough isn’t the only former coordinator who joined Wilcox’s staff Monday. The Bears also hired Mike Bloesch, who spent the past two seasons at offensive coordinator at North Texas, which is Boise State’s opponent in the Frisco Bowl on Saturday (7:15 p.m., ESPN). He’ll coach the Bears’ offensive line.
Bloesch will be on the sideline for North Texas on Saturday, according to a press release from Cal. Mean Green defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will serve as interim head coach for the game after North Texas fired Seth Littrell last week.
Strength coach moves on
Boise State is in the market for a new strength coach.
Reid Kagy is no longer on head coach Andy Avalos’ staff, a Boise State spokesperson confirmed Monday.
Kagy joined the Broncos in January 2021 after he spent two years working with Avalos at Oregon. Avalos was the Ducks’ defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2020.
Kagy is the second coach who has left Avalos’ staff since the Broncos lost to Fresno State in the Mountain West championship game Dec. 3. Edge coach and co-special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga left last week to accept a position at BYU.
NOTES
▪ Avalos said Monday that he doesn’t expect any of the Broncos’ potential draft picks to skip the Frisco Bowl. He said all players healthy enough to practice have been on the field the past three days.
▪ Boise State will spend two days practicing at the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility, The Star, this week.
▪ Avalos also said the program is on track to hire a new offensive coordinator by early signing day, which is Dec. 21. Interim offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter will coach his final game Saturday.
▪ Avalos said he and graduate assistant Jabril Frazier will team up to coach Boise State’s edge rushers heading into the bowl game. Frazier played at Boise State from 2015 to 2018, and he’s been on staff as a graduate assistant since 2020.
FRISCO BOWL: BOISE STATE VS. NORTH TEXAS
When: Dec. 17, 7:15 p.m. MT
Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
TV: ESPN (Dave Neal, Deuce McAllister, Andraya Carter)
Records: Boise State 9-4, 8-0 MW; North Texas 7-6, 6-2 C-USA
Series: Boise State is 3-3 all-time against North Texas, but the programs haven’t played since 2000.
Vegas line: Boise State by 10
Weather: High of 50 degrees, 12% chance of rain, 7 mph wind
This story was originally published December 12, 2022 at 3:27 PM.
