Utah State head coach Blake Anderson has been placed on administrative leave and is unlikely to return, according to a report on Tuesday from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Shortly after Thamel’s report, Utah State issued a release from the larger university stating it had informed Anderson of its intent to terminate his employment for actions taken in spring 2023.
From the release:
This decision comes after a thorough external review of alleged noncompliance with university policies that implement Title IX, which require full and timely reporting of disclosures of sexual misconduct — including domestic violence — and prohibit employees from investigating disclosures of sexual misconduct themselves.
The school also dismissed the football program’s director of player development and a deputy athletic director within the athletic department for violations of university policies related to the reporting of sexual and domestic violence and failures of professional responsibilities.
In 2021, the school was accused of giving preferential treatment to male athletes accused of sexual assault. Between 2021 and 2023, 3 football players were arrested for allegations of sexual assault.
In 2022, former Utah State linebacker Patrick Maddox alleged Anderson and his teammates retaliated against him after he recorded Anderson saying in a team meeting that it “has never been more glamorized to be a (sexual assault) victim.” Maddox filed a lawsuit in federal court against Anderson and Utah State in October 2022 before settling for $150,000 from the school.
Anderson, meanwhile, has gone 23-17 in 3 seasons with the Aggies. He helped Utah State to its first-ever Mountain West championship in 2021, winning 11 games and beating Oregon State in the LA Bowl. Utah State has gone 6-7 in consecutive years since, making it to bowl games, but losing both in blowout fashion.
According to Thamel, defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling will serve as the interim head coach in place of Anderson. Dreiling is in his first season at Utah State, having just been hired earlier this offseason from New Mexico State.
Utah State begins its 2024 season in 60 days — on Aug. 31 against Robert Morris. The Aggies face USC at the LA Coliseum and then Utah at home over the following 2 weeks.
The Aggies were firmly in the middle of the pack in the Mountain West in Bill Connelly’s preseason SP+ projections. They saw a massive amount of roster turnover this offseason, with more than 20 players hitting the portal, more than 20 scholarship transfers joining the program, and 10 additional junior college players coming aboard.
Spencer Petras (Iowa) and Bryson Barnes (Utah) were 2 of 4 FBS transfer quarterbacks that joined the team.
At DraftKings, the Aggies’ win total is 5.5. At the time of publication, the under was priced at -130. Utah State is +2200 to win the Mountain West.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
