A 4-1 start to the 2012 season that included a win over in-state rival Utah and a two-point road loss to Wisconsin has netted Utah State’s Gary Anderson a revised deal.
In a release, USU announced that the school and its head coach have reached an agreement on a contract extension. The revamped contract could keep Andersen at USU through the 2018 season.
With incentives, Anderson’s new deal could climb to $765,000 annually, while his assistants will all receive bumps in pay as part of the tweaked contract.
“First of all, I cannot say anything without expressing my appreciation to President Stan Albrecht and Mr. Barnes for their leadership, vision, and commitment to this University,” said Andersen in a statement. “I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead quality young men for many years to come. Logan, Cache Valley and Utah State University have become home for me and my family. This extension continues to show how dedicated we all are at building a football program academically, socially and athletically that will be a quality representation of Utah State University.
“This contract will also help us retain quality assistant coaches, which is a very important step as we move forward and into the Mountain West Conference. I have learned over the past three and a half years that this is a very special University and community. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Utah State University.
In his fourth season with the Aggies, Anderson’s squads have compiled a 19-23. However, USU has won nine of its past 11 games.
The win over the Utes this season was the program’s first since 1997. A 2010 win over BYU was the first since 1993.
The success Anderson’s had at the WAC school will likely make him a prime candidate for poaching in the next spinning of the coaching carousel, which at least partly played into the new contract.
“It is extremely important to me that we keep Gary and his staff in Logan long-term, and I know in my conversations with him this is exactly what he wants,” said USU athletic director Scott Barnes. “We know what we have in Coach Andersen. We didn’t need to wait around until the end of the season to get this deal done.
“When we hired Gary, we set out to rebuild Utah State football into a program Aggies everywhere would be proud of. He continues to do just that in every aspect of our football program.”