By Jayson Henderson

Utah State has placed head coach Blake Anderson on administrative leave, and he is unlikely to return, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN and other sources. Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling has been appointed as the interim head coach. Dreiling, 33, is in his first season at FBS Utah State after a successful stint as the Defensive Coordinator at New Mexico State.

Dreiling played high school football at Hutchinson Kansas under his father, Randy Dreiling, a well-known head coach. He was a four-time All-American linebacker at Pittsburg State, where he helped the Gorillas win the 2011 NCAA D-II National Title. Dreiling’s coaching career includes positions as an assistant coach at FCS Southeast Missouri State and Division II Pittsburg State, as well as a high school coach at Humboldt High School in Kansas.

This is Dreiling’s first collegiate head coaching job, making him the youngest head football coach at a Division I FBS program. Dreiling’s journey from an assistant coach in lower divisions to leading a Division I team is a significant milestone in his career.