Andersen — visibly tired after a three-day whirlwind of activity that took him from his home in Draper to Cache Valley on three consecutive days — where he met with players, administration, staff and hammered out the details of a 5-year contract that will pay him approximately $350,000 per year — said he will hit the ground running and tap into his deep local recruiting connections to make Utah State more of a player for local athletes.

"We will focus on the state of Utah, number one. That is a promise. We will go against whoever we have to go against. Whether it's the other blue team or the red team, I don't care. We are going to go head to head with them and fight them," he said.

"From there, we will go outside the state and bring young men that fit in Cache Valley."

His introduction was a nervous one for the players who have been in an emotional limbo for the better part of three weeks since Guy was fired.

"The players met with him and everyone just got excited. He told us a lot of good things, and everyone was just excited. He's a good guy," sophomore quarterback Diondre Borel said. "He says a lot of good things; he has good intentions for this team to work harder and to do a lot of things better."

Linebacker Jake Hutton, a senior who has been through all four years of the Guy era and learned Thursday he would get an extra year of eligibility, said he's also excited to see what Andersen can do with the Aggies.

"We were asking him about the possibility of him coming here and he said, 'If I think we can beat Boise State, then I'll come.' Obviously he does think that, and I am excited because I think you should shoot for the top," Hutton said.

"You shouldn't shoot for 6-6. If he would have said something like that, that is not something I would want to hear. He said, 'Boise State, here we come,' and I like that."

Andersen, after taking questions from the media, quickly found himself in one of the meeting rooms at the new football complex at Romney Stadium. There he had a dozen Aggie players to himself, where he talked for several minutes.

"My priorities are, number one, the young men in this program. They have gone a few weeks without a leader and direction. I need to reach out to them," Andersen said. "I have been able to talk to six or seven of them, but I will talk to each one of them in the next week. If not for student-athletes, there is no football."

By staying close to home, Andersen knows he will become a competitor and foe to many of the coaches and players he's spent many years being a part of.

It will all start in the 2009 season opener in Salt Lake City, when he takes on his former boss and confidant Kyle Whittingham.

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com