Keith Bhonapha, Boise State RBs coach, reportedly takes same position at Pac-12 program
Keith Bhonapha is reportedly headed to the Pac-12.
The Boise State running backs coach who has ties to Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith, will replace A.J. Steward with the Beavers, as Steward is headed to Baylor. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that Bhonapha’s developed a lot of stud RBs the past decade. He and Jonathan Smith coached together at Washington and at Boise.
Bhonapha was in his second stint at Boise after he previously coached running backs at Boise State from 2009-13 before he left for Washington with former head coach Chris Petersen. He spent the last 8 seasons (2014-21) working with the Huskies’ running backs.
Along with coaching running backs at Boise, Bhonapha’s title also was associate head coach and special teams coordinator.
While at Boise State, Bhonapha mentored five-consecutive 1,000-yards rushers, including Jay Ajayi in 2013 (1,425 yards), D.J. Harper in 2012 (1,137), Doug Martin in 2010 (1,260) and 2011 (1,299) and Jeremy Avery in 2009 (1,151).
During the 2022 season under Bhonapha, George Holani rushed for 1,157 yards and added 151 receiving yards, along with 13 touchdowns.