Wells named Mountain West Coach of the Year

Utah State head football coach Matt Wells was announced this morning as recipient the 2018 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year award. This is Wells’ second time receiving the honor, the first coming in 2013.

In his sixth season at the helm of the Utah State program, Wells led the Aggies to a 10-2 regular season record, including a 7-1 record in conference play. This, after a 6-7 season last year and a pre-season projection of finishing fourth in the Mountain Division.

The Aggies also climbed as high as No. 14 in the AP Poll, and as high as No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings this season. They ranked third in the nation and first in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 47.2 points per game, and outscored opponents by an average of 24.2 points per game.

During his six seasons as head coach, Wells has helped the Aggies to bowl eligibility five times, and has an overall record of 44-34. He is the second winningest coach in program history.

Wells became one of just five head coaches in program history to receive a conference coach of the year award, and is the only one to receive multiple of the honors.

Per his contract, Wells will receive a $15,000 bonus for receiving the award. With just one year remaining under his current contract, it’s likely that contract negotiations are ongoing.

Along with this award, Aggie players also received a conference-best 18 all-conference honors, including two first-team all-conference awards and six second-team all-conference awards. This is tied for the most in program history.

The Aggies now await an invitation to what will be their seventh bowl game in the past eight seasons. An announcement of their bowl destination is likely to come Sunday afternoon.

–jadencrockettjohnson@gmail.com

Twitter: @jadenjohnson00