Utah State football: Search to replace Guy begins

LOGAN — Faced with the daunting task of rebuilding a floundering Utah State football team, Brent Guy has pounded plenty of nails and worked tirelessly in creating a foundation for long-lasting success with the Aggies.

What he never quite managed to do, however, was turn the Aggies into winners.

On Sunday, after losing another ballgame, this time a 45-38 decision at Louisiana Tech, Guy was thanked for his efforts by USU athletic director Scott Barnes and told he would be out of a job.

"This is not a rebuild," Barnes said. "This is an add-on, if you will."

Barnes said Guy's labors had brought many positive changes to the Aggies. They were more competitive and athletic. They had more depth on the field and more success in the classroom.

But the ultimate measure of success for a football team comes in the win column. And there, Barnes said, is where Guy's teams had not proven themselves definitively better.

"In the end, the lack of any significant or sustainable momentum was the reason," Barnes said Monday at a press conference in Logan explaining the decision to let Guy go. "In addition, progress was undoubtedly made. But progress that translates to wins certainly wasn't there."

Guy, who has only eight wins in 46 games with the Aggies, was not at the press conference. He did, however, make a statement in the press release announcing his dismissal.

"We didn't win as many games on the field as I would have liked," Guy said, "but we started down a path that I believe will benefit the university and this program very soon."

The move was expected by many in the coaching circles but also came as a bit of a surprise.

"I think he's a great person and an excellent football coach. He'll land on his feet. He's a heckuva defensive mind. I know that for a fact," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He just needs to get himself in a good situation. My guess is he'll have another opportunity to be a head coach somewhere down the line. He's a guy I have a lot of respect for."

Guy will complete the season as the Aggies' head coach with a home game against New Mexico State on Nov. 29 and then step aside.

It's entirely possible that Utah State will have hired a new head coach by that time.

Barnes, who said the search "committee" would be limited to himself, has already had contact with a handful of potential coaches and is getting feedback from college administrators and coaches across the country.

Perhaps the most popular name on internet message boards and water-cooler chats is former Utah State coach John L. Smith.