Utah State football: Dave Baldwin Colorado State-bound?

LOGAN — Utah State could be looking for a new offensive coordinator very soon. Speculation is mounting around Cache Valley that current Aggie offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin will be leaving Gary Andersen's staff to take the same position at Colorado State University.

A Utah State official declined comment when asked about the possible move.

The website coachingsearch.com has also reported that Baldwin will be on the move to Fort Collins.

Under Baldwin, the Aggies ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards and 24th in scoring offense at 33.6 points per game this past season. Despite the lofty rankings, Baldwin's offense was sometimes criticized by fans for being overly conservative, specifically not utilizing the passing attack enough finishing (USU finished 96th in the country in passing yards).

In four of the Aggies' six losses the team threw for less than 150 yards. At the Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl against Ohio, the Aggies threw 16 passes for just 96 yards, 33 of which came on a pass thrown by wide receiver Stanley Morrison on a trick play early in the first quarter.

Baldwin spent three years at Utah State leading the Aggies to a school-record 5,272 yards of total offense in 2009 and breaking the record in 2011 with 5,945 yards during the team's first winning season since 1993.

Colorado State recently hired former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain as head coach after letting Steve Fairchild go this offseason. McElwain is currently in the process of building his own coaching staff and has recently interviewed several Fairchild assistants to determine if there will be any holdovers onto the new staff, according to a report in the Denver Post.

Prior to coming to Utah State in 2009, Baldwin spent two years at New Mexico as the Lobos' offensive coordinator and four seasons (2003-06) in the same position at Michigan State.

Without Baldwin, Utah State will have a lot of turnover in their offense. The sixth-ranked rushing attack loses its two top runners, as Michael Smith is set to graduate and Robert Turbin has stated via his twitter account that he will declare for the NFL Draft, but that move is not official as far as the university is concerned. Top wide receiver Matt Austin is still waiting word whether he will be granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA to return to the team next season.

The Aggies will return two quarterbacks that saw significant playing time, Chuckie Keeton, a sophomore next year, and soon-to-be senior Adam Kennedy. The two are expected to compete for the starting position during spring ball, with Keeton the slight favorite to win the job.