Column: Can Blake Anderson bring USU football back to winning ways?
A private jet took off from Jonesboro, AR on the afternoon of Friday, December 11, 2020. A normally innocuous event, but this time, as it descended through a thick blanket of stratus clouds and landed at the Logan-Cache airport, its travelers were welcomed by dark skies and frigid, cold air. The unfavorable weather was a seemingly appropriate warning to what one of the passengers — Utah State’s new head football coach, Blake Anderson — was getting himself into.
Just hours before Anderson’s arrival, news broke that the 1-5 Aggie football team was boycotting its final game of the season due to alleged discriminatory comments from the school’s president toward the interim head coach, Frank Maile, who the players wanted to be their permanent head coach.
Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that President Noelle Cockett’s “intent was not effectively communicated.” But regardless, some players took exception to this, feelings were hurt and the situation proved confusing, if not troubling, in the moment.
Beyond rebuilding a proud football team that had suffered a dramatic nose-dive into mediocrity, it would be Anderson’s responsibility to mend the souls of players that felt disregarded and restore unity in the program — by proving to everyone that he was the right man for the job.
Anderson met with his new team the day after he stepped off the plane and shared a message that could have only been the first impression on many of his new players.
His vow to help the athletes came with a disclosure: “You guys don’t gotta trust what I say until I start proving it every day with action.”
Just over a month following that initial team meeting, Anderson has already proved capable of lifting the team out of the storm.
The first laudable thing he’s accomplished is bringing an elite and diverse group of assistants with him in Logan.
Having $2.5 million to spend on his staff, Anderson’s ability to convince so many young and successful coaches from several ethnic backgrounds and from eight different universities — some from Power-5 schools — to come and coach the Aggies, highlights the level of respect Anderson has earned and the number of relationships he has cultivated throughout his career.
Particularly impressive were the men hired to three of the most critical positions: Former co-offensive coordinator at UCF, Anthony Tucker as Offensive coordinator; former co-defensive coordinator at Miami, Ephraim Banda as defensive coordinator; and Paul Jackson, the former head strength coach at South Carolina, to fill the same role for the Aggies.
Aggie football insider Brian Phillips of 24/7 Sports shared his thoughts on what makes these great hires.
“Tucker is a guy that really cut his teeth in the Central Florida program and was a big part of a G5 program that has had a ton of success,” he said. “Banda has had a quick rise up the ladder, Incarnate Word to Texas and being impressive enough that once Manny Diaz became a part of the staff at the University of Miami (FL), he brought him along.”
“Jackson as the strength and conditioning coach is HUGE because he has nearly a decade worth of experience in the SEC. And let’s face it, the SEC sets the standard for the rest of the college football world.”
They’ve all had big responsibilities at large schools down south, and with the exception of Jackson at South Carolina, they’ve coached teams that have won a lot of games. This group of coaches have proven they know what it takes to be great. Weber State head coach Jay Hill was another name rumored to be in strong contention for the job; but the question has to be asked: would Hill have been able to bring this caliber of assistant coach in after being a head coach at the FCS level for seven years?
According to junior wide receiver Deven Thompkins, the new staff has already set a winning attitude within the program. Anderson has created “a lot of structure and discipline,” and “everybody on the team knows there’s a certain standard.”
But simply setting a better culture isn’t going to solve all of the problems. Every team needs dudes on the team that can play. That may be a simplistic view, but it’s true regardless. To do that, a program needs to recruit at the highest level it’s capable. And according to Phillips, a group of recruiting savvy coaches is what Anderson has brought to Logan.
“He went out and hired a staff full of young up-and-comers that will bring much-needed energy not only to the locker room but out on the recruiting trail as well,” he said.
Despite inheriting a rather bare recruiting cupboard, Anderson and his staff have turned heads in recent weeks, in large part to the success they’ve had in the transfer portal.
“The staff did a phenomenal job, they all love recruiting,” Anderson said. “The personalities on this staff are built for building relationships and that’s what you see.”
USU signed 10 transfer players, six of them grad transfers, three of them from Arkansas State, one from junior college and five coming from Power-5 schools. They also signed five players out of high school.
Filling up the roster with ready-to-play athletes such as Justin Rice — former Arkansas State outside linebacker who earned first-team all Sun Belt Conference last season — strongly implies that Anderson isn’t just looking to rebuild, he’s trying to win now.
“They all fit particular needs,” Anderson said. “That’s 15 guys that we added to the program basically in January that all get a chance to go through spring ball, go through the offseason with Paul Jackson and his staff, that is huge for being able to put a competitive team on the field in the fall.”
One area, for example, which is nearly guaranteed to improve is the defensive line. Being one of the weakest links of the team last season, the position group is completely reconstructed, with transfers Aurion Peoples (JC), Patrick Joyner (Miami), Byron Hobbs-Vaughn (Texas) and Jazahiel Lee (Georgia Tech) all having the chance to start up front.
For Anderson, a guy known for his fast and fun offense, bringing in a bunch of talent on defense is pretty impressive. That being said, it was a successful January on the offensive side of the ball as well.
One of his biggest recruiting wins wasn’t someone he convinced to start anew in Logan, but a guy he convinced to come back. Thompkins, who was the Aggies leading receiver last season, entered the transfer portal just weeks after Gary Andersen was fired, but ultimately decided to return for another season.
“He reached out to me, called me and he basically explained to me what he wanted to do with the program and the direction he wanted to take it,” Thompkins said. “I believed in his vision, I felt the generosity from his heart through the phone.”
The chance to play in the pass-heavy offense that Anderson, Tucker and receivers coach Kyle Cefalo will run was too good of an offer for Thompkins to pass up.
“I’m so excited, this is exactly what I’ve been waiting for, an opportunity for our receiver group to display our talent,” he said.
According to Anderson, 90 to 95 percent of last year’s senior class is taking advantage of the NCAA omitted free year of eligibility and returning to be “super seniors” in 2021.
Savon Scarver, Jordan Nathan, Marcus Moore, Nick Heninger, Devontae Henry-Cole, Shaq Bond and Kevin Meitzenheimer could’ve transferred elsewhere, moved on from football, or tried to go pro. But instead, many have stayed, and many of them have expressed interest in wanting to play under the new staff.
“It’s amazing. It’s an extra year to really build our bond and our connection and actually make up for what happened last year,” Thompkins said.
It’s remarkable how different the vibe of Utah State football is now compared to two months ago. The new staff has changed the tone, brought in potential immediate impact players and appears to have won the support of the team.
I saw Anderson at a women’s basketball game a few weeks ago and decided to go up and introduce myself during halftime. Unwavered by any pandemic concerns, Anderson accepted my intrusion into his personal bubble and gave me his full attention.
We chatted about the new recruits and traded some of our favorite Logan restaurants — mine, Pauni Island Grill, and him, MayMoes cajun grill. This simple interaction was my personal affirmation, beyond what I have heard and seen, that Blake Anderson is an authentic dude, a guy you’d want to go into battle with.
It’s still very early, but it appears he’s the man that’s going to lift the Aggie football program out of the clouds to once again feel the brightness of the sun over Maverick Stadium and the joy of winning football games.
@jacobnielson12
—sports@usustatesman.com