Traditionally, July is the calm before the storm for Utah State football, and of course, most years Mountain West Conference media days take place in July, but outside of that multi-day event in Las Vegas, the Aggies are typically working alone preparing for fall camp before the college football season.
This July was anything but normal.
First, on July 2, Utah State announced its intention to fire former head coach Blake Anderson for cause, and fired director of player development Austin Albrecht and associate athletic director Jerry Bovey, with associate athletic director Amy Crosby later being added to the firing list.
Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling, 33 and new to the team, was named interim head coach.
These personnel decisions shocked and upset many Aggies players, but they did their best to remain calm. Safety Ike Larsen said at MW media day, “Nobody wants to hear that news. It was unexpected. But when adversity hits you just let it affect you, good or bad.”
USU then decided to fire Anderson on July 18. After the results of the investigation and legal action were made public, Anderson's firing became a top priority for the players and everyone else.
The firing of the head coach and other prominent athletic officials would have been enough, but on July 20, Andre Seldon Jr., a transfer student from New Mexico State University, jumped off a cliff at Porcupine Reservoir and drowned along with members of the Aggies football and women's gymnastics teams.
With two new football coaches hired less than a week before fall camp began (Troy Morrell and Dave Wiemers as offensive and defensive analysts), it's fair to say USU football is in turmoil. At the very least, this July has been unlike any other.
Speaking with the Deseret News in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon, USU athletic director Diana Sabau unashamedly acknowledged the reality the USU football department has experienced over the past month.
“Yes, it's been a tough few weeks recently,” she said, “and the death of André Cerdan was a real tragedy.”
But Sabau’s thoughts are focused on the future, and she firmly believes the Aggies will surprise this season.
“In fact, it has brought us together and made us stronger,” she said. “It is in adversity that some people shine the brightest.”
What is the current status of the USU football team?
Sabaut said the Aggies are motivated to produce this season, even though many people expect very little from them.
“This football team is united and wants to prove something,” she said. “They're really excited. They have beliefs and they're saying, 'Why not us?', 'Why not USU?' I hope everybody believes in that.”
Sabau maintains that most of that belief comes from the players themselves. On Friday, she repeatedly called the Aggies “player-driven.”
“This group challenges each other, pushes each other and gets the best of each other,” she said. “We're starting to see a lot of leadership emerge in the locker room this year, and I'm not kidding when I say they believe.”
Sabau is a firm believer in player-led locker rooms, stating explicitly, “Player-led locker rooms have been very successful. I think that's what we'll see this year.”
But that doesn't mean she doesn't believe in the Aggies' coaching staff. Sabau exudes confidence when talking about Dreiling, who USU is sure to expect to be something of a wunderkind as the youngest head coach in the FBS.
“We are fortunate to have Nate Dreiling on our team,” Sabau said. “Nate is our head coach. He has all the tools he needs and is ready to go. He was immediately embraced by the team when he joined us from New Mexico State in January.”
Sabau also noted that the remaining staff is starting fresh this season with a chance to prove themselves in new roles and with new leadership — in her eyes, they all have something to prove and are excited about the prospect.
“We already had some great people on our staff, but now it's about how we can develop their skills and make them even more successful,” she said.
“I think some of our current staff are excited about the new responsibilities and things they can accomplish individually as part of the coaching staff. They're really excited. It brings new energy and a new feeling of coming together and proving yourself.”
Regarding the passing of Andre Seldon Jr.
The loss of Seldon, one of the few “marquee” players who transferred from NMSU to USU following Dreiling, immediately became the most pressing issue for USU sports, particularly USU football.
And there's good reason for that.
“This is a tragedy that nobody wants to see happen,” Sabaw said. “It's truly shocking. For many young people, it's their first encounter with death.”
Utah State has done its best to help the Aggies athletics community heal through counseling services and meetings, specifically with the football and women's gymnastics teams.
“Everyone experiences grief differently,” Sabau said, “so there can't be a one-size-fits-all approach. There's no one-size-fits-all approach that works for everybody.”
Utah State held a memorial for Seldon on Thursday night at Maverick Stadium that drew a strong response.
“Looking at the turnout at the memorial last night, I don't think there was a single person in Maverick Stadium who didn't shed a tear,” Sabau said. “Every single student-athlete on campus came, even those who hadn't practiced yet. Many of the coaches who were in town came, too.”
“Andre's dad and grandpa were there too. It was a great night to honor Seldon. I told his family afterwards, 'This isn't the end. This is the beginning of a new relationship. You will always be Aggies.'”
“Imagine coming back to a packed Maverick Stadium, hearing the crowd and seeing Andre there.”
On the hiring of Troy Morrell and Dave Weemers
While hiring two new coaches less than a week before the start of fall camp is obviously unusual, Sabaw said he felt it was necessary to add a veteran coach to the Aggies' staff to help Dreiling, who is entering his first season as head coach.
“Nate is young,” she said. “He's really a new head coach and it was important to me to give him the tools and the personnel to be most successful from a leadership standpoint.”
Sabau said she didn't push Dreiling towards Morrell and Weemers. Rather, it was a conversation that began the moment Dreiling called her during a family vacation in Ireland to tell her he was USU's new head football coach.
“He and I have spoken a lot, we've had a lot of phone calls and we've met in person a lot. When I called him (to tell him I was becoming the interim head coach), he was on a family vacation in Ireland and had come back early.
“He's enthusiastic. We've met and had a few discussions and we met on July 5th to talk about what else we need to round out this staff, who else we want to bring in, etc. I'm really happy with what we ended up with.”
There's a lot to like about Morrell and Wiemers — Morrell played in five national championships at Butler Community College and Wiemers was defensive coordinator for Dreiling, a former standout linebacker at Pittsburg State — but nothing matters to Sabau more than their excitement and energy.
“We’re getting two coaches who are not only going to accomplish a lot, but who are really excited to be a part of Utah State,” she said. “That’s what I want.
“I want people to stand up and say, 'Yes! We are Utah State,' not just, 'Yes, we are Utah State.' There's an inherent pride (as Aggies) and I already met Troy yesterday. He got on campus the day before and is super excited and ready to go. He has a new energy and it's contagious. I think that's really going to help our team.”
