What to expect for Utah State when early signing period begins Wednesday

Trent Wood
·5 min read
Utah State coach Blake Anderson watches from the sideline during a game against Iowa on Sept. 2, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Utah State coach Blake Anderson watches from the sideline during a game against Iowa on Sept. 2, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press

Recruiting is an ongoing and ever-present task for college football coaches, Utah State included.

It is, in fact, never-ending.

Throughout the season, Aggies coaches recruited both the high school and junior college ranks, while balancing the responsibilities of coaching and leading USU to a third straight bowl game.

And with the opening of the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 4, another avenue for recruiting became available for Utah State and the team’s coaches have been in and out of Logan regularly, all in hopes of securing the next group of Aggies.

“It is extremely difficult,” Utah State coach Blake Anderson said. “We’ve been on the road, doing home visits. We’ve had guys on campus almost every day. That along with trying to prepare for a (bowl) game, an early game. It’s a lot and I think it stresses everybody a good bit and everybody’s got to do their jobs extremely well.”

According to Anderson, the Aggies have done just that.

“I think we’ve done a good job of addressing needs,” he said. “A lot of guys we still can’t talk about, but I think if you look and you kind of track the commitments that we’ve gotten, we’ve attacked places that we feel like we needed to get better at in the fall.”

Anderson noted that while four-year transfers from Power Five programs won’t be signing letters of intent Wednesday — they will instead sign grant and aid agreements and wide receiver Terrell Vaughn noted that some have already done so and been around the team — junior college transfers and high school prospects will sign letters of intent on Wednesday and the Aggies expect all the players currently committed to do so.

“We would anticipate all of the commits, high school and junior college commits that we have at this point to sign on Wednesday,” Anderson said. “We don’t, we’re not in the process or really in the habit of having a commit wait until February (to sign). That kind of indicates he’s not really committed, if that makes sense.

“We would anticipate all those guys to sign a letter of intent on Wednesday and those names being released to the public. And them being here in January or, if need be, obviously in the summer.”

The Aggies have reeled in an impressive list of commitments ahead of the early signing period, be it P5 transfers, junior college transfers or high school prospects.

In December, Utah State has secured commitments from seven FBS transfers, six of whom are coming from P5 programs.

That number includes a pair of Utahns returning home in offensive linemen George Maile (Baylor) and Trey Andersen (Pitt), three defenders in Jadon Pearson (Utah), Will Shaffer (Arizona State) and Siolaa Ricky Lolohea (Oklahoma State), plus former Iowa starting quarterback Spencer Petras.

Where the Aggies have done the most work on the recruiting front, though, is in the junior college ranks from which USU has eight players committed, including one of the best juco defensive linemen in the country in former Georgia Bulldog Marlin Dean.

Between FBS and junior college transfers, Utah State has 11 defensive players committed, five along the defensive line, a point of emphasis for the Aggies given the team’s defensive struggles this season.

USU also has three offensive linemen committed, arguably the other biggest need for the team heading into the 2024 season.

As far as high school commits go, the Aggies have done fairly well in terms of prospects for the future, landing notable prospects at quarterback (Ryland Jesse) and linebacker (Tanner Williams), plus multiple commits with interesting potential in Lehi High School tight end Grayson Brousseau, Corner Canyon High School wide receiver Tate Kjar and Casteel High School (Queen Creek, Arizona) offensive lineman Camden Jury.

Per 247 Sports’ team rankings, the Aggies currently have the eighth-best recruiting class in the Mountain West Conference, though USU’s commits have the fourth-best average rating in the conference.

The Aggies have a high caliber class, if lacking some of the overall numbers of their conference rivals.

All of which is evidence that what USU’s staff has been doing is working.

“It is starting to pay dividends and commitments are rolling in,” Anderson said. “We need to continue to add commits from guys that fill in gaps, but I’m pleased with where we’re headed. Now we just got to kind of finish.”

Utah State’s class of 2024 football commitments (as of Dec. 19)

  • Grayson Brousseau, tight end, 6-4, 220 Lehi, Utah (Lehi High School).

  • Ryland Jessee, quarterback, 6-3, 200 La Mesa, California (Helix High School).

  • Camden Jury, offensive lineman, 6-6, 315 Queen Creek, Arizona (Casteel High School).

  • Tate Kjar, wide receiver, 5-10, 150 Draper, Utah (Corner Canyon High School).

  • Tanner Williams, linebacker, 6-1, 210 Santa Ana, California (Mater Dei High School).

  • Braydon Bailey, defensive tackle, 6-3, 305 Kahuku, Hawaii (Golden West Community College).

  • Marquis Brown, safety, 6-4, 190 Hillsboro Oregon (Golden West Community College).

  • Marlin Dean, defensive lineman, 6-6, 245 Elberton, Georgia (Butler Community College).

  • Mason Edwards, defensive back, 6-2, 171 Denham Springs, Louisiana (Hutchinson Community College).

  • EJ Fisk Jr., defensive back, 5-11, 170 Tupelo, Mississippi (East Central Community College).

  • CJ Nesmith, defensive end, 6-4, 215 Baldwin Park, California (Fullerton Community College).

  • Jared Pele, offensive lineman, 6-5, 300 Azle, Texas (Navarro Community College).

  • Terrell Taylor, defensive back, 6-0, 195 Paramount, California (Golden West Community College).