Boise State Hires Bryan Harsin as Head Coach

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise State has hired Bryan Harsin as the Broncos head football coach.

Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle made the announcement official Wednesday, calling Harsin one of the top young coaches in the country. The 37-year-old moves from Arkansas State to take over for Chris Petersen, who left last week for Washington.

The former Broncos assistant says he's thrilled to be returning to Boise, where he grew up and played as a walk-on for the Broncos.

Harsin worked at Boise State from 2001-2010, serving as offensive coordinator under Petersen for five years. He left in 2010 to become offensive coordinator at Texas before moving to Arkansas State last season.

In his only season as head coach, the Red Hawks finished 7-5 and will play in the GoDaddy.com Bowl this month.