Update 9:55 a.m.: Boise State has hired a 37-year-old former assistant to be its next head coach. Bryan Harsin will leave Arkansas State to be the next Bronco head coach.
Harsin is a Boise native who was a BSU quarterback in the late 1990s. He then served as an assistant coach from 2001 to 2010. Harsin was an offensive coordinator under former head coach Chris Petersen from 2006 to 2010.
In a news release, Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle noted that Harsin is “one of the top young head coaches in college football.”
Coyle added the university is thrilled to bring Harsin back to Boise to lead the Bronco program. "Bryan played a key role in the development of the football program as an assistant for 10 years at Boise State and we look forward to his leadership as we continue the ascension of Bronco football,” says Coyle.
Harsin says he and his wife are excited to return to Boise and Boise State. “It’s a special place built by special people,” Harsin says. “One of the hardest decisions we ever made was leaving Boise. We did that so I could become a better coach, so I could one day have the opportunity to return as head coach - that day has arrived.”
"One of the hardest decisions we ever made was leaving Boise. We did that so I could become a better coach, so I could one day have the opportunity to return as head coach - that day has arrived." - Bryan Harsin
The hiring comes five days after Petersen left for the University of Washington.
Harsin has been the coach at Arkansas State for one season. The Idaho Statesman reportsBoise State would have to pay Arkansas State $1.75 million to buyout Harsin's contract.
Original story: Multiple reports have Boise State hiring a 37 year-old former assistant to be its next head coach. ESPN, CBS Sports, USA Today all say Bryan Harsin will leave Arkansas State to be the next Bronco head coach.
Harsin is a Boise native who played quarterback for BSU in the late 1990s, and then served as an assistant from 2001 to 2010. He served as offensive coordinator under former head coach Chris Petersen from 2006 to 2010.
If the reports prove accurate, the hiring comes five days after Petersen left for the University of Washington.
Harsin has been the coach at Arkansas State for one season. The Idaho Statesman reportsBoise State would have to pay Arkansas State $1.75 million to buyout Harsin's contract.
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