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LOGAN — Utah State coach Matt Wells had a pivotal moment in his career, in the moments after star quarterback Chuckie Keeton went down with an injury against BYU.
How he handled that moment would define the season, and how he coached the team through the adversity that followed would define the direction of Wells’ career. Fortunately for the Aggies, the team went 6-2 after Keeton’s loss, and Wells led Utah State to its second-consecutive bowl victory, in a Poinsettia Bowl win over Northern Illinois.
For those efforts, Utah State announced Thursday that it has awarded Wells a contract extension through the 2018 season. The press release stated Wells could earn as much as $800,000 per season, with incentives and pay increases. The school will also increase the pay for assistant coaches.
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“I’m very appreciative of the support shown by president Stan Albrecht and Scott Barnes in our staff and myself,” said Wells, in a statement released by the institution. “We are motivated daily to continue the culture that has been set here at Utah State in the football program and we will continue to strive toward our goals of graduating our student-athletes on time, and competing for and winning Mountain West Championships.”
Hired after former coach Gary Andersen left for Wisconsin, Wells led the Aggies to the inaugural Mountain West Championship game, and won the Mountain division with a record of 7-1. For this, Wells won Coach of the Year honors in the conference, and also set the school record for most wins by a rookie head coach.
In the release, Utah State vice president and director of athletics Scott Barnes said the school is committed to the vision Wells has created for the football program.
“Matt had a great first year leading our football program. His commitment to our student-athletes has been tremendous and they’ve responded with great results in the classroom and on the field,” he said. “Matt has deep roots here as a former Aggie quarterback and he conveys his passion for our great university on a daily basis.”
The Aggies will close their spring practice schedule with the Blue-White game Saturday at Romney Stadium.
