Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
LOGAN – Utah State football announced their 2024 signing class Wednesday.
The Aggies' signing class features 30 new players: 14 four-year transfers, 10 junior college transfers, and six high school signees. Of the 30, 19 were previously announced during the December signing period, and 21 of the new additions are already enrolled at Utah State this semester.
This article, though touching on the class as a whole, will focus mainly on the new additions to the recruiting class.
Reinforce, not rebuild
Though it's been said before, one of the most critical parts of this recruiting class is the fact that only one player in the entire Aggies' two-deep depth chart transferred away this offseason (safety Devin Dye transferred to Kansas). The recruiting process began during the season within the team.
"The guys that have played really well, the all-conference players, even the guys that have just stepped up and made huge impacts on our roster this year, knowing they're coming back and being able to bring complements in to play around them, in front of them, behind them, even in some cases push them to help make them better, maybe relieve some of the workload. … I'm hoping that it obviously carries over to the field in the fall," head coach Blake Anderson said.
He said it's a "completely different problem than we had a year ago," referring to the plethora of departures and arrivals last offseason. This year, the Aggies will be able to reinforce their current roster rather than rebuild it completely with the hopes of creating a "more talented football team."
"It was critical to hold the roster together to have that happen," Anderson said.
QB uncertainty continues
Last season, after Anderson and the Aggies flipped back and forth between Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead due to injury and in-game performance, the starting job finally landed with upperclassman Legas. Due to injury, Levi Williams started in the Aggies' final two games.
This season, Williams is the only departure in the QB room as he pursues his Navy SEAL ambitions.
During the offseason, however, the Aggies have added transfer quarterbacks Spencer Petras, a multi-year starter from Iowa; and Bryson Barnes, from … well, you know.
The experienced quarterback room will make for interesting spring and fall quarterback competition.
"It's going to be (an) extremely competitive room," Anderson began. "We've added two guys in there that have just a feverish work ethic. They're in the building all day, every day. Both Bryson and Spence are here every day."
Anderson made it clear that Legas, who decided to come back to Utah State for his final year of eligibility, and the two incoming transfers were all aware that they would get a chance to compete for the starting job but that nothing was guaranteed.
Barnes is the only new quarterback signee since December's early signing class was announced.
"They've all acted exactly the way I expected," Anderson said. "They've come and worked really hard every day. They're already preparing at a high level, and I cannot wait to get in there with 'em this spring … and have what I think is going to be a huge heavyweight battle in terms of (the) quarterback room."
Anderson also noted that Hillstead shouldn't be counted out, either, as he will compete for the starting job this fall, as well.
Petras and Legas are entering their final year of eligibility, perhaps ramping up the intensity of the QB competition even more. Barnes has two years of eligibility remaining, while Hillstead has three.
Defensive changes
The Aggies, who parted ways with defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen following the 2023 season, have made significant defensive moves this offseason.
Nate Dreiling, who was formerly the defensive coordinator (and associate head coach) for the Aggies, has been hired as the Aggies' new defensive coordinator. Perhaps some clarity is needed; Dreiling coached for the New Mexico State Aggies before being hired several weeks ago by the other Aggies.
"Nate Dreiling did a phenomenal job at New Mexico State," Anderson said. "Took one of the worst defenses, statistically, in the country, and in a very short period of time, made them nationally competitive on the defensive side of the ball, and honestly, as a team."
Two of Utah State's new signees are defensive players who followed Dreiling to Logan: Gabriel Iniguez Jr., a defensive tackle, and Jordan Vincent, a defensive back.
In addition to some of the other talented players that were previously announced by the Aggies, Davon Graham Jr, a transfer from Oklahoma, signed with the Aggies. Graham played several years for the Sooners as a defensive back before switching to wide receiver and missing the 2023 season due to injury.
It seems, though, that the Aggies plan to use Graham as a cornerback.
Graham is listed by Utah State as a junior and should thus have two more years of eligibility. He joins Marlin Dean as one of the more high-profile Aggies transfers, as Dean committed originally and spent time with Georgia before transferring to a junior college. Both have previously earned interest (and offers) from programs like Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame, Penn State, Kansas, and Cincinnati.
Overall, of the Aggies' 30 signees, 18 of them are defensive players, highlighting the team's defensive focus this offseason.
Closing the 'physicality gap'
Anderson was open toward the end of last season about the "physicality gap" between his team and other Mountain West programs and the need to address that gap during the offseason.
"It definitely was something we kept in mind as we recruited," Anderson said. "If you just look at sheer size of some of the frames that we brought in, we tried to get bigger. … I don't know that we can bridge that gap entirely, but we'd like to close it as much as possible."
Anderson mentioned not only bridging the physicality gap with the recruiting class, but also by managing the nutrition of the current players.
