Utah State announced Tuesday that it has informed head football coach Blake Anderson that the school intends to fire him after an external investigation found that Anderson violated the university’s Title IX policies.
The university said the investigation stemmed from Anderson’s actions in the spring of 2023, which “violated both his employment agreement and university policy.”
Additionally, Utah State alleges Anderson violated rules that “prohibit employees from investigating disclosures of sexual misconduct themselves.”
Utah State also announced the firings of deputy athletic director Jerry Bovee and director of player development Austin Albrecht for “violations of university policies related to the reporting of sexual and domestic violence and failures of professional responsibilities.”
“As leaders, we are responsible for ensuring allegations of USU policy violations are investigated. Today’s actions are the result of a thorough external investigation, and we believe the evidence demands immediate action,” university president Elizabeth Cantwell and athletic director Diana Sabau said in a joint statement.
“Our job is to fearlessly hold ourselves and others accountable for their conduct and to make sure that, for the sake of our students and our community, we are living the values of our university. While recognizing the impact of these decisions on our student athletes and football program, we will continue to take the steps necessary to deliver a respectful, transparent and winning culture at Utah State University,” the statement continued.
Anderson was hired by Utah State in December 2020 after spending the previous seven seasons as the head coach of the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Per his employment agreement, Anderson has 14 days to respond.
Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling has been named the Aggies’ interim head coach for the 2024 season.