Utah State to fire football coach Blake Anderson

Utah State gave football coach Blake Anderson notice that it intends to fire him following an investigation into actions he reportedly took in spring 2023, the university announced Tuesday. He has 14 days to respond to the notice of firing, per the stipulations of his employment agreement. Also dismissed were Jerry Bovee, a deputy athletic director who was interim AD in 2023, and Austin Albrecht, director of player development and community. According to a university statement, the three violated university policy by failing to comply with Title IX regulations that require disclosures of sexual misconduct, including domestic violence, and don't allow employees to investigate such misconduct on their own. Athletic director Diana Sabau held a team meeting with the players on Tuesday to inform them Anderson had been placed on leave and that defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling will serve as the interim coach for the Aggies. The intention to dismiss Anderson was announced hours later. Anderson, 55, was heading into his fourth season at Utah State. He compiled a 23-17 record, including a second consecutive 6-7 campaign in 2023. The Aggies finished 11-3 during his first season with the Mountain West program in 2021 and won the LA Bowl, finishing the year at No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25. Anderson is 74-54 overall, including seven seasons at Arkansas State from 2014-20. Adminstrators said results of the investigation required Anderson and others to be terminated. "As leaders, we are responsible for ensuring allegations of USU policy violations are investigated. Today's actions are the result of a thorough external investigation, and we believe the evidence demands immediate action," Sabau and university president Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell wrote in a memo to faculty. "Our job is to fearlessly hold ourselves and others accountable for their conduct and to make sure that, for the sake of our students and our community, we are living the values of our university. "While recognizing the impact of these decisions on our student athletes and football program, we will continue to take the steps necessary to deliver a respectful, transparent and winning culture at Utah State University." Utah State opens the season against Robert Morris on Aug. 31. --Field Level Media