With Wells gone, Aggies’ focus turns to finding next USU head coach
The day has come. Matt Wells is gone, and he’s taking his coordinators with him. Now what?
It’s been a good decade for Utah State football. Once a perennial bottom-feeder in the WAC, living in fear of what may happen to the program while the college football landscape continued to shift, USU has now qualified for seven bowl games in the past eight seasons, and is coming off perhaps its best season ever.
The next two weeks, however, will play a big role in determining what the coming decade of Utah State football will look like.
Thursday night, following his decision to accept the head coaching job at Texas Tech, Matt Wells gathered his team to inform them of the news and to say his goodbyes. The team then came to the decision that current co-defensive coordinator Frank Maile will take over as the interim head coach, and will coach the Aggies in their upcoming bowl game and to oversee the continued recruiting efforts.
Now, Aggie fans turn their faith to Utah State athletics director John Hartwell to make what will surely be an enormous decision. Hartwell has enlisted the help of a search firm, the same one which assisted him in making the hire of men’s basketball coach Craig Smith back in March.
While speculation and rumors as to who will be at the helm of the program next season have taken over Twitter and fan boards, Hartwell emphasized that there is no shortage of potential suitors who would be interested in the job.
“The interest has been tremendous so far from all aspects,” Hartwell said in a media teleconference Friday morning. “Whether it is current college football coaches, coordinators, assistant coaches, guys in the NFL and former coaches, there is a lot of interest in our position.”
Now things move quickly, though. They have to. With bowl game season quickly approaching, a level of uncertainty lingering over the entire program, and several recruits hanging in the balance with the December signing period approaching, a long, drawn-out coaching search could prove costly.
According to Hartwell’s estimates, the first couple rounds of interviews will be conducted within the next week. Within 10 to 14 days maximum, the USU football program should have a new face.
“We want to make sure we go through the process as quickly as possible and that we get the person who we think will be successful to lead Utah State football into the future,” Hartwell said.
While Wells will be holding his introductory press conference tomorrow in Lubbock, that doesn’t mean Utah State will be left in the dust. According to Hartwell, Wells will “be heavily involved in the practice planning and game plan” for the bowl game.
After all, Wells isn’t just a typical coach who used Utah State as simply a stepping stone as he climbed the ladder in the world of college football coaching. This is his alma mater, and a place which took a gamble and gave him his first head coaching job.
“He won’t be calling the plays, but Matt asked me to allow him to be in the sideline as an Aggie alum and former football player, and allow his family to be in the stands,” Hartwell said. “I told him I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Utah State will learn its bowl game fate by Sunday afternoon.
Pitching this job shouldn’t be a difficult sell for Hartwell and company. This team is recently removed from a top-15 AP Poll ranking, its first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff Rankings, and it was all led by a young core of players including a stud sophomore quarterback.
But for now, as the rumor mill undoubtedly spirals out of control in the coming days, Aggie nation patiently (or not so patiently) awaits.
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Twitter: @jadenjohnson00