Bronco Mendenhall has signed a six-year contract to become the head football coach at Utah State, the university announced on Friday.
At 58 years old, Mendenhall joins the Aggies after a one-year stint at New Mexico, where he led the Lobos to a 5-7 record. Under his leadership, New Mexico finished first in the Mountain West Conference for total offense, averaging 484.2 yards per game.
Before his time at New Mexico, Mendenhall spent six years as the head coach at Virginia and 11 years at BYU. With 18 seasons as a head coach, he holds a 140-88 career record.
In a statement, Mendenhall expressed his commitment to developing young athletes and building football programs to their fullest potential. He mentioned that Utah State offers a strong opportunity for both and aligns with his personal values, including a focus on family. He is excited to contribute to the university’s football tradition and work toward achieving excellence.
Mendenhall takes over a Utah State program that has experienced three consecutive losing seasons, following their sole Mountain West Conference championship in 2021. This past season, the Aggies finished with a 4-8 record under interim head coach Nate Dreiling. Dreiling stepped in after head coach Blake Anderson was dismissed in July, following three seasons with the team, due to alleged violations of university policies related to the reporting of sexual misconduct complaints.
Mendenhall earned a reputation for revitalizing programs at both BYU and Virginia. At BYU, he led the Cougars to consecutive Mountain West titles in 2006 and 2007, during his second and third seasons in Provo. Later, after moving to Virginia in 2016, he helped the Cavaliers reach their first Orange Bowl in 2019.
After stepping down from Virginia in 2021, Mendenhall took a two-year break from coaching before signing a five-year contract with New Mexico in December. In his first season with the Lobos, he quickly turned the team around, guiding them to their highest win total in a season since 2016.