Boise State extends Spencer Danielson; Where does Danielson’s new contract rank among Pac-12 head coaches?

For the second time in 12 months, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson has agreed to a contract extension.

The Broncos announced a new five-year deal for Danielson on Monday that will pay the coach $11.5 million through the 2030 season. Danielson will earn a base salary of $2.1 million in 2026 with $100,000 annual raises through 2030.

Danielson’s buyout begins at $3.5 million.

The contract is subject to final approval by the Idaho State Board of Education.

“Spencer is elite, and we’re so happy to have him continuing to serve our football program as its head coach,” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said in a statement. “He leads with his heart and cares deeply about our student-athletes as young men, all the while still raising the bar for our competitive excellence each year.”

In April 2025, Danielson agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2029 season. Danielson had led the Broncos to a 12-2 overall record and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.

Danielson, 37, holds a 24-8 overall record (75 percent winning percentage) in two-plus seasons with Boise State. He guided the Broncos to three straight Mountain West titles in 2023-25 and the No. 3 overall seed for the 2024 CFP.

Boise State is joining the Pac-12 this summer alongside fellow MWC alumni Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

Danielson, who played linebacker in college for Azusa Pacific, has been with the Boise State program since 2017. Danielson was a graduate assistant (2017), defensive ends coach (2018) and co-defensive coordinator (2019-20) under head coach Bryan Harsin and served as Andy Avalos’ defensive coordinator in 2021-23.

When Avalos was fired with two games remaining in the 2023 regular season, Danielson was named interim head coach. The Broncos responded to Danielson’s promotion with victories over Utah State, Air Force and UNLV in the MWC title game.

Danielson was the first interim head coach in FBS history to win a conference title game. Boise State removed the interim tag from Danielson the day after the 2023 MWC championship game.

Danielson earned a base salary of $2 million for the 2025 season as Boise State finished 9-5 overall. UNLV’s Dan Mullen was the highest-paid MWC coach at $3.5 million, followed by Danielson, Utah State’s Bronco Mendenhall ($2 million), Colorado State’s Jay Norvell ($1.9 million) and San Diego State’s Sean Lewis ($1.85 million).

Here are the Pac-12’s head coach salaries for the 2026 season.

Jim Mora, Colorado State — $2.4 million

Spencer Danielson, Boise State — $2.1 million

Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State — $2.06 million

G.J. Kinne, Texas State — $2 million

Kirby Moore, Washington State — $2 million

Sean Lewis, San Diego State — $1.95 million

JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State — $1.6 million

Matt Entz, Fresno State — $1.35 million

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