Blake Anderson Says “Nobody Knows” How Good Utah State Will Be
Jul 20, 2023, 12:03 PM | Updated: 12:45 pm
LAS VEGAS – Utah State football head coach Blake Anderson joined the KSL Sports Zone at the Mountain West Media Days to go over the upcoming season, changes to college football, and the world of NIL.
The Mountain West Media Day took place at Circa Resort & Casino Las Vegas on July 19-20.
𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 📸🤳#AggiesAllTheWay | #MWFB pic.twitter.com/Xl0k2HToXr
— USU Football (@USUFootball) July 20, 2023
Changes To USU And College Football
Utah State has gone through a lot of change recently. The Aggies have brought in a lot of new faces including a new athletic director in the past year. Anderson said that the transition has been stressful.
“It’s been stressful,” Anderson said. “You always want to be in tune with the people you are working for. I have been through this before and it worked out great for me. I’m hoping and praying that that’s how this goes.”
With so much changing in the world of college athletics, Anderson said that he tries to stay ahead of the competition.
“It’s the nature of the job,” Anderson said. “I always try to be thinking a step or two ahead. I’ve already got the next chess piece ready to move.”
Aggies under the lights 📸
#MWFB | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/7a6opXPpvj— Mountain West (@MountainWest) July 20, 2023
Aggies In 2023
Utah State was ranked third in the 2022 Mountain West preseason polls. They fell to eighth in this year’s edition.
“Nobody knows what they got right now,” Anderson said. “The people that are ranking don’t know. We got 39 new scholarship players on our roster. I have no idea what kind of football team we have. Neither does anybody else.”
RELATED: Utah State Aggies Fall In Mountain West Preseason Poll
NIL has changed the college athletics landscape for good. Anderson said that players have needed more benefits, but he feels it could have been executed better.
“I don’t like it,” Anderson said. “I’ve always believed that some version of paying our players more than they were getting was needed. I don’t like where it’s gone and what it’s doing to football.”
Anderson said that he feels Utah State will be at its best if they play selflessly and with 100% effort.
“Number one thing would be that we play harder than the opponent,” Anderson said. “We talk about being selfless. Check your ego at the door and play for the guy next to you. We can make up a lot of ground by having great culture.”
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Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
