Utah State hires Utah's Andersen as new head coach

Utah State has named Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen as its next head coach ... because hiring a defensive coordinator worked out so well for them last time.

Deposed former head man Brent Guy came over from Boise State's DC position and promptly went 9-38 with the Aggies. Hopes are much higher for Andersen since his Utah teams have been consistently ranked among the top defenses in the country during his tenure with the Utes and because Guy was actually building something at Utah State when he was axed.

But after looking at Andersen, one has to wonder: Couldn't they have just shaved Brent Guy's mustache and saved everyone the hassle?

At least one Aggie fan is happy:

I have to say that (Andersen) would be a great step in the right direction because he attended Park City High School in Utah, he understands the recruiting landscape of Utah and the West in general and he has experience in all phases of the game of football, as he has been an assistant on both ends of the line of scrimmage in some form or capacity for nearly 20 years… and he has been a head coach, manning the helm at Southern Utah in 2003.

He is young (44 years of age), is known as a fabulous recruiter and he has been extremely successful as the defensive coordinator at Utah for the past three years.

He’s everything Utah State Football needs in its next head coach.
And at least one Aggie newspaper is already throwing in the towel:

It would seem that USU can’t win here — hire a winner, and he’ll bail out at the first opportunity. Hire someone who doesn’t win, and deal with angry fans who want to get rid of the guy. Either way, you’re rebuilding every three or four years...

So maybe what needs to change here isn’t the coaching staff. Maybe it’s the expectations.
On that note, welcome to the WAC, Gary Andersen!

Read more: Andersen is the Aggie's new guy [Deseret News]