Ranking each Mountain West head coach entering 2025 football season

The 2025 football season will mark the end of an era for the Mountain West as Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State all leave for the Pac-12 next summer.

Here are Boise State Broncos On SI’s Mountain West football head coach rankings entering the 2025 season.

12. Jay Sawvel, Wyoming

Overall record: 3-9

Record with school: 3-9

Sawvel has plenty to prove entering his second season at the helm.

11. Timmy Chang, Hawaii

Overall record: 13-25

Record with school: 13-25

Chang has guided the Rainbow Warriors to back-to-back five-win seasons and the team is expected to be improved in 2025. A bowl game should be the goal for Hawaii this season.

10. Sean Lewis, San Diego State

Overall record: 27-40

Record with school: 3-9

Lewis did a good job at perennial MAC basement-dweller Kent State but found minimal success with the Aztecs last year. The 2025 season is important for Lewis as San Diego State readies for the Pac-12.

9. Matt Entz, Fresno State

Overall record: 60-11

Record with school: 0-0

Entz did win a pair of FCS national titles at North Dakota State, but he inherited a well-oiled machine that began to falter near the end of his tenure. The Bison captured another championship last year after Entz bolted for a position coach job at USC. Entz was a solid hire for Fresno State, but he won’t enter every game with a significant talent advantage like he regularly did at NDSU.

8. Jeff Choate, Nevada

Overall record: 31-32

Record with school: 3-10

Choate was the orchestrator of Montana State’s rise as an FCS power. The Wolf Pack has the right man in place to compete in the new MWC.

7. Jay Norvell, Colorado State

Overall record: 49-47

Record with school: 16-21

The Rams have improved every year under Norvell and enter 2025 with MWC title game aspirations. The offense needs to take a step forward for Colorado State to be in conversation.

6. Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State

Overall record: 116-89

Record with school: 7-6

Niumatalolo had a solid debut season with the Spartans. The former Navy coach is a proven winner and respected developer of talent.

5. Dan Mullen, UNLV

Overall record: 103-61

Record with school: 0-0

Mullen’s record looks great on paper, but the veteran coach took plenty of lumps during his time in the SEC. Mullen finished above .500 in SEC play just once in nine seasons at Mississippi State and flamed out at Florida after a strong start. The college game has drastically changed since Mullen last coached in 2021, and it remains to be seen if he can keep UNLV rolling.

4. Troy Calhoun, Air Force

Overall record: 135-89

Record with school: 135-89

The dean of MWC coaches, Calhoun is coming off a rare losing season at Air Force. Calhoun has notched eight seasons of nine or more wins with the Falcons but is still searching for his first MWC title.

3. Jason Eck, New Mexico

Overall record: 26-13

Record with school: 0-0

Too high? Maybe. But the job Eck did in three seasons at Idaho (three FCS playoff appearances, two trips to the quarterfinals) is nothing short of spectacular. The Lobos may struggle in 2025, but their future is bright with Eck at the helm.

2. Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State

Overall record: 140-88

Record with school: 0-0

Utah State hit a home run last December by luring Mendenhall away from New Mexico. The former BYU coach has won at every stop and has the most career victories of all MWC coaches.

1. Spencer Danielson, Boise State

Overall record: 15-3

Record with school: 15-3

In 18 games as Boise State’s head coach, Danielson has secured two MWC titles and a College Football Playoff berth. It’s hard to do better than that.