BOISE, Idaho -- Kane Ioane has been named the Boise State safeties coach, Broncos head coach Andy Avalos announced Monday.
"Kane has had a lot of connections to our program over the years, and already has a lot of what makes up our culture instilled in him," Avalos said in a media release. "In addition to being a brilliant defensive mind, he is also a high-character individual – a great teacher, father and husband. He is excited to join this program and this community, and I'm excited to have him joining our family."
Ioane will also be the co-defensive coordinator at Boise State, sharing duties with defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson.
Ioane has 15 years of coaching experience, almost all of which came at Montana State, his alma mater. After an all-American career at safety playing for the Bobcats, Ioane got his start in coaching in 2005 with MSU. He served various roles on the staff for 12 seasons, climbing to defensive coordinator in 2015. He left Bozeman to become a defensive analyst on the staff at the University of Washington in 2017 and 2018 before returning to Montana State in 2019. He was the Bobcats' defensive coordinator and safeties coach during the 2019 season, helping the team advance to the FCS Playoffs for a second straight season. The Big Sky Conference 2020 football season was postponed to the spring of 2021, and Montana State has opted out of the Big Sky's conference schedule to be played this spring.
"I am incredibly excited for this opportunity," Ioane said Boise State's release announcing his addition. "I have been around a lot of people that have been part of this program, and they always talked about how special this place was because of the family atmosphere. That, and being able to raise a family here in the Treasure Valley, really struck a chord with me and made this something I definitely wanted to be a part of.
"When you look at this staff, the group of guys that coach Avalos has brought in here, the character of these men is what is most referenced by those in our profession, and I am proud to be associated with this group. Additionally, going through the recruiting process, I know a lot of the student-athletes that have been brought in here, and these are high-character young men. I'm elated for the opportunity to get to work with them."
Ioane is a graduate of Billings Skyview High School. He played for the Bobcats from 2000-03 and was the Big Sky's defensive MVP in 2003. Ioane is the only four-time All-American in Montana State history and is a 2004 MSU Hall of Fame inductee.
Ioane's departure means Montana State is seeking two top football coaches. Head coach Jeff Choate also left the program last week to join the staff at the University of Texas. MSU director of athletics Leon Costello said a national search to fill the head coaching vacancy is under way.
Ioane joins former Montana State assistant coach Matt Miller on Boise State's staff. Miller was on the Bobcats' staff from 2016-19, serving as the team's offensive coordinator in 2019. Miller, a Helena native, played college football at Boise State from 2011-14 and returned to his alma mater in early 2020 to coach the Broncos' wide receivers.
