The coaching search for another head man for Utah State’s football program has begun.
After the sudden and curious departure of Gary Andersen, the Aggies have turned to co-defense coordinator Frank Maile to lead the charge for the time being. But athletic director John Hartwell said a national search for Andersen’s replacement will start immediately.
Hartwell said Monday that in the 48 hours since the news broke about Andersen, his phone had “blown up” with people interested in the job. He added that Maile will also be considered for the job and won’t be penalized if he doesn’t go 5-0 to end the season.
“It gives him a five-week audition, if you will,” Hartwell said of Maile. “There’s no guarantee, no promise in there. But it certainly does not hurt him having that ability.”
Maile indicated that he would like to be seriously considered to become the team’s new head coach.
“That’s my dream,” Maile said. “I’m a true blooded Aggie, through and through.”
While Hartwell mentioned the search will be national, he said he would be remiss not to consider some of the local coaching talent that is currently working all over the state of Utah. He specifically mentioned the BYU program and the success it’s enjoyed this season. The Cougars are 8-0 and ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press college football poll.
A couple of names on BYU coach Kalani Sitake’s staff that could garner some attention are offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick. Both coaches have been on the staff since 2018.
Defense coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki might also be a good fit. He coached under Andersen at Utah State from 2009-2011, giving him knowledge of what Aggie culture is and means.
Sitake said Monday that he would not bar his assistants from interviewing for the Utah State job. He mentioned Andersen as one of the many coaching mentor’s he’s had throughout his career.
“I think we have great coaches on our staff that are future head coaches and are future coordinators and great leaders,” Sitake said. “And so I’ll always be supportive of them climbing the ladder and getting their opportunities, just like other mentors have done for me.”
Jay Hill at Weber State is another possible candidate. He’s led the the Wildcats to three straight Big Sky championships and three consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins. Last season, Weber State advanced to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs for the first time in school history.
At the University of Utah, defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley could get a look. But it might be more of a long shot. He was set to become the program’s next head coach before he was suspended and investigated for allegedly using racist language in a 2013 text message. He was eventually reinstated, but faced harsh penalties.
Hartwell didn’t give a specific timeline for when he will hire a new coach. He said he will likely hire an outside firm to assist with the search. And while he will listen to the input of donors, the decision on who the hire will be will fall to him and other university administration, he said.
Hartwell also said he wants to take his time.
“Obviously the sooner the better because what that does is it alleviates the anxiety of who it’s going to be, what kind of coach is it going to be, all of those questions,” Hartwell said. “But I’m not going to rush to a decision. I want to make sure that we get the right person.”
Hartwell mentioned how lacking the offense has been for the Aggies this season, and it seems like correcting that issue will be at the forefront of the coaching search.
“I don’t want to box myself in,” Hartwell said. “But I will tell you this: If it’s a defensive guy, I want to talk to them right up front about what their plan is to fix our offense.”
BYU reporter Norma Gonzalez contributed to this story.
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