NC State introduced new offensive coordinator Robert Anae and offensive line coach Garett Tujague on Tuesday, with both observing the Wolfpack during bowl practices.
Anae said his role is to “recruit, retain and observe” until he takes over the offense after the NC State vs. Maryland game Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C., for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Tujague already landed his first commit to NCSU, getting Oregon offensive line transfer Dawson Jaramillo to commit Sunday.
Neither had worked in the past with NC State coach Dave Doeren, but admired his program from afar. Anae also has worked in the past with NC State special assistant Ruffin McNeil, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tony Gibson.
“When given the opportunity, I did not hesitate because the trust factor with the guys here was very high,” Anae said. “I feel blessed and I feel lucky to be here.”
Tujague recalled whenever Virginia played NC State in the past, the players felt the physicality. He said four other colleges have tried to hire him at certain points, but combination of reunited with Anae and the potential of NC State led to a quick move to Raleigh.
“I’ve been watching this program for about four, five years, and how they’ve done things,” Tujague said. “It was a no-brainer, easy decision.”
Anae also welcomes being his top job with the move to NC State — being a grandfather. His son Famika Anae is the offensive line coach at Campbell and he has three grandchildren and a fourth on the way in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. Anae’s father was also a coach.
“My younger sister is an AD, but the rest of them did not touch the athletic world,” Anae said. “You better be up for the drill if that is what you choose. That was very clear in the home growing up.”
Anae and Tujague’s relationship dates back to 1990 when the former was a graduate assistant and the latter was an offensive lineman at BYU.
“I was part of the group that helped recruit him as a junior college transfer, where he was an All-American,” Anae said. “He played on some outstanding teams [from 1989-91].”
The coaching community is interwoven in many ways, which is both true of Anae and Tujague. They are inextricably linked to Brigham Young, both as players and coaches, and the late great LaVell Edwards.
Edwards was a coaching legend, going 257-101-3 from 1972-2000, including winning the 1984 national title, which Anae was a part of. Neither Anae of Tujague would be where they are in life if not for Edwards recruiting them as players and then hiring them to be on his staff.
“You are talking to one of his [Edwards] players, so of course, I’m going to say huge,” Anae said. “I worked with guys throughout the country and those things are alive and well throughout the game. Probably one of his chief guys on his staff was Norm Chow.”
Chow was NC State’s offensive coordinator in 2000, but he was in various roles at BYU from 1975-99 under Edwards.
“How a practice plan is practiced and utilized in the course of a game,” said Anae on Chow’s influence on him. “As a young coach, I sat right next time for a couple of years and observed that in real time.
“As a player, he organized the practice plan. I wouldn’t be here today if I was a student of that process on how they did it.”
Anae was around many of the legendary BYU quarterbacks over the years both as a player and coach — Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, John Beck and Max Hall. Tujague played with Detmer with Edwards as coach.
“Coach [Edwards] was a phenomenal human being,” Tujague said. “I’m so grateful for him. He took a chance on a kid that not too many people took a chance on. I’m grateful.
“To be part of that pedigree and that [coaching] tree is meaningful to me.”
Anae is a strong believer in the phrase “iron sharpens iron” when it comes to quarterbacks.
“First you want to recruit the best players you can at that spot, and then you want to open it up for competition and treat that spot like the other spots on the team,” Anae said.
Anae has arrived from Syracuse, but before that, he was with Tujague at both BYU and Virginia. Anae was a graduate assistant at BYU in 199-91 when Tujague played on the offensive line. Anae was the offensive coordinator from 2005-2010, and then again 2013-15.
Tujague left College of Canyons Community College in Santa Clarita, Calif., after a 15-year stint as head coach to reunite with Anae at BYU in 2013.
“We loved our time at College of Canyons,” Tujague said. “The turnover of the roster happens pretty fast, so you become well-versed in recruiting. Being able to leave that program and go to my alma mater was a true blessing.
“I’ve known Coach Anae longer than my wife. It was a seamless easy transition.”
Another BYU tie-in with Anae is former Cougars rugby player Mike Leach who died Dec. 12. Leach was a student at BYU from 1979-83, and Anae played football for the Cougars from 1981-1984. They later coached together at Texas Tech from 2000-04.
Anae recalled sending players to Leach at Iowa Wesleyan, where the latter was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1989-91. He followed his coaching path all the way up.
“My relationship with Mike goes beyond the coaching world,” Anae said. “When it came to hiring a guy, he was like, ‘Here is a guy I’ve known pretty well through the years.’ Those were great years in Lubbock and a huge amount of condolences to the family.”
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