Taking a tough coaching job sets good coaches apart from those who just inherit great situations. Veteran coach Bronco Mendenhall accepted the New Mexico Lobos position with the hope of bringing change. After a year of doing so, he hopes to do the same with the Utah State Aggies.
Bronco Mendenhall Rides New Mexico Success to Utah State
Mendenhall’s efforts at New Mexico earned him an A- grade from College Sports Network. Now, the Alpine, Utah native heads back to resuscitate the Aggies. Before we look ahead, take a glance back at how he arrived at this point.
In discussing Mendenhall, a phrase bubbles to the surface. The coach appears “here for a good time, not a long time.” After winning 69.7% of his career games at BYU, the coach departed for Virginia.
In a move that baffled observers, Mendenhall left a program after a nine-win season for a team that won just four the previous year.
In six seasons in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers accepted three bowl invites, winning one (the 2019 Belk Bowl). While not necessarily a perennial winning job, Mendenhall managed to make the Cavaliers competitive. After that, he benched himself for two years before heading to New Mexico.
New Mexico, for the better part of its existence as a program, struggled to gain any sustainable footing in the game. The Lobos, under Mendenhall, played as hard as their talent. For the first time since 2016, they earned more than four victories.
Mendenhall ran a spread offense centered around a quarterback who could make plays with his arms and legs, Devon Dampier. Most importantly to the faithful, the team secured their first Rio Grande Rivalry win against in-state rival New Mexico State.
During his one year at UNM, Mendenhall changed the mood and environment. For a program unaccustomed to any success, renovating the vibe matters. On offense, the Lobos responded by averaging 33.5 points per game, ranking 23rd in FBS.
Bolstered by the second best rushing attack among 134 teams (253.6 ypg), the Aggies played with confidence. Dampier (now with the Utah Utes) sparked the ball movement.
New Mexico extended drives by converting 43.4% of their third downs. A 5-7 record doesn’t appear all that successful, but context matters, and the team looked good in spots.
As a former cornerback, Mendenhall will have his hands full with a Utah State defense that could not stop a nosebleed. The 2024 team allowed 37.8 points per contest. (seventh worst in FBS). Furthermore, opponents ran wild with 214.5 rushing yards a night (also seventh most).
Only eight teams allowed more plays of 10 or more yards from scrimmage than Utah State’s 204. Mendenhall wants to play bigger at the line of scrimmage and has brought players through recruiting and the transfer portal to quickly solve the issues upfront. He’s also targeted faster players behind the defensive front to help curtail big plays in 2025.
Mendenhall’s quick stop in New Mexico provided the college football world and, more importantly, Utah State a window.
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The window showed a coach who stepped away from the game for two seasons, accepting a brutally unforgiving job. During said time, Mendenhall righted the metaphorical ship, allowing the next coach to build upon the culture.
Now, back in Utah, Mendenhall could enjoy a similar tenure to his days at BYU. With just two winning seasons in the last six, the Aggies need their new coach to bring his ability to turn programs around from the first snap of spring camp.
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