Utah assistant Andersen named Utah State head coach

Dec 4, 2008 - 9:23 PM LOGAN, Utah (Ticker) -- Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen was introduced as the new head coach of Utah State on Thursday.

Andersen , who is in the midst of his 11th year at Utah, became the 26th head coach in Utah State history. The 44-year-old Anderson replaces Brent Guy, who was fired on November 17 after going 3-9 this season and 9-38 in four years with the Aggies.

Andersen did not say whether he would coach in the sixth-ranked Utes' upcoming BCS bowl game.

"It's a great opportunity and it's been a longtime goal of mine to be a Division I head football coach," Andersen said. "I think every football coach has a niche as to where they want be a head coach and where they belong. I feel that Utah State is a perfect fit for my niche and what I believe in."

"The administration, from President (Stan) Albrecht to (athletic director) Scott Barnes, to all the support staff, have been unbelievably professional with everything. There is an obvious commitment to continued building of the football program that can contend for a WAC Championship, and that's the bottom line. I look forward to working with the administration in building a quality football program."

Andersen's stock has risen this year as the undefeated Utes (12-0) have put together one of the fastest units in the Mountain West Conference.

Utah is ranked 18th in the nation in total defense, yielding just 295.9 yards per game. The team is also second in the conference in the category behind only TCU, which is No. 2 in the country. The Utes, who placed five defenders on the all-MWC team this season, also recorded a league-best 17 interceptions.

"Obviously, Gary's vast knowledge of the state of Utah coupled with his overall recruiting success will pay long-term dividends to our program," Barnes said. " He will be focused and tireless in his approach to building and sustaining a winning program here at Utah State. We are all very excited to have Coach Andersen leading this program to the next step."

"The quality of our applicant pool was exceptional," Barnes added. "Gary's leadership ability, vision and plan for football success at USU are on point. He absolutely won the interview."

Andersen is taking over a program that has not registered a winning season since 1996, during which the Aggies went 6-5 and finished atop the Big West Conference. They have just 15 wins over the last six seasons.

Andersen has spent 11 of the last 12 years at Utah in a variety of different roles. He has been in charge of the defense and served as head coach Kyle Whittingham's assistant since 2005. He left the school for one year to take over as the head coach at Southern Utah, where he went 4-7 in his first and only season.

"Utah State fits everything from a recruiting standpoint, to the student-athletes that we'll be dealing with on a daily basis as well as from a well-rounded academic viewpoint," Andersen said. "At the end of the day, the best way to sum that up is when you're a head football coach, you need to look at what you need to do to be successful. Without a doubt, Utah State has all the tools needed to recruit quality student-athletes socially, academically and athletically."