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Boise State Athletics
Harsin Adds Mike Sanford to Football Staff
12/18/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 18, 2013
BOISE, Idaho - Former Boise State quarterback Mike Sanford has been named the Broncos' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, head coach Bryan Harsin announced Wednesday.
Sanford, who has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford (2011-13), played for Boise State from 2000-04.
"I tried to hire Mike last year at Arkansas State and feel fortunate we are able to bring him back to Boise," Harsin said. "Mike is a young, bright coach, and having played the quarterback position at Boise State, he has a great understanding of what we are trying to do. Mike has built up a great coaching background since his playing days as a Bronco, and I look forward to building the offense with him."
"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to return to my alma mater, which I've always believed to be one of the elite football programs in the country," Sanford said. "This is a great time in the history of Boise State's storied program and I cannot wait to work alongside Coach Harsin and the rest of the new staff. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Harsin as a person and as a football coach. My family cannot wait to return to one of the best places to live in the country."
Sanford began his career with the Cardinal as the team's running backs coach in both 2011 and 2012. He coached quarterbacks and wide receivers in 2013, and has been Stanford's recruiting coordinator each of the last two seasons.
The Cardinal won the Pac-12 Championship in both 2012 and 2013, and will be making a second-straight appearance in the Rose Bowl. Stanford also played in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl during Sanford's first season.
This season, under Sanford's tutelage, Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan ranks 19th-nationally in passing efficiency (154.1). Sanford also worked closely with Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor, who broke the school's career rushing record in 2012, a mark that had stood since 1981.
The Cardinal ranked 18th-nationally in rushing in 2011 (210.6), a major reason Stanford finished the season ranked seventh-nationally in scoring (43.2) and eighth-nationally in total offense (489.3).
Following his playing career with the Broncos, Sanford served as a graduate assistant with UNLV from 2005-06, where he worked with his father, Mike, then the head coach of the Rebels. He moved on to Stanford, where he was an offensive assistant from 2007-08.
His first full-time coaching stint came at Yale in 2009, where he coached tight ends and fullbacks and served as the team's recruiting coordinator.
The following season (2010) he coached quarterbacks and was the passing game coordinator at Western Kentucky.
Sanford earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Boise State in 2005.
