Team Review: Utah State Is Back In Business

The Aggies bounce back after the disastrous Gary Andersen era.

It’s no surprise to see Blake Anderson doing well in his first year with Utah State. He’s been a successful coach, both assistant and head, at the G5 level for more than 20 years and seems to have as good an understanding of how to build within these sometimes limited programs as anyone in the sport.

Hired from North Carolina, where he spent two years as an offensive coordinator (his only two at the non-G5 level since 1999), Anderson provided stability to an Arkansas State program that needed it after several one-and-done hires.

He never peaked in the way that some of his predecessors – namely Gus Malzahn and Hugh Freeze – did, but he won games at a high level and did so with smart hires and complementary football. Football that fit the recruiting landscape and the talent he had on his roster.

He went 51-37, capping out with three eight-win seasons and a nine-win peak in 2015. His teams were never quite transcendent within the Sun Belt, but they went to six bowl games in his seven seasons and at least tied for the top spot in the league or the division three times.

His hires in Jonesboro tell an impressive story too and are worth mentioning when breaking down what he brings to a football program. Anderson’s impact can’t be fully measured without including his greatest strength, after all.