Is Blake Anderson fired? Looking at Utah State's decision to terminate head coach's contract
Utah state has officially fired Blake Anderson for Title IX violations. The team made this decision on Thursday. His time in charge of the Aggies has been one of moderate success. In his first season, Anderson turned an Aggies team that had only won one game the previous season into 2021 Mountain West champions.
In recent days, there has been controversy surrounding the Aggies coach, and now the program has made adecision regarding the future of Anderson.
Has Blake Anderson been fired?
Yes, Blake Anderson has been officially fired for cause following investigations around latest violations. This probe reportedly originates from 2023 incident involving a player's domestic violence case. On Thursday, the team made the news public.
Earlier, it was announced by the Aggies that the program has terminated the contract of Blake Anderson. In a statement, Utah State University said:
"Utah State University officials informed Head Football Coach Blake Anderson on Tuesday of their intent to terminate his employment agreement for actions taken in spring 2023."
"These actions violated both his employment agreement and university policy. Under his employment agreement, Coach Anderson will have 14 days to respond."
Why was Blake Anderson fired as Utah State head coach?
Anderson was fired as head coach after an investigation revealed that he was not complying with the university's policies surrounding Title IX. According to the university's Title IX procedures, Anderson was required to give:
“Full and timely reporting of disclosures of sexual misconduct — including domestic violence — and prohibit employees from investigating disclosures of sexual misconduct themselves.”
Blake Anderson violated this policy in 2022 when former Aggies player Patrick Maddox recorded Anderson in a meeting making disparaging comments surrounding sexual assault victims. Anderson would respond to this by retaliating against Maddox by forcing him to issue a statement of apology for recording the coaches' meeting.
This incident is a clear violation of the policy and would likely be the reason why the Aggies have decided to part ways with the coach.
Who will be replacing Blake Anderson?
Blake Anderson will be replaced by defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling, who will act as interim head coach until a full-time replacement is found.
Dreiling was going to have his first season as Utah State's defensive coordinator after two successful seasons as the DC for New Mexico State.
He will now, even for a few games, have to take charge of the program, something he has no experience in doing.
Can Utah State have a successful season without Blake Anderson?
The firing of Blake Anderson with less than two months to do before the college football season starts will have an effect on the Utah State program.
Now, they are going to have to potentially adapt to a new style of play under a new head coach. However, this may not happen due to Dreiling being involved with the program alongside Anderson.
The Aggies have been predicted to have a very strong offense this year led by quarterback Spencer Petras and a defense that should improve under Dreiling.
However, expectations may be declining for the Aggies due to the current turmoil the program is facing.