Jay Hill? Bronco Mendenhall? Someone else? The latest on the Aggies’ coaching search

Who will be the head football coach at Utah State next season?
That is the major question surrounding the Aggie program right now, following the conclusion of the 2024 season.
USU has had an interim head coach — Nate Dreiling — since early July, when Blake Anderson was terminated from his position leading the Utah State program.
Dreiling hasn’t had the interim tag removed, however, after leading the Aggies to a 4-8 record this season with a 3-4 mark in Mountain West Conference play.
That means the Utah State head coaching job is open.
In public comments made during the past few weeks, Utah State athletic director Diana Sabau has noted that her preference for USU’s next head coach is someone with head coaching experience and connections to and/or familiarity with the state of Utah and everything that it entails, including the culture surrounding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Per a Deseret News source, BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill was the clear No. 1 target for the Aggies, and according to MWC Connection’s Mike Wittmann, Hill and USU have had extensive talks, with Hill asking for “financial commitments for facility upgrades, renewed NIL emphasis, operational and staffing budgets.”
As of late last week, though, the two sides appeared far away from a deal, Wittmann reported.
On Monday, Football Scoop’s John Brice reported that New Mexico head coach Bronco Mendenhall, the former head coach at BYU and Virginia, has emerged as a “central focus” for the USU job.
Mendenhall signed a five-year, $6 million dollar contract with New Mexico last winter and has a $2 million buyout upon entry into the second year of his contract.
In his first season back with the Lobos, Mendenhall led UNM to its best season since 2016 and had the Lobos within a win of bowl eligibility.
Brice also reported that Dreiling remains in consideration for the job on a permanent basis, and current Aggie players have been vocal about their appreciation for Dreiling and his staff.
Ahead of the season finale against Colorado State, linebacker Jadon Pearson praised Dreiling and his staff, noting, “This was the first coaching staff I’ve ever had that really made it fun in the facility, the coach-to-player relationship. I felt like I could talk to them about anything.
“At my previous institutions, I felt like it was a little bit more uptight, which was not a knock to them, that’s just how they ran their ship. But here, it was a lot more fun, a lot more loose and I felt like it built a lot more camaraderie these last few weeks. Whether they stay, whether they go, I am thankful I was able to be coached by them. They really helped me a lot in my player development.”
Another name to watch out for in regards to the USU coaching job, according to Brice, is Montana State coach Brent Vigen.
Vigen just led Montana State to an undefeated season and top overall seed for the FCS playoffs and has won 44 games so far in his four seasons leading the Bobcats.
Vigen has little to no ties to Utah, with the majority of his career spent at North Dakota State, prior to his current tenure at Montana State.
Also of interest, Wittmann reported last week that at least one other sitting Mountain West head coach has interviewed for the USU job.
For now, though, it appears that Mendenhall might be the front-runner to lead Utah State next season and into the Pac-12 come 2026.