LOGAN, Utah – Toughness and tenacity. Those are the characteristics Cooper Bassett hopes to instill into his offensive line group at Utah State.
 
Bassett brings 10 years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Utah State He has also been part of two divisional championship teams and has coached in three bowl games.
 
Bassett comes to Utah State after spending the 2022 season as the offensive line coach at Sam Houston State, where the Bearkats rushed for an average of 162.3 yards per game (4.4 yards per attempt) and allowed just 18 sacks in nine outings to rank first in the Western Athletic Conference in sacks allowed and second in rushing offense.
 
Prior to Sam Houston State, Bassett spent the 2021 season directing the offensive line at Southeast Missouri, where his unit helped pave the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in Geno Hess.
 
Bassett also spent four years (2017-20) as the offensive line coach at West Texas A&M, including two seasons as the running game coordinator.
 
We recently caught up with Bassett for a Q&A.
 
Q: What has your transition to Utah State been like and how have the first few months on the job been?
 
Bassett: It's been awesome. My connection to Utah State was Kyle Cefalo. We worked together at Maryland in 2016, and being around him and that group of guys, I got an understanding and a little glimpse of who Blake Anderson was. So, I've followed coach Cefalo and coach Anderson as we went our separate ways after Maryland, and I felt like I knew coach Anderson even though I had never met him. Everything that I had thought, and everything I'd heard about him, has surpassed expectations.
 
Q: What have your perceptions of the program been since arriving on campus?
 
Bassett: The stadium's beautiful and the location is beautiful. When we come to work, we have everything we need. We've got plenty of toys to get everything we need done from an O-line perspective. Coming in and seeing how big the frames are of our O-line was really exciting and now it's just a matter of us putting in the time and developing.
 
Q: What are your impressions of the offensive staff and how that group is working together?
 
Bassett: Coach Cefalo and I were joking the other day about how enjoyable it is being in that meeting room. It's exciting for me having (running backs coach) Rodney Freeman. We were together at West Texas A&M and he's a good friend of mine. We are all likeminded, we are all on the same mission and we have the same values. It's a fun offense and it's stuff that makes sense. We're not beating our head against the wall trying to block all 11 bodies. It's finding ways to play with tempo and space, and dress things up with eye candy to make things simple for our players, but difficult for defenses. It's a lot of fun.
 
Q: What has the offensive line been working on during spring practice?
 
Bassett: We, obviously, have some big holes to fill with the tackles leaving and having guys graduate and transfer, but that's exciting. We have some guys stepping up into new roles that haven't had big roles. Cole Motes and Pule (Alo) are really doing a good job. And, we have some youth that's coming up, which is exciting. Tavo (Motu'apuaka), Teague Anderson, Timo Asoaufua and some other guys are really stepping up, and it's fun to see them develop. The big thing that we need from our unit is we must develop a confidence and we have to play violent. We know where to go and we know how to get there, it's getting there with the right attitude and the right demeanor, and doing it over and over again. Our offense is designed to play with tempo and give us an advantage.
 
Q: Can you give some perspective on what you think fans will see from the offense and your offensive line on Saturdays this fall?
 
Bassett: We have big-play capability on offense. We are going to go fast on every play and give ourselves opportunities to get the ball in our playmakers' hands and put points up. We are going to be consistent along the O-line. We have to mitigate the negative plays up front and that comes with communication and trust in one another. You are going to see some violence and a nasty group that hopefully bury some people downfield. With the speed and the tempo we play with, we are probably going to play with eight O-linemen, which will provide really good opportunities to some younger guys and that will allow us to be fresh and aggressive throughout the game.
 
Q: Has anything caught you by surprise or excited you about your group that maybe you didn't anticipate?
 
Bassett: We've got some underclassmen that are really showing and that is exciting because of the top eight that we have right now, five of them really haven't had any meaningful reps. Everywhere I've been, I've put an emphasis on developing and making the most of what we have instead of trying to replace. What's exciting is I think we've got five guys that are really coming along that can have an impact instead of just having a plug and play type of guy. So, the guys that chose to come here and chose to stay here, are going to have success here.
 
Q: What got you into coaching and why do you enjoy it?
 
Bassett: I'm a coach because I had great coaches. My high school coach, Phillip Koons, is in the Oklahoma High School Hall of Fame. Outside of my father, he's probably the most meaningful and impactful man in my life. Rob Glass, Mike Gundy and Bill Young at Oklahoma State were tremendous coaches that left a big imprint on who I am. I've had great mentors throughout my career. My dad never coached, but he is my hero. The way he raised my brother and I, is the same way I try to coach our guys. I'm tough and demanding, but I hope when they leave the room, they know how much I love and care about them. I'm all about people. I have a master's degree in psychology, so pouring into people and getting the most out of them is really what I'm all about.
 
Q: You played tight end and defensive line in college. How did you become an offensive line coach?
 
Bassett: I started out as a tight end, and I was recruited as both a defensive lineman and a tight end. Playing in a small high school I had opportunities to play both. I've always been more of an offensive-minded person. Those guys on defense are a little crazy. As soon as I got into coaching, I naturally gravitated to the offensive side of the ball. Josh Henson, who's the offensive coordinator at USC, a great friend and great mentor of mine, gave me my first opportunity at Missouri as a graduate assistant, helping him with the offensive line. This position group fits my personality the most. We are blue collar, we have no stats, and we're a team within a team. We rely on one another, and because of that, I just naturally gravitated to it, and it stuck. I'm the only coach with five players on the field at one time, so selfishly I really like that. It's been a lot of fun. As soon as it gets in your blood you can't get rid of it, so I can't see myself coaching anything but offensive line the rest of my career.
 
Q: What characteristics does the perfect offensive lineman have in your opinion?
 
Bassett: When you're building or recruiting the ultimate offensive lineman you want to find things you can't coach. I can't coach someone to be longer. It's tough to increase athleticism. We can sharpen it and improve it, but seeing somebody be able to sink, bend and change direction, and control their body and have explosive movements instead of slow movements, those are big things. And then it's toughness. It's the willingness to be violent and the willingness to put your body on the line. That willingness to sacrifice for someone else. Those three components of length, athleticism and toughness, if you can get those three things, then whether you're a slightly undersized guy or whatever it might be, we can overcome a lot of things if we can get those three.
 
Q: What do you like to do when you're not coaching football?
 
Bassett: My wife and I have two boys, so we're pretty busy raising those guys. As a coach, so much of your time is spent up at the facility and around the team, so just spending time with family is huge. I love to cook and I love being outside. I'm pretty boring. I don't have too many hobbies outside of just hanging out with the family and cooking whenever I can. We love being outside, fishing and hiking, or whatever it might be, but that's about it.