It appears the coaching carousel won’t be making a stop at Utah State, at least not this year.
Taking over a program that won a school-record 11 games in Gary Andersen‘s final season in 2012, Matt Wells continued the winning ways in Logan by guiding the Aggies to a total of 19 wins his first two seasons. USU slipped to 6-7 in 2015, then stumbled to 3-9 this year.
The Aggies finished 2016 mired in a five-game losing streak, leading some to speculate that the athletic department might look for new direction in the football program. Amidst the rumors, athletic director John Hartwell issued a letter of support confirming that Wells will return for the 2017 season.
However, “there will be some changes made as we start preparations” for next season. Those changes were unspecified, although it’s safe to assume at least some are related to Well’s coaching staff.In reflecting on the recently completed football season, we did not meet the expectations of our student-athletes, our coaches, our administration, or our fan base. The level of success over the previous five years (43 wins vs. 24 losses and five straight bowl appearances) has become our measuring stick. Head coach Matt Wells has been a vital part of that success, and no one is taking the disappointment of this season harder than him. The sting of this season will be a driving force for all of us associated with our football program to make the changes and sacrifices necessary to regain the winning edge.
Coach Wells and I have had multiple meetings over the last few weeks to examine our entire football program. The goal and expectation is to get our program back to the level we all enjoyed over the previous five seasons. We have complete confidence that coach Wells is the man to lead us moving forward. He and I agree that there will be some changes made as we start preparations for a successful 2017 season.