Utah State University has made the decision to terminate head football coach Blake Anderson's employment agreement after an investigation revealed noncompliance with university policies pertaining to Title IX, the school announced on Tuesday. Anderson, who was set to enter his fourth season with the Aggies, now has 14 days to respond to the notice from the university.

The investigation also led to the firing 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, as well as failures of professional responsibilities.

In light of the circumstances, defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach Nate Dreiling, who joined the team in January, will serve as the interim coach for the time being.

Utah State President Elizabeth Cantwell and athletic director Diana Sabau issued a joint statement underscoring the university's commitment to upholding accountability and living by its core values. They acknowledged the impact of these decisions on the student-athletes and the football program but emphasized the importance of establishing a respectful, transparent, and winning culture at Utah State University.

However, Anderson's attorney, Tom Mars, has stated that his client plans to contest any termination that comes "with cause." Mars argues that while the university has the right to terminate Anderson, the evidence alleged and the language in Anderson's employment agreement suggest that it will be an uphill battle for the university to fire him for cause without paying his owed buyout.

The incident leading to the university's notice to Anderson occurred in the spring of 2023. Former player Patrick Maddox filed a lawsuit against Anderson and Utah State, claiming that the coach retaliated against him after recording Anderson's disparaging remarks about sexual assault victims during a team meeting. The suit also alleges that Anderson pressured Maddox to apologize to the team for recording the comments and warned of potential repercussions if he failed to comply. Maddox later received a settlement of $150,000 from Utah State, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Blake Anderson, 55 years old, was hired as Utah State's head coach in 2021, succeeding Gary Andersen following his seven-year tenure at Arkansas State. In his first season with the Aggies, Anderson led the team to an impressive 11-3 record, a Mountain West title, and a victory over Oregon State in the Los Angeles Bowl. That season also marked the first time since 2018 that Utah State finished the year ranked, placing 24th in the AP Top 25.

However, the subsequent two seasons witnessed a decline in the team's performance, as they recorded 6-7 records in each of those years, with a 9-7 mark in Mountain West Conference (MWC) play. Additionally, the Aggies suffered consecutive bowl game losses and failed to finish higher than tied for third in the Mountain division of the MWC.

Utah State must now look ahead to the future, navigating the termination of Coach Anderson's agreement and making decisions regarding the coaching staff and the upcoming 2024 season, which kicks off on August 31 against Robert Morris.