JONESBORO -- Blake Anderson knew the questions would come. Not just the bowl questions, but the Missouri questions, too.
After a week when reports swirled that the sixth-year Arkansas State University coach was in talks with the University of Missouri about its heading coaching vacancy, Anderson spoke publicly Monday for the first time about how far things got with the Tigers.
Anderson maintained he's fully committed to leading the Red Wolves' program -- one that's headed to the Camellia Bowl to face Florida International on Dec. 21 for its ninth consecutive bowl appearance -- but he wasn't shy about leaving the door open down the road for a possible exit.
"How close was I [to] leaving [for] Missouri?" Anderson said in a news conference, repeating back a reporter's question. "As any job, when the possibility came up, I looked at it for what it was worth. Interested in it, but never offered the job. Just wanted to look at it and see if it was a potentially good fit or not."
Anderson said he interviewed with Missouri on Dec. 2 and spoke with school officials multiple times last week, but he decided Friday evening to rescind his name from consideration. He reiterated that an offer from the Tigers was never on the table.
Anderson said he felt the process was "dragging out," and he didn't want it to negatively affect recruiting.
"It became clear to me and my agent that there were a lot of people involved on the other end, and on Friday evening we told them that we were pulling our name out of the search, that I was happy here, have a great job, have the opportunity to be here for years to come," he said. "That's been made very clear to me by my bosses, that they want me here.
"It was a good reminder how fortunate I am to have a bunch of bosses and a board that's all on the same page, all pulling the same direction."
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday that Anderson and Missouri officials had been in talks and that there was mutual interest. The Tigers fired coach Barry Odom on Nov. 30 after he went 25-25 overall, including a 13-19 SEC mark, in four seasons.
When the Democrat-Gazette initially reached out to Anderson on Wednesday evening about the report, he declined to comment and said he was on the road recruiting for ASU.
Nothing concrete between Anderson and Missouri came to fruition, and its national search continued into the weekend before the Tigers reached a deal Sunday evening with Appalachian State Coach, and former ASU assistant, Eliah Drinkwitz.
Anderson said he doesn't think the story hurt recruiting, and he said he wasn't asked about it during recruiting visits. The Red Wolves' 2020 class, which currently has 11 commitments, ranks eighth in the Sun Belt and 105th nationally. The early signing period opens Dec. 18.
"We tell guys, we're very open with guys, that if you're gonna come to our program and we're gonna be successful, my name's gonna come up every year, and if it doesn't, then we're obviously not winning enough games," Anderson said. "I tell them very clearly, I can't guarantee I'm gonna be here for five years. At some point in time, God's gonna pick me up and move me. It just hasn't happened yet.
"We'll always be transparent with them and tell them the truth. And ultimately that if I were to leave tomorrow, this is still a great place for them to be. It was a great place before I got here, and it's gonna be one when I leave."
Anderson's flirtation with a Power 5 head coaching job isn't new territory for him. In December 2016, it was reported that Anderson and Baylor were negotiating a potential contract, but the Bears hired Matt Rhule from Temple instead.
Anderson still has two years left on his contract at ASU, and he carries a $500,000 buyout should he ever decide to jump ship.
He's been the anomaly this decade when it comes to ASU football coaches. Anderson inherited a program in December 2013 that had cycled through Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin in three consecutive seasons. Anderson has stayed for six, but he made it clear Monday that a time eventually will come when he'll leave.
"I hope that this time next year that somebody else wants to talk to me. I hope every year that happens," Anderson said. "If it doesn't happen, we are not doing our jobs well. At some point, there'll be an opportunity that probably takes me away from here, but this just wasn't that one."
With Anderson's future at ASU clearer for the time being, the Red Wolves are shifting their focus to finishing off what's been a roller-coaster 2019 season.
ASU (7-5) is set to begin bowl practices Thursday in Jonesboro, and the team will head to Montgomery, Ala., next Tuesday. Kickoff against Florida International (6-6) on Dec. 21 from Cramton Bowl Stadium is at 4:30 p.m.
The Red Wolves, who are 1-4 in bowls under Anderson, last appeared in the Camellia Bowl in 2017, which resulted in a 35-30 loss to Middle Tennessee State.
"We went down there a couple years ago and didn't play very well and finished with a bad taste in our mouth," Anderson said. "[Would] love to go back down there and find a way to get a win and get No. 8."
Sports on 12/10/2019