Utah State Coach Blake Anderson Unlikely to Return After Being Placed on Leave

Utah State head coach Blake Anderson is unlikely to return to his post after being placed on leave on Tuesday, the Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported.

Utah State athletic director Diana Sabau told staff that Anderson's leave was the result of an internal investigation, the Action Network reported.

"It didn't sound good," a source told McMurphy. Last year, three players were arrested for sexual assault.

In his first season in 2021, Utah State finished 11-3 with a bowl win and a final ranking in the top 25 but Anderson was forced to apologize in December of that year after he was caught on a recording saying that "it has never been more glamorized to be a victim" of sexual assault.

“And so you don’t need to put yourself in a position that you can create a victim,” he told his players, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “And it doesn’t take a whole lot. So it scares the s*** out of me.”

His apology for those comments came after a Title IX lawsuit was filed against the school that alleged it protected football players from sexual assault complaints.

Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling will take over as the team's interim coach.