Now that SMU's bowl game is behind them, all attention focuses on how Sonny Dykes will fill out his staff. Word we have been hearing the past few days is that Dykes is strongly considering adding former Oregon State and Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen as defensive coordinator.
October 9th Gary Andersen and Oregon State mutually agreed to part ways after a 1-5 start to his third season in Corvallis. Andersen led the program to a 2-10 finish his first season, in 2015, followed by a 4-8 mark in 2016. Overall, he was 7-23 as the head coach of the Beavers.
In an interesting twist, Andersen agreed to free the school from the $12.7 million buyout that he was due from Oregon State, per the terms of his contract.
Anderson has played an integral part of a number of very successful defenses over the years as an assistant, highlighted by a few seasons as the defensive coordinator at Utah from 2005-08. From there he became the head coach at Utah State (2009-12), and then Wisconsin (2013-14) before leaving Madison to take over the Oregon State program in 2015.
Dykes has made a number of hires on the offensive side of the ball; but this DC hire will be key for the long-term success of the Ponies.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest developments.