Boise State has finalized a new contract for coach Spencer Danielson, sources said Tuesday, in the wake of leading the Broncos to the College Football Playoff in his first full season as their head coach.
Danielson has agreed to a five-year deal that doubles his salary, sources said, as he’ll average $2.2 million over the course of the deal.
Danielson led Boise State to a 12-2 record in 2024, which included a Mountain West title and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State.
He has led Boise State to a pair of Mountain West titles, including one during his interim season after taking over in November 2023.
Danielson is 15-3 overall. He lost to UCLA in the LA Bowl, Oregon in the regular season in 2024 and Penn State in the CFP.
Danielson’s deal will start at $2 million per year this season and increase by $100,000 over the course of the five years. The total deal will end up at nearly $11 million over the five years. He is expected to be the second-highest paid coach in the Mountain West behind UNLV’s Dan Mullen, who is set to make $3.5 million this year. Utah State’s Bronco Mendenhall is also set to make $2 million next year.
It’s a significant jump from Danielson’s original contract, which was a total of $6.5 million over five years after he earned the job with a strong run as the interim.
Danielson was promoted from defensive coordinator to Boise State’s interim coach in the wake of the firing of coach Andy Avalos. From there, Boise State won three games to emphatically to end the regular season, including a blowout of UNLV in the Mountain West title game.
Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey saw how the team responded to Danielson and hired him as the full-time coach. Boise State parlayed that momentum to a run to the playoff, which included earning a No. 3 seed and a bye. Boise State logged wins over Washington State and twice beat UNLV to earn the Mountain West title last year.
Behind star tailback Ashton Jeanty, the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft, Boise State went undefeated in conference play. Jeanty staying in Boise for the 2024 season was Danielson’s biggest recruiting win, as he finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Since the 2024 season ended, Boise State has done a strong job retaining players in the wake of its playoff run. The school has also shown significant commitment to both coordinator pay and staff salary pool.
Danielson won the Mountain West coach of the year in 2024 and was named a finalist for multiple national coaching honors. He began at Boise State as a graduate assistant in 2017.
