Football
Danielson, Spencer
Spencer Danielson
- Title:
- STUDs
Spencer Danielson, who embodies the program’s Built Different mantra, is a former Boise State graduate assistant who rose from lowest man on the coaching totem pole to leader of the program in seven years. And in his short time as head coach so far, he has led Boise State to 15 wins in his first 18 games as a head coach and back-to-back conference titles.
Danielson became the 12th head coach in Boise State football history on Dec. 3, 2023, following a three-week stint as interim head coach. During that time as the fill-in head coach, he guided the Broncos to three straight wins and a Mountain West championship, making history as the first interim FBS head coach to win a conference title game.
The former Boise State defensive coordinator followed up his interim stint with a 2024 season in which he led the nationally-ranked Broncos to the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, back-to-back Mountain West championships for a program-first, and was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 12-win season – their most wins in a single-season since 2019.
The 2024 season also saw Boise State be ranked in the top-10 in the nation in several offensive categories – including fifth in scoring offense and eighth in total offense – and among the best in the Mountain West in major defensive categories. The team featured junior running back Ashton Jeanty, who became the program’s first Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award winner. Jeanty, who fell only 27 rushing yards shy of matching Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS record, was also a Heisman Trophy runner-up.
The team finished the year with a 12-2 record after facing Penn State in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. It earned the No. 3 seed and first-round bye in the CFP after beating UNLV in the MW Championship at Albertsons Stadium in early December, which was the program’s sixth MW title in school history.
In addition to being named Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2024, Danielson was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Paul “Bear” Bryant National College Football Coach of the Year, George Munger Coach of the Year, and AFCA National Coach of the Year. He was tabbed as the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year and Grant Teaff FCA Coach of the Year.
After spending seven seasons as a member of the Boise State coaching staff, starting as a graduate assistant in 2017, Danielson took the reins of the Bronco football program on Nov. 12, 2023 as the interim head coach. He was elevated to the role after serving as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Danielson went on to lead the Broncos to three-straight wins - the final two regular season games and the Mountain West Championship game - and a stretch in which the Broncos averaged 38.7 points and over 460 yards of total offense while outscoring opponents 116-49. Boise State routed UNLV, 44-20, to win its fifth MW Championship. The Broncos then played in the LA Bowl, where they faced UCLA.
From 2021-23, Danielson was Boise State’s defensive coordinator, and from 2019-20, he was the team’s co-defensive coordinator and STUD coach. After beginning his Boise State tenure as a graduate assistant in 2017, he was promoted to a full-time assistant coach in 2018. In each of his three seasons as defensive coordinator, Boise State ranked in the top three of the Mountain West in scoring defense, including allowing a league-low 19 points per game in 2021.
Overseeing a defense that was tenacious in getting into the backfield, Danielson helped Boise State rank sixth in the nation in total defense in 2022 while the scoring defense was ranked 15th. In his first season as defensive coordinator in 2021, that scoring defense was ranked 12th in the country while the total defense ranked 45th nationally.
Before Boise State, Danielson coached at Azusa Pacific, his alma mater, where he served as linebackers coach (2013-16) and recruiting coordinator (2016). In 2016, he was one of 30 coaches selected for the inaugural AFCA 30 Under 30 Coaches’ Leadership Institute. As a player, he recorded 190 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and five interceptions over four seasons at Azusa Pacific (2009-12), earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration.
A San Diego native, Danielson began his collegiate playing career at the University of San Diego (2007-08) after attending Horizon High School. He and his wife, Raechel, are proud parents to daughters Eleanor and Rosalie.
Coaching Career (Entering 2025)
Record: 15-3 (9-0 MW)
Year in Coaching: 13th
Year as Head Coach: Second Full
Year at Boise State: Ninth
Year at Boise State as Head Coach: Second Full
Hometown: Solona Beach, Calif.
Education
Azusa Pacific (2012)
Bachelor’s in Business Administration
Azusa Pacific (2013)
Master’s in Business Administration
Playing Experience
Azusa Pacific - Linebacker (2009-12)
University of San Diego - Safety (2007-08)
Professional Experience
2013-15: Azusa Pacific, Linebackers
2016: Azusa Pacific, Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
2017: Boise State, Defensive Graduate Assistant
2018: Boise State, STUD Coach
2019-20: Boise State, Co-Defensive Coordinator/STUD Coach
2021-23: Boise State, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
2023-Current: Boise State, Head Coach
Danielson became the 12th head coach in Boise State football history on Dec. 3, 2023, following a three-week stint as interim head coach. During that time as the fill-in head coach, he guided the Broncos to three straight wins and a Mountain West championship, making history as the first interim FBS head coach to win a conference title game.
The former Boise State defensive coordinator followed up his interim stint with a 2024 season in which he led the nationally-ranked Broncos to the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, back-to-back Mountain West championships for a program-first, and was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 12-win season – their most wins in a single-season since 2019.
The 2024 season also saw Boise State be ranked in the top-10 in the nation in several offensive categories – including fifth in scoring offense and eighth in total offense – and among the best in the Mountain West in major defensive categories. The team featured junior running back Ashton Jeanty, who became the program’s first Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award winner. Jeanty, who fell only 27 rushing yards shy of matching Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS record, was also a Heisman Trophy runner-up.
The team finished the year with a 12-2 record after facing Penn State in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. It earned the No. 3 seed and first-round bye in the CFP after beating UNLV in the MW Championship at Albertsons Stadium in early December, which was the program’s sixth MW title in school history.
In addition to being named Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2024, Danielson was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Paul “Bear” Bryant National College Football Coach of the Year, George Munger Coach of the Year, and AFCA National Coach of the Year. He was tabbed as the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year and Grant Teaff FCA Coach of the Year.
After spending seven seasons as a member of the Boise State coaching staff, starting as a graduate assistant in 2017, Danielson took the reins of the Bronco football program on Nov. 12, 2023 as the interim head coach. He was elevated to the role after serving as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Danielson went on to lead the Broncos to three-straight wins - the final two regular season games and the Mountain West Championship game - and a stretch in which the Broncos averaged 38.7 points and over 460 yards of total offense while outscoring opponents 116-49. Boise State routed UNLV, 44-20, to win its fifth MW Championship. The Broncos then played in the LA Bowl, where they faced UCLA.
From 2021-23, Danielson was Boise State’s defensive coordinator, and from 2019-20, he was the team’s co-defensive coordinator and STUD coach. After beginning his Boise State tenure as a graduate assistant in 2017, he was promoted to a full-time assistant coach in 2018. In each of his three seasons as defensive coordinator, Boise State ranked in the top three of the Mountain West in scoring defense, including allowing a league-low 19 points per game in 2021.
Overseeing a defense that was tenacious in getting into the backfield, Danielson helped Boise State rank sixth in the nation in total defense in 2022 while the scoring defense was ranked 15th. In his first season as defensive coordinator in 2021, that scoring defense was ranked 12th in the country while the total defense ranked 45th nationally.
Before Boise State, Danielson coached at Azusa Pacific, his alma mater, where he served as linebackers coach (2013-16) and recruiting coordinator (2016). In 2016, he was one of 30 coaches selected for the inaugural AFCA 30 Under 30 Coaches’ Leadership Institute. As a player, he recorded 190 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and five interceptions over four seasons at Azusa Pacific (2009-12), earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration.
A San Diego native, Danielson began his collegiate playing career at the University of San Diego (2007-08) after attending Horizon High School. He and his wife, Raechel, are proud parents to daughters Eleanor and Rosalie.
Coaching Career (Entering 2025)
Record: 15-3 (9-0 MW)
Year in Coaching: 13th
Year as Head Coach: Second Full
Year at Boise State: Ninth
Year at Boise State as Head Coach: Second Full
Hometown: Solona Beach, Calif.
Education
Azusa Pacific (2012)
Bachelor’s in Business Administration
Azusa Pacific (2013)
Master’s in Business Administration
Playing Experience
Azusa Pacific - Linebacker (2009-12)
University of San Diego - Safety (2007-08)
Professional Experience
2013-15: Azusa Pacific, Linebackers
2016: Azusa Pacific, Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
2017: Boise State, Defensive Graduate Assistant
2018: Boise State, STUD Coach
2019-20: Boise State, Co-Defensive Coordinator/STUD Coach
2021-23: Boise State, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
2023-Current: Boise State, Head Coach
FB | Ben Ford Postgame Press Conference, vs. EWU (Sept. 5, 2025)
Saturday, September 06
FB | Ty Benefield Postgame Press Conference, vs. EWU (Sept. 5, 2025)
Saturday, September 06
FB | Spencer Danielson Postgame Press Conference, vs. EWU (Sept. 5, 2025)
Saturday, September 06
FB | Highlights Against Eastern Washington
Saturday, September 06
