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UPDATE AS OF 3:05 MST ON 12/9/18
It’s officially official: Gary Andersen is back as the Utah State Head Coach
You can always come home!
— USU Football (@USUFootball) December 9, 2018
Welcome back Head Coach Gary Andersen!
➡️ https://t.co/LterLJRJ6a
➡️ https://t.co/HiZVOe8mvR#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/BeIuIRlyKs
Now to see who he brings onto his staff. Could be an interesting couple of days as that news unravels.
UPDATE AS OF 4:45 MST ON 12/8/18
Looks like we’re getting even closer to a confirmation, as Utah State beat resort Jason Turner tweets...
USU football: Gary Andersen is returning as Utah State's head football coach. An official announcement will likely take place Sunday. Here is my story. https://t.co/mKqLTtjdzR
— Jason Turner (@hjtrebek) December 8, 2018
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Reports are coming in from various sources stating that the search for the next Utah State Head Coach is all but over.
Sources tell @YahooSports that the Utah State football search is shutting down and interviews have been cancelled. Signs point to former Utah State coach Gary Andersen as top target.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 8, 2018
No official word from the Utah State athletics department yet, so for now it’s speculation from sources.
This page will be updated when new information comes about.
For now, let’s take a look at Gary Andersen’s recent college football adventures:
Andersen was the head coach at Utah State for four seasons (2009-12). After pedestrian 4-8 records his first two years, the Aggies finished 7-6 in 2011. The marquee season during his tenure (and many would say in all of USU football history) was in 2012, when the Aggies went 11-2; their only loses coming in close competitions with BYU and Wisconsin.
Speaking of Wiscy, Gary Andersen would become the Head Coach of the Badgers just three months after their game against each other. GA’s contract with Wisconsin was originally set to run through this upcoming January, but just a few days after losing the 2014 Big Ten Championship, Andersen was changing colors. His record at Wisconsin was 19-7.
Andersen found very little success in Corvallis, as he went 6-18 in his first two seasons with the Beavers. After a 1-5 start to the 2017 season, Andersen left Oregon State.
In early 2018, Andersen joined Utah as a staff assistant.
Now, almost six years after he left for Wisconsin, many signs are pointing to a Gary Andersen return to Logan. If he does indeed come back he’ll have almost an entire staff to replace, but he’ll be taking on a plethora of young talent on this Aggies squad.
What he can do with this up-and-coming team, if he is indeed being brought back, will be very interesting to see.
What do you think of the reports? Is being GA back a good move? If not, what’s your take? Let us know in the comments!