Boise State is still paying Andy Avalos. Here’s what he’s made since his firing
It’s been more than two years since Boise State fired football coach Andy Avalos in the middle of a disappointing 2023 season that saw the Broncos sit at 5-5 in mid-November.
It’s been a wild ride for the program since then, as Avalos’ replacement, Spencer Danielson, has guided the Broncos to three straight Mountain West titles and a first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Throughout that entire run, Boise State has continued to pay Avalos, and he’ll keep getting paid until the end of March.
Boise State fired Avalos on Nov. 12, 2023, but under the conditions of his contract, Avalos was guaranteed 85% of his remaining base salary from the moment of his firing until the agreed end of the contract — in this case, March 31, 2026.
That equates to $3,282,312 that will be paid to Avalos by the end of March since his firing, offset by duty to mitigate, Boise State spokesperson Chris Kutz confirmed to the Idaho Statesman.
An offset due to mitigation means that if Avalos gets a job elsewhere, as he did as the defensive coordinator at TCU, Boise State must only pay the portion of the $3.2 million that isn’t covered by his TCU salary.
Breaking down the money
Avalos signed a five-year, three-month contract with Boise State that began in January 2021. It featured an annual salary increase that began at $1.4 million in the first year and increased by $75,000 each season, culminating in a final-year salary of $1.7 million.
In the instance of job termination, Avalos would be owed a percentage of his remaining agreed-upon salary, dependent on the date of the firing: 75% if before March 31, 2023; 85% if between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2025; and 100% after March 1, 2025.
The date of Nov. 12, 2023, meant his money fell into the 85% category, including yearly increases, on a twice-a-month basis.
The following amounts were paid to Avalos between Boise State and TCU, offset due to mitigation, between each period:
Nov. 26, 2023 - March 31, 2024: $456,062
April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025: $1,381,250
April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026: $1,445,000
Total: $3,282,312
During that same time period, current Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson will have been paid around the same amount. Danielson earned approximately $1.2 million in his first season as head coach, and earned an annual salary increase to $2 million in 2025 following the Broncos’ inclusion in the 2024 CFP.
Danielson has also received several large bonuses equal to a percentage of his salary for hitting specific goals, such as a 10% bonus for reaching the CFP quarterfinals in 2024, 2% for being named the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2024, and a 6% of his salary bonus each year for winning the conference championship game.
This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 3:37 PM.
