Anthony Tucker, who has 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, is in his second season as Utah State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In all, Tucker has coached in eight bowl games and helped four teams win conference championships.
In 2021, Utah State had its best season in school history as it tied the school record with 11 wins (11-3), won its first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 road win at No. 19 San Diego State, posted a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and finished the season ranked 24th in the nation in both polls.
Under Tucker’s guidance, Utah State’s offense set six school records during the 2021 campaign, including 41 touchdown passes, 4,248 passing yards and three receivers with 10-plus touchdown receptions. USU’s offense also tied a pair of school records with 13 100-yard receiving games and five passing touchdowns in a single game.
Additionally, Utah State’s offense produced over 600 yards of total offense twice, and over 400 passing yards three times, all of which rank among the top-16 performances in school history.
Utah State finished the 2021 season ranked 15th in the nation in passing offense (303.4 ypg), 23rd in total offense (445.6 ypg), and 33rd in scoring offense (32.6 ppg). USU was also the only team in the nation with at least 10 touchdown receptions by three players.
Individually, senior wide receiver Deven Thompkins set three school records in 2021 with 102 receptions for 1,704 yards, and five games with at least 170 receiving yards. Thompkins also tied two school record with six-consecutive 100-yard receiving games and nine 100-yard receiving games in a season.
Graduate junior quarterback Logan Bonner set five school records in 2021, including 3,628 passing yards, 36 touchdown passes, four touchdown passes in three-straight games and four touchdown passes in six games in a season. Bonner also tied the school record for passing touchdowns in a game with five.
Thompkins, who was named an Associated Press Third-Team All-American and a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, finished the 2021 season ranked second in the nation in receiving yards, while Bonner was seventh in passing touchdowns.
Tucker came to Utah State after spending the previous three years at UCF as he helped the Golden Knights to a 28-8 record, including a 19-5 conference mark, and three bowl games. Highlighting this stint was the 2018 season, as UCF won the American Athletic Conference with an 8-0 record and finished the year ranked No. 11 in the nation with a 12-1 record, culminating in an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.
Tucker spent the 2018 season as the Knights’ running backs coach, added the title of passing game coordinator in 2019 and was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2020. Under the direction of Tucker, the UCF running game produced the best three-year stretch in school history as the team rushed for a school-record 3,448 yards (265.2 ypg) and a school-best 43 touchdowns in 2018, 2,909 yards (223.8 ypg) and 34 touchdowns in 2019, and 2,107 yards (210.7 ypg) and 23 touchdowns in 2020.
In 2020, Tucker served as the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach for a UCF team that ranked second in the nation in total offense (568.1 ypg), third in passing offense (357.4 ypg), ninth in scoring offense (42.2 ppg) and 25th in rushing offense (210.7 ypg).
During the 2019 season, Tucker helped UCF to a 10-3 record and a win in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Knights finished the season ranked second in the nation in total offense (540.5 ypg), fifth in scoring offense (43.4 ppg), eighth in passing offense (316.7 ypg) and 19th in rushing offense (223.8 ypg).
The Knights’ rushing attack in 2018 set program records with 3,448 rushing yards, 265.2 rushing yards per game, 43 rushing touchdowns and 5.8 yards per carry. UCF ranked fifth in the nation in total offense (522.7 ypg), eighth in rushing offense and sixth in scoring (43.2 ppg).
Prior to UCF, Tucker spent two seasons as the running backs coach at Maryland. In 2016, the Terps rushed for 2,594 yards and 26 touchdowns, and finished their season with an appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl. The 2016 season marked the first time UM had eclipsed 2,500 rushing yards since 2003, while its rushing touchdowns were the most since 2007.
Tucker also spent three seasons coaching the running backs (2014-15) and wide receivers (2013) at Arkansas State, as the Red Wolves won the 2013 and 2015 Sun Belt Conference title, and played in three-straight bowl games. In 2015, Tucker’s running backs helped set school records for points scored and touchdowns, while rushing for 3,007 yards and ranking 15th in the nation in rushing offense. In 2014, the Red Wolves set a school record for total offense and ranked 25th in the nation in rushing offense.
At Idaho State during the 2011-12 seasons, Tucker coached wide receivers on a squad that was among the top 10 in the nation in passing in back-to-back seasons. He was also an offensive technical assistant at Colorado in 2010 and coached wide receivers and was the passing game coordinator at Lakewood (California) High School from 2006-09.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Tucker played professional football. He signed as a free agent with the New York Giants in 1999 and earned a practice squad spot in 2000. He later played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 2001 and signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2002 before suffering a career-ending injury.
Tucker holds a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State, where he was a two-year starter at wide receiver. He was a Western Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete and a three-time member of the Dean’s List, and was once a member of the President’s List by virtue of having a 4.0 GPA.
ANTHONY TUCKER FILE
Coaching History
2021- Utah State – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2020 UCF – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs
2019 UCF – Passing Game Coordinator/Running Backs
2018 UCF – Running Backs
2016-17 Maryland – Running Backs
2013-15 Arkansas State – Running Backs/Wide Receivers
2011-12 Idaho State – Wide Receivers
2010 Colorado – Offensive Technical Assistant
2006-09 Lakewood (Calif.) HS – Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
Bowl Games (8)
Utah State (1): 2021 LA Bowl
UCF (3): 2020 Boca Raton Bowl; 2019 Gasparilla Bowl; 2018 Fiesta Bowl
Arkansas State (3): 2015 New Orleans Bowl; 2014 GoDaddy.com Bowl; 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl
Maryland (1): 2016 Quick Lane Bowl
Conference Championships (4)
Utah State (1) – Mountain West, 2021
UCF (1) – American Athletic Conference, 2018
Arkansas State (2) – Sun Belt Conference, 2015, 2013
Playing Experience:
2002 St. Louis Rams – Wide Receiver
2001 Amsterdam Admirals – Wide Receiver
1999-2001 New York Giants – Wide Receiver
1994-98 Fresno State – Wide Receiver
Education
1999 Fresno State – Criminology (B.S.)