Boise State football coach Avalos in running for one of nation’s most coveted awards
Boise State football coach Andy Avalos is in the running for one of the most coveted awards in college football.
Avalos is one of 21 head coaches on the watch list for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award, the Bobby Dodd Foundation announced Thursday. The Dodd Trophy goes to a coach whose team wins on the field, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
Avalos is joined by many of the top coaches in the country, including Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
Avalos, 41, is one of just two coaches on the list from the Group of Five. He’s joined by Tulane’s Willie Fritz, who won the award last year after leading the Green Wave to a 12-2 record and a win over USC in the Cotton Bowl.
Avalos, a former linebacker at Boise State, is heading into his third season at his alma mater. The Broncos struggled to a 7-5 record during his first season in 2021 and rebounded from a rocky start to finish last season with a 10-4 record and a win in the Frisco Bowl.
He would be the second Boise State coach to win the award. Chris Petersen was named the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading the Broncos to a 12-1 record and a win over Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Coaches were selected for this year’s watch list using factors such as each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity, projected success for this season and Academic Progress Rate (APR), according to the Bobby Dodd Foundation.
Coaches named to the watch list were required to have programs with an APR higher than 980. Boise State’s APR was 982 last season, according to a press release from the foundation.
A panel of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will select the finalists, which will be announced at the end of the season. The winner of the 2023 Dodd Trophy the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Boise State opens the season Sept. 3 at Washington.
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 2:43 PM.
