Utah State University announced Thursday that it has officially fired head football coach Blake Anderson, two weeks after he gave notice of his intention to terminate his contract.
The state of Utah said in a statement Thursday:
“This action is based on a serious breach of USU’s contractual obligations regarding employee reporting obligations. These reporting obligations include prohibiting employees outside of USU’s Office of Equality from investigating matters of sexual misconduct, including domestic violence. Additionally, Anderson failed to manage his team in a manner that reflects USU’s academic values.”
Anderson responded to the allegations within 14 days of receiving the notice with a 70-page response filed by him and his attorney, Tom Mars.
“Coach Anderson’s legal team believes that this decision, and USU’s intentionally inflammatory press release of July 2, violates the terms of Coach Anderson’s employment contract and the implied covenant of good faith,” Marrs said in a statement. “We will pursue all legal remedies on his behalf.”
In its initial notice two weeks ago, the university cited “actions taken by (Anderson) in the spring of 2023.” In its initial statement, the university also announced it had fired associate athletic director Jerry Boaby, who served as interim AD in 2023, and director of player development and community Austin Albrecht, both of whom were the subject of the same investigation.
The Athletic reported Thursday that the investigation was sparked by a domestic violence incident that occurred in April 2023.
Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling will serve as the Aggies’ interim coach this season.
Anderson, 55, was entering his fourth season at Utah State, where he finished 6-7 in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and finished with a 23-17 record.
In 2021, the Aggies finished 11-3 in his first season with the Mountain West program, won the LA Bowl and finished the year ranked 24th in the Associated Press Top 25.
Anderson spent seven seasons at Arkansas State from 2014-2020, compiling a 74-54 record.
Utah State will open the season on Aug. 31 against Robert Morris.
–Field Level Media
