2024 hasn’t been so Jolly in Logan. Head Coach Blake Anderson was dismissed before the season even started due to multiple breaches of his contract. Newly acquired Defensive Coordinator Nate Dreiling was thrusted into the Interim Head Coaching position and the season has gone about how’d you expect. Utah State is currently 1-3(as of the time of this recording) with the most recent game being a 45-29 loss to the Temple Owls. It’s the equivalent of getting a lump of coal on Christmas
Despite all difficulties the Utah State Aggies program has faced in 2024, there is a major silver lining to all of this, and that is Utah State will be joining the rejuvenated PAC-12, joining former Mountain West teams Boise State, Fresno State San Diego State, and Colorado State. Joining the PAC-12 likely increases the appeal of the job and should lure some strong head coaching candidates to Logan if they decide to go in a different direction at Head Coach. Without further ado, here are some head coaching candidates that could make Aggies fans jolly again.
Jay Hill-BYU Defensive Coordinator
Let’s start this list off by going with a Utah lifer in the 49 year old Lehi native, Jay Hill. The BYU Cougars Defensive Coordinator has all the qualities the Utah State Aggies brass will be looking for in a Head Coach. Has prior head coaching experience, knows Utah like the back of his hand and gets a lot out of his roster.
Prior to his gig as BYU’s defensive coordinator Jay Hill was the Head Coach of the Weber State Wildcats from 2014-2022 and had a very nice 9 year run with the club. He compiled a 68-39 record, 4 straight Big Sky Championships from 2017-2020, 7 playoff appearances and 6 playoff victories. His first season in Provo wasn’t a smooth one, as the Cougars struggled defensively and adjusting to their new conference in the Big 12 added on to the challenge. BYU finished 2023 with a 5-7 record and the 99th ranked defense. 2024 has been a much different story however, as BYU has started the season 4-0 and are currently ranked 22nd in the country.
Jay Hill’s revamped defense has played a huge part in the team’s improvement. The Cougars defense has made a drastic leap, soaring to 18th in total defense in 2024 so far. If Utah State is searching for a Head Coach to lead them into the resurrected PAC-12, Jay Hill would be an excellent Christmas choice.
Bryan Harsin-Former Auburn Head Coach
Utah State knows Bryan Harsin very well as the Head Coach of Mountain West foe, Boise State. In 7 seasons as the sideline boss of the Broncos, Bryan Harsin amassed an extremely impressive 69-19 record, 3 Mountain West Championships and a New Year’s Six Bowl win in 2014.
His tenure at Auburn was rocky but was given an extremely short leash and was fired after 1 and a half seasons, going 9-12 in that stretch. Despite the ugly ending with the Tigers, there’s no doubt in my mind that Bryan Harsin can be successful back on the West Coast and the Aggies could be a nice fit.
The 47 year old Boise native knows how to recruit hidden gems, but has also recruited some of the highest rated recruits in Boise State history, which is something Utah State could really use right now. Add to that his winning pedigree along with the move to the PAC-12, both sides could have some interest in teaming up.
Andy Ludwig-Utah Offensive Coordinator
For our third entry we head back home to Utah with Utes Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig. The 60 year old Ogden native has had a successful career in his nearly 3 decade long run as an offensive play caller, spanning from 1997 to the current day.
Ever since taking over play calling duties for the Utah Utes in 2019, the team has had tremendous success, winning back to back PAC-12 Championships in 2021 and 2022 and that success hasn’t stopped in their inaugural season in the BIG-12. While his lack of head coaching experience might be concerning to some, his long and decorated career as an offensive mind would definitely be a Christmas present Utah State fans would be excited about.
Matt Entz-USC Linebackers Coach
Don’t let the title of Linebackers Coach deceive you, the former North Dakota State Head Coach had an extremely strong 5 year run with the Bison from 2019-2023 before joining the Trojans. In that span NDSU went 60-11, 15-3 in the playoffs and won 2 national championships in 2019 and 2021.
The last 2 NDSU Head Coaches have transitioned well to the FBS level. Craig Bohl, who won the first 3 FCS National Championships with the Bison, had a solid decade-long run as Wyoming’s Head Coach. His successor and Matt Entz’ predecessor Chris Klieman, is also having success right now at Kansas State and are ranked in the top 25 at the time this article has been written.
If Utah State wants a proven, consistent winner as a Christmas gift, Matt Entz should be at the top of the list.
Paul Chryst-Former Wisconsin Head Coach
Once seen as one of the better Head Coaches in the profession, it was pretty surprising that Wisconsin let him go after a shaky 2-3 start to the 2022 season. It was a rough ending to an otherwise very successful tenure in Madison. In 7 and a half seasons as the leader of the Badgers Paul Chryst had a 67-26 record, won back to back Big Ten Coach of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017, went to 3 New Year’s Six Bowl games and won 2 of them.
We’ve seen plenty of times that a Head Coach that was fired by a bigger program goes to an intermediate to smaller program and produces excellent results quickly. Notable examples include Frank Solich(Nebraska to Ohio), Hugh Freeze(Ole Miss to Liberty), Lane Kiffin(USC to FAU), and most recently Barry Odum(Missouri to UNLV). Paul Chryst’s ground and pound running game and playing strong defense could take some time to adjust to, but it’s proven that it can be an effective strategy.
Much like the previously mentioned Bryan Harsin and Matt Entz, Paul Chryst is a proven winner, and the Aggies faithful have that as their number 1 gift on their Christmas wish list and Paul would be an excellent candidate to get the job done.
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