The assistant coaching carousel spins on...

With the hiring of Matt Wells now official, the next big questions involve who he will pick to round out his coaching staff.

If continuity is an option, I think you take that and roll with it. And apparently, there could be a little bit more continuity than we initially though with Wisconsin apparently wanting to keep some of their current assistants on staff, potentially closing the door in Madison for a few guys who Gary Andersen wanted to take with him. This details that all a bit: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/68309/wisconsin-could-keep-some-assistants

Among the positions possibly being retained at Wisconsin are defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, strength coach, and offensive line coach.

For Utah State, that would leave Dave Aranda, Frank Maile, Evan Simon, and T.J. Woods as potentials to remain on staff. While Aranda could still very likely move on to some other job, keeping him would be a godsend to next year's season. Maile and Woods have both been great as well over the past two seasons and would be very valuable retentions to the coaching staff. As for Simon, we've seen the entire team get a whole hell of a lot bigger and stronger with him here. I say give the man a raise and reason to stay!

Time will tell who of these guys actually end up getting left out of the Wisconsin mix, but it will be one of the biggest stories of the coming days.

If Aranda can't be retained though, there are still some solid options out there for defensive coordinator. Same can be said for offensive coordinator too, so let's look at some big name options! The final choice might likely be someone other than these guys, but they could be ones to keep an eye on!

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Robb Akey
The former head coach of the Idaho Vandals is on the market, is a defensive kind of coach, and extremely charismatic. Akey was always a favorite of both media and fellow coaches at WAC media days the past few years. He even managed to win a bowl game up at Idaho, before the conference realignment more or less signed the Vandals' death certificate.

Tom McMahon
A former USU coach from a darker time in our lives, McMahon was a bright spot back then, and has only done well for himself since leaving, despite being well traveled due to head coaching changes. McMahon bounced from Louisville, to the Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, and now Kansas City Chiefs, working primarily with special teams along the way. Still, all that experience both in the pros, and in college as a position coach could have him prepared to take over as a solid choice at defensive coordinator.  

Kevin Clune
Clune has been Utah State's linebackers coach for the past four years, leading a unit that has routinely been the best on the entire team. He might be a bit of a dark horse, and very well could be the kind of guy who takes pride in his specialty and is content with that. Still, it's an appealing option that can retain some of that continuity that's been talked of so much.

Kendrick Shaver
Another in-house guy who has produced some excellent talent in the past few years coaching the cornerbacks, most notably, Will Davis. He's a loud, energetic, charismatic guy with recruiting ties to some crucial areas. He also was named one of the Defensive Back Coaches of the Year by FootballScoop. He's young, and might have plenty still to learn, but could possibly be a real up-and-comer in the coaching ranks.


OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Mike Canales
One of the rumored finalists for the head coaching job back in 2008, Canales has had a bit of an adventure. He was praised for being a crucial part of some high-powered offenses at South Florida a few years back and is now the associate head coach of North Texas. While he'd be making a step up in division, it would mean a demotion in title for Canales to come to USU. An intriguing option to watch, but probably unlikely.

Beau Baldwin
This is probably the dark horse of the bunch, but could potentially be great if the Aggies landed him. Baldwin coached Eastern Washington to the 2010 FCS championship, helping lead a high-powered offense there in his five years as head coach. He's tied almost exclusively to the Washington area, so he'd be stepping out of his comfort zone. With that though would come a recruiting tie to an area we haven't really hit hard in the past, but with studs like Will Davis and Eric Schultz coming from that state, there's obviously talent to be had.

Aaron Roderick
Currently the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at the University of Utah, Roderick has been mentioned by multiple people as the likely choice here. He's coached a handful of very good receivers at Utah, has plenty of experience working great coaches like Kyle Whittingham and Gary Andersen, and has recruiting ties to Southern California. He's got experience in all the areas that are probably appealing for Wells to want on staff, and could be the favorite for this job.