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Utah State football is now coachless less than two months away from its season opener. Blake Anderson has mysteriously been placed on administrative leave and is not expected to return to the team.
The reasoning behind that decision is yet to be known, though it is worth noting that an investigation into the Aggies program has reportedly taken place.
College football insider Brett McMurphy was one of the first to break the news via social media.
Utah State coach Blake Anderson is unlikely to return after being put on administrative leave, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. AD Diana Sabau told the staff Anderson’s leave was the result of an investigation. “It didn’t sound good,” a source said… Anderson was 23-17 in 3 years w/3 consecutive bowl trips at Utah State.
-Brett McMurphy / X: @Brett_McMurphy
McMurphy suggests it could have something to do with a string of assault arrests involving a trio of Utah State players last season. Interestingly enough, the head coach was heard speaking out on the topic during the month of April, though it seems to be a theme throughout his time in Logan.
KSL.com writes that he had a lawsuit filed against him by a former player in 2022 as a result of his handling of certain misconduct allegations.
That said, no one is quite clear on the exact reasoning behind the absence, which comes at an interesting time for the head coach.
Blake Anderson’s wife just had a baby.
View this post on Instagram
On Saturday, June 29th, Anderson welcomed a son into the world. Fast forward to Tuesday and he could be looking for a new job.
It was just two days ago that the school was seen congratulating the Anderson family on the new addition, posting a response to his photo on X.
Welcome to the Aggie family Cannon!
Congratulations @CHbanderson & @brittm_anderson!
What changed in that 24-48 hours isn’t public, but as Brett McMurphy implied, it must be major for the switch to flip that quickly.
As it stands, defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling will fill in as interim head coach with the season quickly approaching. The Aggies kick things off with an opening matchup against Robert Morris next month.
It doesn’t seem likely, at least at this point, that Blake Anderson will be on the sidelines.
Update — Utah State plans to fire Anderson.
From the University website:
Utah State University officials informed Head Football Coach Blake Anderson on Tuesday of their intent to terminate his employment agreement for actions taken in spring 2023. These actions violated both his employment agreement and university policy. Under his employment agreement Coach Anderson will have 14 days to respond.
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.
Associate Vice President & Deputy Athletic Director of External Affairs Jerry Bovee (Interim Athletic Director, 2023) and Utah State Football Director of Player Development & Community Austin Albrecht have also been dismissed for violations of university policies related to the reporting of sexual and domestic violence and failures of professional responsibilities.