Former Boise State coach Andy Avalos set to be TCU’s next defensive coordinator

TCU has found its next defensive coordinator.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Star-Telegram that former Boise State head coach Andy Avalos will be the Horned Frogs’ next defensive coordinator.

Joe Gillespie was fired on Sunday around noon after completing his second season in Fort Worth. While Gillespie coordinated TCU’s defense that reached the national championship game in January, TCU was 91st in scoring defense in 2022 and 81st in 2023.

Head coach Sonny Dykes thought long and hard about Gillespie returning for a third season with multiple conversations on what that would look like on the field and in recruiting. Ultimately Dykes decided this was a move that needed to be made.

What allowed the Horned Frogs to move so quickly is the fact that Avalos was in town Sunday night to watch the Cowboys’ dominating win over the Eagles. Demarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander Esch played under Avalos when he was the defensive coordinator at Boise State.

Avalos was a star linebacker for the Broncos in the early 2000s and was the defensive coordinator at his alma mater from 2016-18. He took the same position at Oregon in 2019-20 before returning to Boise to be the head coach.

In 2022 he was voted Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Broncos to a 10-4 record. Avalos was let go near the end of this season with the Broncos sitting at 5-5.

The 42-year-old has already met with the team.