USU football: Aggies' head coach enjoying simple yet fulfilling life in Logan

He said it's not unrealistic that he could stay at Utah State forever.

He loves the type of player he gets to recruit, and living in a town known for its blue-collar work ethic.

"It's how I was raised and what I believe ... how you can develop a kid and push him to become a hard worker and tough-minded," Andersen said. "That's what the Cache Valley is, a small community where you're accountable for your actions daily. I get to coach the kind of kids I like to coach and for me the Cache Valley is what I grew up in. It is what Salt Lake City was when I was 8 to 18 years old. A part of me likes that."

He enjoys living the simple life, with Sunday night family dinners, and a new tradition started last year of a one-week vacation. After last season it was San Diego and the Wild Animal Park and Sea World.

He's not sure yet about this year.

"They want to go on a cruise, but I know I'll get seasick," Andersen said.

It's an honest answer from a coach the players trust.

Star defensive back Will Davis recalled the recruiting trip he took to Logan about two years ago.

He still planned to visit Hawaii, but Andersen convinced him to commit right then and there.

"He said, 'I'll take you to Hawaii and we'll go down there, get the win and beat them up a little,'" Davis said of a game on the Aggies' 2011 schedule. "He just sold me. I put my trust in a man who's very trustworthy. Sure enough, we went to Hawaii and we beat them.

"He didn't guarantee me a championship," said Davis, a senior on a team that won the Western Athletic Conference title this year with a 10-2 record. "He just guaranteed me I'd be part of a change. He knew we were going to turn it around. His vision is beyond this year. I can't even fathom to think what he's thinking in that head. He has something huge in mind for Utah State. But if he does go on (eventually), I don't think anyone would be mad because we want the best for him."