Anderson focuses on bowl, not jobs

JONESBORO -- Blake Anderson turned his attention to the Cure Bowl on Thursday, but not until after taking a handful of questions regarding a brief period in which his name was connected to reports of coaching vacancies in his native Texas.

And while Anderson said a report earlier this week that said he was "negotiating" with officials from Baylor "wasn't a tremendous amount of fun," he hopes such attention comes every season. If not, he said during a news conference to preview the Dec. 17 game against Central Florida, then he's not doing his job correctly.

"That means we're winning enough games and I'm attractive as a head coach," Anderson said. "If they're not talking about me as a candidate, especially a job that's in my backyard where I'm from, then we obviously aren't doing a good enough job and winning enough games."

Anderson's name had been mentioned in recent weeks as a potential candidate at Baylor and Houston. The third-year Arkansas State coach is from Hubbard, Texas, about 30 miles from Baylor's Waco campus where he started his playing career. Other than a Tuesday radio interview with KNEA-FM in Jonesboro, Anderson hadn't commented publicly since a Monday night report from footballscoop.com that said he was "negotiating" with the school for its head-coaching position.

Anderson on Sunday told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he hadn't "been contacted by any school that has shown significant interest" but said Thursday, as he did in the Tuesday interview, that he did speak briefly with officials at Baylor.

Anderson, who is 23-15 in three seasons at ASU, denied the report that said he was negotiating with Baylor, but said he spoke with a "search firm" and Athletic Director Mack Rhoades. He said Thursday that he did not tell ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir of those phone calls, but he said any further conversations would have to involve Mohajir.

Baylor on Wednesday introduced Matt Rhule, who spent the last four seasons at Temple, as its next coach.

"I let them know what my reservations would be and what my questions would be, we never spoke again," he said. "I've been recruiting and trying to build this brand. They found the guy they wanted. It was fun for everybody for 24 hours ... and we move forward."

Mohajir, who was in New York at the National Football Foundation meeting and in Orlando for a tour of the bowl site over the last few days, said he uses the attention as a "positive." Anderson was hired in December 2013 to replace Bryan Harsin, who became the third coach to leave after one season when he left for Boise State.

"The only way you can deal with change is you live it," Mohajir said. "We embrace it, we talk about it. Do you want to go to a program where you're going to win despite the coach? You come to Arkansas State. This is the program you come to."

Anderson said Thursday that he didn't field any similar phone calls from other schools this year. Other reports also attached him to the search at Houston. Anderson indicated that his agent, Lee Kaplan of the Legacy Agency, could have fielded calls that he was not made aware of.

"I've never had any conversations with Houston at all," he said. "I would assume that any job back in the state of Texas, would be something my name would be attached to."

Anderson said he was hosting a recruit at a dinner Monday night when he was made aware of a report saying he was negotiating with Baylor. He told that recruit what he plans to tell every recruit regarding similar reports.

"I can never promise a kid that I will be here his entire career," he said. "But I can promise you this: I will leave it in better shape than I found it and that there are great people involved. If I leave tomorrow, there's going to be a great person in charge of running this program and it's been successful before me and it's going to be successful after me."

Sports on 12/09/2016