Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN — It is said that hope certainly springs eternal in life, and there has never been a greater growth of hope before in Logan when it concerns Utah State football.
Despite losing their Heisman-hopeful quarterback midway through last season, the Aggies went on to win a bowl game against a nationally ranked opponent and earned a division title in their first season in the Mountain West. They also won their second consecutive bowl game and watched several alumni have tremendous performances in the NFL playoffs. Indeed, it’s a good time to be an Aggie football fan.
With all of that in mind, things got even better a few weeks ago when Utah State agreed to give second-year head coach Matt Wells a contract extension that gives him an additional year, as well as extra money to entice him to stay in Logan. Also, the new contract will also ensure pay raises for Wells’ assistants, meaning they will also have a greater incentive to stay with Utah State.
After a spring game that saw a record turnout for the Aggies, Wells said he has received congratulations from a variety of people over the contract extension.
#USU
“I’ve had great, positive feedback,” he said. “An extra year on the contract; I think it shows great support by (athletic director) Scott Barnes and President (Stan) Albrecht. It is nice; it’s a pat on the back, but we’re not going to sit around and accept them.”
More than anything, it appears that Wells wants to stay in Logan, for the short-term at the very least. After all, he quarterbacked for the school in the ’90s, and he helped Gary Andersen elevate the program as its offensive coordinator. Also, he coached the quarterbacks, meaning he helped Chuckie Keeton develop into a player that was worth being mentioned in the same sentence as Heisman Trophy.
All of these things have brought positive exposure to the program, and they have helped the university as a whole with exposure. Because of the program’s success, the Utah State athletic department is working tirelessly to add amenities to Romney Stadium, including a modernization/expansion of the press box. Overall, winning programs get additions like these, and it helps to demonstrate the fact that the Aggies continue to be headed in the right direction.
Wells is a pragmatist and understands both the benefits and woes that can go with college coaching. More than anything, he understands that winning is something that has to take place for him to continue to lead the charge as Utah State’s coach.
“They (administration) like seeing me here because I’m alumni,” he said. “But, that doesn’t win games. This alumni better win games, and they know; we know it; and our players know it.”
Throughout the three-year run of relevance the Aggies are finally experiencing, there has been a roller coaster of things that have gone on. Star players have come and gone; Andersen left for Wisconsin; Keeton had a serious knee injury against BYU — drama has been there every step of the way. Yet Wells has been able to provide clear leadership throughout several of those periods, and he mentioned a need for the players to continue to believe in the system that has been established.
“As long as our players continue to buy into the culture of the process, the end goal is that Mountain West championship and graduating every one of our seniors,” he said. “We have 21 seniors next year; 15 of them are going to graduate in three weeks. So, that’s pretty cool, and we have to continue to grind through and enjoy the process of re-establishing this culture at Utah State every day. Because if we sit around and allow people to pat us on our back, we’re going to get our tail drilled.”
One thing is for sure — nothing makes a program prouder than having one of its alumni guide it to victory, and Wells has another guaranteed year to make that happen.
