Blake Anderson fired: Why was the Utah State HC dismissed?

Blake Anderson has been fired by the Utah State Aggies, ending his three-year tenure as coach. Anderson had a 23-17 record with the Aggies, led the program to the 2021 Mountain West championship and made three Bowl games.

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Why was Blake Anderson fired?

According to the Athletic, Anderson was fired by the Utah State Aggies following an investigation into alleged Title IX violations. The school said in a statement announcing the firing,

"This action is based on significant violations of his contractual obligations related to USU’s employee reporting requirements. These reporting requirements include a prohibition on employees outside the USU Office of Equity from investigating issues of sexual misconduct, including domestic violence. Additionally, Anderson failed to manage the team in a manner that reflects USU’s academic values.”

With his firing, Utah State is not required to pay a $4.5 million buyout in his contract. Anderson and his lawyer have since released a statement announcing their intention to pursue all available legal remedies.

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What's next for Blake Anderson and Utah State?

According to Blake Anderson's lawyer, the former Utah State coach intends to release a statement. He will likely pursue every legal avenue to get the $4.5 million buyout from the program.

The Utah State Aggies will continue preparations for the 2024 college football season. The program ended last year with a 6-6 regular season record before losing to the Georgia State Panthers in the famous Idaho Potato Bowl Game.

Their first game in the upcoming season is against the Robert Morris Colonials, and they end against the Colorado State Rams. They will aim for a better performance than last year's Bowl Game loss under former coach Anderson.

Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling is coaching the Aggies in an interim capacity. He represented the team at last week's Mountain West media days and will continue to serve until the program decides on its next coach.