Utah State has named Blake Anderson as its next coach with an introductory press conference scheduled for Monday, Dec. 14, the school announced on Saturday. Anderson had coached at Arkansas State since 2014 and formally resigned from his position with the Red Wolves on Thursday, which is when CBS Sports first learned the news of the impending hire.
"I am beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead the Utah State football program," Anderson said in a statement. "This is an unbelievable place with a great tradition and history of success, both on and off the field, that we look forward to building upon. I can't wait to get started with the guys and I look forward to a packed Maverik Stadium next fall. GO AGGIES!!!"
The Aggies have struggled massively this season, sitting at 1-6 and 10th in the Mountain West. They began the season with Gary Andersen in charge, but he left the program after an 0-3 start and 7-9 record overall in his return to the team he led successfully from 2009-14.
Anderson was 4-7 this season at Arkansas State but previously led the program to no fewer than seven wins and a bowl appearance (2-4) in each of his first six campaigns. He was on the short list of candidates for the Missouri opening in 2019 coming off an 8-5 season with the Red Wolves.
Anderson's career has been on a steady upward swing since it began as he moved from offensive position coach to offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee (2002-04), Louisiana (2007), Southern Miss (2008-11) and North Carolina (2012-13) before getting his first head coaching opportunity.
He led Arkansas State to a pair of Sun Belt championships (2015-16) and is now poised to again up his level of competition from the Sun Belt to the Mountain West despite the SBC's banner 2020 season.
