In a whirlwind news story that just broke today, Arkansas State football head coach Blake Anderson is officially leaving the Red Wolves to become the head coach of the Utah State Aggies.

The move came after A-State ended 2020 with a 4-7 record, the first losing season since 2010.

A-State Athletic Director Terry Mohajir held an impromptu Zoom press conference this afternoon, where he became emotional in talking about Anderson’s impact on the program and his own life.

“We were always on the same page.,” Mohajir said. “He will be a great friend and resource and now he’s a power five coach. I wish him and his family the best.”

Mohajir said that this transition has been building in the past 4-5 weeks when signs started to show that this was a possible move.

Mohajir says he has 15 different things he’s looking for in a head coach, and confirms there’s a lot of interest in the coaching job at A-State after sustaining consistent success and building Power Five facilities.

This was not a case of A-State dismissing Anderson, as A-State’s third-most winningest coach left of his own volition to join the Mountain West program. Mohajir helped with the transition, lowering Anderson’s buyout by $150,000 to help Anderson find a new landing spot.

Anderson earned 51 victories in his tenure as the Red Wolves head coach, which lasted from 2014 to 2020, and never suffered a losing season until this year. He also won two conference championships in 2015 and 2016.

Categories: Sports