Dec. 9—Bronco Mendenhall said leaving New Mexico for Utah State after one year wasn’t on his “radar” during his introductory press conference Monday in Logan, Utah.
Mendenhall was formally announced as the Aggies’ 31st head football coach on Friday. The 58-year-old Utah native led UNM to a 5-7 season in his first, and only, year with the program after signing a five-year, $6 million contract in May.
Mendenhall said the decision to leave UNM after one season was difficult, citing proximity to family with the opportunity to keep coaching as the primary reason for his departure. His three sons, Cutter, Breaker and Raeder, all live in Provo, Utah — home of BYU’s main campus — and 93-year-old mother, Lenore, lives in Alpine, Utah.
“To say there was another reason, there wasn’t,” he said. “Our chance to continue to do this with our family so close, man, that’s — who gets to do that? It’s just awesome. And that happens to be here in Logan and Utah State, with this rich tradition, the recent successes, past successes and the trajectory in the future?
“Gosh, that just made a lot of sense. I still feel for the kids there — in this world of (the) transfer portal and how it works, they might be more prepared now than in past eras (for when a coach leaves). (It’s) still difficult. And I think any coach that leaves a program that doesn’t feel that way probably hasn’t coached them hard enough.”
Describing himself as “probably the hardest coach to contact in-season,” Mendenhall said he was committed to UNM entirely through the end of the regular season on Nov. 30. In a press conference last Tuesday, he said he had not been in contact with or interviewed by Utah State.
Two days later, Mendenhall interviewed for the job in Logan. The Journal and other outlets reported his expected hiring on Thursday night before it was formalized Friday morning.
“Usually after the season — and it happens really fast — there is contact, there’s (an) interview and in a very short amount of time, there’s one of these. That’s how it works. To do anything more than that while the season is going, I think, is a disservice to wherever I am and wherever those are that I’m coaching. So, yeah, there’s firewalls and barriers that really no one gets through during the season.
“And does that make the timing harder? Yeah. Is the principle driven home of who really matters and why? Yes, and that’s loyalty. Plenty could say now, ‘Gosh, I was only there for one year.’ That was very difficult for me — until it became clear ‘family, first, last, always’ was an option. That added clarity.”
After a two-year hiatus from coaching, Mendenhall was hired by UNM in December 2023. The former BYU and Virginia coach was lauded as one of the best hires of the cycle, boasting a resume with 16 postseason appearances in 17 seasons leading programs.
In his 18th season as a head coach, the Lobos finished a game away from their first bowl appearance since 2016. UNM notably defeated then-No. 19 Washington State 38-35 on Nov. 16, leading to a field-storming at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
“That community, I watched whoever was there when we beat Washington State. (I had a) similar experience in Virginia, when the crowd (rushed) the field about half-full when we beat Georgia Tech to be bowl eligible (in 2017). They were feeling a transformation happening.
“I watched them be torn and hurt when they heard my decision after seeing the direction the program was going. I didn’t take that lightly, and still don’t. Very difficult. You can’t coach effectively without connecting deeply.
“It’s not possible — I guess it is, but it’s hollow and I’m not after that.”
Per his term sheet, Mendenhall is set to become the highest-paid head coach in the Mountain West with a six-year deal that will pay him upwards of $2 million annually. His offensive coordinator at UNM, Jason Beck, was hired in the same role at the University of Utah last week; it is currently unclear how much of his UNM staff will follow him to Utah State.
UNM has not named an interim coach in Mendenhall’s absence.
