Utah State football: Aggies inching closer to naming Andersen new coach

A source close to the negotiations expects Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen to be named head coach of the Utah State Aggies as early as this afternoon. An announcement, however, will most likely be made on Thursday morning.

Andersen spent more than six hours in Logan on Tuesday, where he met with USU athletic director Scott Barnes and the team's leadership committee.

The source said the meetings were "very productive" and that USU is committing "significantly more resources to make the Aggies competitive." More money will be allocated to paying assistant coaches and to bulk up the recruiting budget.

Those were critical points for Andersen in the negotiations.

The only thing left to do, according to the source, is hammer out the details of Andersen's contract. He's expected to make at least six-figures more per year than what former coach Brent Guy made. Guy's base salary was $210,000 plus incentives.

Andersen, who was impressed with USU's facilities on Tuesday, returned to Cache Valley today — this time with his family. He has been Utah's defensive coordinator since 2005 and is a finalist for the 2008 Broyles Award, which honors the nation's top assistant coach.

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